Q: In some cases, you may not be able to get different colors or flavors to hide the appearance or smell of the medication. If this is the case, you can aim medication away from your child’s taste buds so that the medication goes down easier.  Recognize that the taste buds are concentrated on the front and center of the tongue. Place the medication towards the back of your toddler’s tongue, but not so far back that she chokes. You can also drop the medication between your child’s rear gum and the inside of the cheek, which can help the medication glide down the back of throat. This can minimize the bad taste of the medication.  Consider giving your toddler an ice chip on which to suck before she takes the medication. It can help numb the taste buds so the medication goes down more smoothly. Remember to not give larger pieces of ice or entire ice cubes, which are a choking hazard. Having a fun diversion such as playing with stuffed toys, singing a favorite song, saying a rhyme, or watching TV can also help medicine go down more quickly and smoothly. This can help ease your toddler’s feelings discomfort and being out of control.  Be honest with your child that he has to take medication and you know it doesn't taste good. Suggest doing something your child likes while you give the medication. Allow your toddler to choose what that is. Having something the child likes to do combined with giving him choice may be the optimal combination to get the medicine down. Preface with something like the following example: “Hi Alla! It’s time to take your meds and I know you think it’s icky. Should we sing a song or watch your favorite DVD while you take it?” You can avoid any conversation about medication altogether by sneakily putting your child’s medication in a food; however, you need to check with your child’s doctor or pharmacist before doing this because some meds cannot be taken during meals or with particular foods.  Mix the medication with a small amount of something tasty like chocolate syrup, pudding, applesauce, yogurt or ice cream. You can also put a small amount of the medication on a spoon with any of these and give your child a spoonful until the entire dose is gone. Avoid putting the medication in large quantities of food so that your child doesn't need to eat much to get the full dose. A sick child won't have much of an appetite and may not want to eat an entire cup of applesauce or pudding. Alternate between a small dose of medicine and something your child likes to eat or drink, such as a blueberry or sip of juice. Grind down any tablets completely and sprinkle them in your child’s food so that she doesn’t choke. In many cases, you can also add your child’s medication to a drink he likes. As with food, check with the pediatrician or pharmacist to make sure that the medication can be mixed with a beverage.  Make sure to fully grind down any pills to prevent choking. Avoid mixing the medication with a full bottle or large cup of liquid to ensure your child gets the full dose before he doesn’t want any more. Try giving your child a spoonful of medication followed by a sip of a favorite juice or drink.
A: Bypass your toddler’s taste buds. Watch TV or do another fun activity. Hide the medicine in food. Put medication into a beverage.

Q: You and your partner can be physically intimate without having sexual intercourse. If you're comfortable making out but you're not comfortable having sexual intercourse, then don’t have sexual intercourse. You don’t owe it to your partner. Don’t let anyone else define your boundaries for you. Only do what you’re comfortable with. Hold hands, hug, or sit close to each other in bed. Enjoy touching and being close to one another without it having to go any further than that. Kiss each other, taking time to explore different ways of kissing. Do an online search for “how to kiss” and try out the different methods. Don’t take yourselves too seriously. Laugh when the kisses feel awkward! You’re building intimacy by experimenting with what works and doesn't work. Using a scented oil or lotion, take turns massaging each other’s bodies. How much of each other’s bodies you massage depends on your boundaries: you can just massage one another’s necks and backs if you aren’t ready to go further than that. Setting rules will not only help you stick to your boundaries; it will also make things extra sexy. An example of a rule you might set is that neither of you can remove even one item of clothing. Another possible rule is no hands allowed below the waist. Touch and kiss the areas of your partner’s body that don’t usually get attention during sex — for example, his/her legs, stomach, or back. Take time to enjoy exploring your partner’s body; build a physical intimacy with your partner that doesn’t depend on sexual intercourse. You can do this to varying degrees. For example, you might agree not to touch each other, and then sit across from each other and slowly undress. To take it up a notch, you could sit across from each other and touch yourselves, with the rule that you are not allowed to touch each other. This is a fun way for you and your partner to explore one another’s bodies without touching each other. Doing this allows you to slow down and appreciate every detail of your partner's body. Take photos of each other looking sexy in bed. You can make this as silly or as sexy as you want. Do an online search of “80s glamor shots” for inspiration.  A funny boudoir photoshoot would be to wear a fancy dress or suit and a feather boa, then make silly faces while posing on top of the bed. If you have cats, you can incorporate them into the photo for added hilariousness. Make a date to have a sexy phone call or text messaging session while you’re both in bed. This could range from flirting to sending sexy photos of each other, to having a full phone sex session.  If you do send sexy photos to one another, exercise caution: anything you send to your partner could end up in someone else’s hands. If you’re worried about someone else seeing you in a vulnerable position, either don’t take the photo, or keep your face out of it.
A:
Give up on all-or-nothing thinking. Touch each other in non-sexual ways. Work on great kissing. Give each other full-body massages. Make out, but with rules. Explore each other’s bodies. Explore your own bodies together. Draw each other naked. Do a sexy boudoir photoshoot. Have fun  over the phone.