It's on not uncommon for children to get pink eye, which can be bacterial in nature or caused by eye allergies. It doesn't matter what the underlying cause is, the treatment options are the same: eye drops and ointments. Your doctor will most likely tell you to lay your child in his or her back, tell the child to look up or to one side, and drop in the medication. While this sounds simple, if you have a rambunctious toddler on your hands, these instructions are of little help. Here are some tips to get those drops in, so you can tame the red-eyed monster. 

Bribery Gets You Everywhere

When it comes to kids, bribery can work well to get them to do things they may not want to do, but they really need to, like getting eye drops. You don't have to bribe them with anything big, like a toy. It can be something small, like piece of candy, a sucker, or a promise to watch their favorite DVD as many times as he or she likes.

The key to success with bribery is to start small, and not get carried away and say you'll take the child to Disney Land. Promise the child something small that you can give to him or her right after they cooperate and get their eye drops in place. 

Your child may learn that getting the drops put in isn't that bad, making it easier the next time, or they may expect a treat each time. Either way, it's a win for you. 

Sneakiness Can Be The Key

Sneaking up on a child and dropping in eye medication my not work while the child is awake, but if you're real careful, you can lift the eyelids and drop the medication in while the child sleeps. You may also have to be quick, if you have to treat both eyes, but sometimes a mother has no other alternative. 

This works well if the child only needs the eye drops twice a day. You can sneak in their room before the child wakes and put in the drops, and then again when the child falls asleep at night. 

Team Up And Conquer

When it comes to children, teamwork may be your best bet. There are a couple of buddy system approaches to applying eye drops.

The first is the demonstration approach. One parent shows the child how easy it is to get drops put in, while the other parent administers them. You can use over-the-counter eye drops for the parent demonstration. However, this doesn't always work, so a little forcefulness may be necessary. 

One sure way to get those drops in the eye is to have one parent, or even an older sibling, help pin the toddlers arms and legs down long enough for you to focus on holding the eyelid open and putting the drops in. Save this as a last resort, because once a child's been pinned and medicated, it may make getting the next dose in the eye that much more difficult. 

Not all kids fight getting medicine, and some are more stubborn than others. If you have a difficult time getting the medicated eye drops in place, you can ask ask your pediatrician for advice. Sometimes pediatricians have a trick or two up their sleeves as well. 

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