Q: What are the signs of readiness for teaching my child to swallow pills?
A: If your child can follow instructions and is able to manage swallowing ‘chunky’, textured foods (e.g. oatmeal or chunky applesauce) without gagging or choking and swallows mouthfuls of liquid without it spilling from her mouth or causing coughing/gagging, she should be ready to learn pill swallowing.
Q: Is there a specific age when a child should be able to swallow pills?
A: There is no one answer, but generally speaking, a toddler is too young. Most school age children should be ready, especially by age 6 or 7, although some are ready sooner, some later.
Q: What are some red flags that my child may not be able to swallow pills?
A: You need to ask yourself if your child has any other problems that could impede his ability to learn to swallow pills such as:
- Drooling
- Your child has a more widespread swallowing issue; for example,
- when eating food, your child coughs or gags
- when drinking liquids, your child sputters or has fluids drip out of his mouth
- Major traumatic experience related to pill swallowing or medication.
If your child has one or more of these red flags, talk to your child’s health care provider about a referral to a therapist.
If you feel confident that your child is ready to try swallowing pills, check out the following link that gives a step-by-step progression to help a child feel comfortable learning to swallow pills. It can be fun and exciting!