How to Give Eye Drops to a Young Child

It seems that kids can often be prone to repeat occurrences of the same illness. For example, I had tonsillitis as a child more times than my mom could count, yet my kids have never had a case of it. Some children will have multiple ear infections while others will struggle with allergies.

We have learned that one of our kiddos is especially prone to pink eye. The other day a friend and I were comparing notes about how both of our children had picked up pink eye in the last few weeks. She then asked how we were able to get the eye drops in our daughter’s eyes, and I immediately realized this could be a good blog post! I love sharing helpful tips (read here on how to get your young child to take medicine), and this one is no exception. 

The first time one of our girls came down with pink eye, our pediatrician gave us the best advice on how to give eye drops to a young child. Here it is:

• Have your child lay down and close their eyes.

• Carefully drop one drop of solution into the inner corner of the eye.

• Have your child blink 2-3 times and then close their eyes again for the prescribed amount of time (usually around 1-2 minutes).

• I usually keep a tissue handy to wipe away any excess solution.

• That’s it!*

Tip: We usually let the girls listen to music from one of their favorite movies while the eye drops work. Songs from Frozen or Cinderella, anyone?

We hope this helps make your life just a little bit easier next time you need to give eye drops to a young a child.

For more helpful hints, check out our post about how to make a child laugh at the doctor’s office or how to navigate a birthday party with food allergies.

*Of course, always check with your child’s physician first!