Ideas to Help Children Swallow Pills

It can be hard to teach kids to swallow pills, but a few techniques can be helpful, a study shows. The study looked at previous research on pill swallowing among children. Few studies had been done. Researchers found 5 small studies with successful results. Two studies worked on teaching or showing kids how to swallow pills. In one, 17 of 29 children were able to take large capsules for at least 6 months. The other study reported success for all but 1 of 23 children. Another study included 67 children who could not swallow pills at first. Of these, 47 learned with the use of specific instructions. Nine others succeeded with the instructions plus a small pill cup. A study of 11 children helped 7 of them to swallow small candies with the aid of a throat spray. Another study taught 33 children the best ways to hold their heads to take pills.