Eye drop strategies

Q: My 2½-year-old has been prescribed eye drops for an infection. She will not tolerate me giving them to her. Any suggestions?

A: As with any prescribed medicine, it is really important to give eye drops as directed. But that can be easier said than done. First, make sure you are calm, so that when you say, “This will only take a minute,” it doesn’t sound to the child like, “I hate torturing you like this.”

I have two methods that have proven successful. The first is to pull the child’s lower eyelid down and put the drop in the little sac created. Hopefully, she will blink, which will help distribute the drop. Alternatively, have her lie down and put the drop in the nasal corner of the eye. Again a blink or having her close her eyes and look up should distribute it.