The trick to getting your toddler to eat her green vegetables.

Tell her you're going to give her medicine. Unless she wants to eat more salad, first?

Cosette is on amoxicillin for pink eye and an ear infection. Of course, Greg picked up the prescription, so he didn't ask for them to add flavor, and he didn't ask for an appropriate sized dropper. Which means (1) the medicine tastes disgusting, and (2) that I have to dose Cosette twice since she needs one and a half teaspoons- and my dropper only goes to one.

So how does one get a squirmy unwilling toddler to sit still, open her mouth, and then swallow the medicine? And don't say "Make Greg do it." He was away for five doses. Why does she not get it that the longer she keeps it in her mouth, the longer she has to suffer the disgusting taste? This morning, I even waited until she was strapped into her car seat before trying to ambush her with the medicine. I got it into her mouth with somewhat of a struggle, so to demonstrate her protest, she spit it out. She walked into daycare with neon pink syrupy liquid all over her chin, shirt, and jacket. Then try explaining about antibiotic resistant bacteria and the need to finish all the medicine in a bottle to a three and a half year old who cries "But I'm all better now!"

Grr. If I were a chemist, I'd focus on making medicines easier to administer. But I'm only a mother who doesn't want to bruise her daughter while holding her down and shoving the medicine dropper down her throat. Really, if we have to get physical, I won't win. I'm bigger, but I'm a wimp.