A mum whose son caught Strep A has shared how she managed to get him to swallow the medicine. Kaydee Gilliard had to drive to multiple pharmacies to find a supply of the drug after three-year-old son Aaro Shelmerdine was diagnosed with the illness, which has killed at least 19 children in the UK.
Once she found some the next problem was getting Aaro to take it, as he could still taste it even if mixed with a yogurt or a drink.
In a Facebook post, Kaydee said: "I can almost guarantee there's a mum somewhere pulling her hair out trying to get these horrid red antibiotics down their poorly child today (it was me). I thought I would share some tips on how I got Aaro to take his with his Strep A / RSV this week:
"1 - Put it on a spoon with some sprinkles and then the child thinks they are magic. I got this one online and tried it. This worked once but after he tasted them the first time it was game over. Might work for others.
"2 - Put them in one of Aldi's smoothie cartons. I would recommend pouring it into their water bottle if you don't have a dropper thing that fits into the straw bit. The water bottle worked the whole week!!
"3 - A bowl of Coco Pops then add extra chocolate milkshake powder into the milk so it's more chocolatey - This I did on a fluke and it worked really well in the morning doses!"
Three-year-old Aaro Shelmerdine was given antibiotics to treat Strep A (Image: Manchester Evening News)
Kaydee, 31, told the Manchester Evening News: "I posted the tips to see if it might help someone as I really struggled. It wasn’t the usual yellow stuff, it’s this really strong tasking red antibiotics for the Strep A."
She said Aaro became unwell two weeks ago. He lost his appetite, was more clingy and had a high temperature. He then developed a cough and 'his tongue was covered in white then it went like raspberry'.
"Once it was a few days on, he got a tongue like a strawberry and red patches on his face," she said. "His rash was only mild, but it felt like rough bumps, like sand on his skin."
She said struggling to get him to take his medication left her feeling 'like a failure as a parent'.
"Especially when you're told they can be admitted into a children's ward with 'failure to administer medication'," she said.
Aaro has made a full recovery and was back in nursery yesterday.
