How to Administer Eye Drops to Kids and Babies

If you’ve reached this page, and you’re also the parent of a young child seeking advice on giving eye drops to small tiny humans, please accept my condolences. 

Kidding… kind of. In my experience, there is the rare easy-going child who can follow directions and tolerates eye drops just fine. Then there is the rest of the pediatric population. Kids don’t like the sensation of water being splashed into their eyes. You may trick them the first time, but gosh darnit they aren’t going to fall for your “come here let’s do your drops hunny” trick again! 

The Eye Goop

Kids may need eye drops for a variety of reasons. There’s “The Goop.” And no, I’m not referring to a well loved celebrity skincare brand here, unfortunately. (But I do love Goop sunscreen, FYI). The Goop occurs when there is an infection in the eye, often bacterial, that causes copious amounts of mucous to secrete from and congeal around the tear ducts.

The Goop usually represents the much dreaded and always feared rendition of bacterial conjunctivitis, also known as contagious pink eye. The mucous can get so bad that vision is obscured and their poor little eyes can get congested, gunk up, and cake shut from The Goop. It’s as gross as it sounds. 

Viral Eye Infections

Viral infections can also cause red eyes, typically with less or no Goop. Both bacterial and viral infections, known as bacterial or viral conjunctivitis, can occur on their own or in conjunction with another illness. For example, the flu, Covid, and ear infections are all known to be associated with conjunctivitis.

There is also allergic conjunctivitis - the red itchy eyes caused by an allergy to something. Allergic conjunctivitis usually has no discharge but lots of redness and itchiness. Eye injuries, dry eyes, and more serious ophthalmic conditions requiring prescription eye drops are all other possibilities that your child may need an eye drop. 

How to Administer Eye Drops to Older Children

So - how to administer those drops? If your child is older, or is the extremely rare rational toddler, it should be straight forward. 

1. Wash your hands and clean if necessary: 
   1. If you’re treating The Goop (bacterial conjunctivitis or a condition with heavy eye secretions), cleanse the eye as needed with a warm wet compress (i.e. a clean washcloth).
   2. Let the compress sit over the closed eye for a moment, then gently wipe the eyelid from the nose side to the cheek side and repeat as needed.
   3. Wash your hands again once the eye is clean, and always discard or wash the compress right after.
2. Once the eye is clean, or if no cleaning is needed, administer the drops:
   1. Have your child tip their head back, or have them lie flat.
   2. Shake the bottle gently if the label says to do that. 
   3. Have your child look up and away.
   4. Gently place your hand on their forehead to hold the head steady.
   5. Holding the bottle about an inch away from the eye, administer into the eye and aim for the lower eyelid area.
3. Have your child blink a few times to get the medicine moved around and absorbed.
   1. They can also close their eyes and move the eye around if that’s more comfortable. 

How to Administer Eye Ointments

For ointments, the process is the same, except you would apply a thin layer of ointment (about 1/2 inch usually, but less for very small kids) to the lower eyelid. Go from nose side to cheek side.

Pro parent tip: For drops or ointment, if you believe that you missed, or your child moved, and the majority of the medication slipped out of the eye, go ahead and give another dose. 

How to Give Eye Drops to Young Children

For younger children, or older children who are scared or have difficulty tolerating eye drop application, that’s where it gets tricky. According to the AAP, if your child cannot or will not lie still, the recommendation is to: 

1. Place your child on their back (or get his head tipped back as far as possible), ideally on the floor. Some human contortionist acts are coming, so best to be on the ground or a bed!
2. Sit behind them and put their head between your legs.
3. Put their flailing arms under your legs, gently of course!
4. Put your lower legs over their legs so they can’t flip over or kick you (we all know how good toddlers are at being ninja warriors).
5. Once you’ve got them in this body bind, use a pillow or towel under their neck to tip the head back.
6. Proceed with the eye drop administration as highlighted above. Probably, you should wash your hands and get your moist compress ready before attempting the pretzel configuration described in steps 1-5. 

Keep in mind, the steps described to administer eye drops to an unwilling child are just a recommendation to get the medication into the eyeballs to do it’s job. It’s important to treat infections and eye conditions.

I fully recognize however how difficult this may be for some kids and parents, and I am by no means advocating forcing your kiddo, kicking and screaming, into an uncomfortable medical situation! 

Healthy Rules and Boundaries

Do what works best for your family. I’m a firm believer in healthy rules and boundaries. But, when it comes to doing something that you have to do for their health - like medicine administration, shots, blood work, etc, then I sway more toward the “whatever works” approach.

Ideally, I get my kid’s buy-in and cooperation so they’re not scared and feel that they still have autonomy over their body. However, I am not a perfect parent and sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do! (Exception - if my husband ever happens to read this article, I AM perfect, obviously.)

Last summer my oldest had bacterial conjunctivitis and for the first few doses I let her have a small piece of candy after each successful drop application. Eventually she realized it wasn’t a big deal and I spaced the candy out to just once per day. Dentists, don’t come after me!

Lots of Patience

For my middle kid, LOTS OF PATIENCE is usually necessary. Reassuring her that it’s no different than getting splashed at the pool. Answering 101 questions. And very calmly suggesting we try again when she inevitably squeezes her eyes shut at the last moment and the medicine bounces off her eyelids and rolls down her cheeks. And then lots and lots of praise about what a brave kid she is for enduring the unimaginable eye drop application. 

Eye Drops for Babies

And then there’s the baby. I have no great advice for an unwilling baby or young toddler. I sneakily give a drop in one eye, wait for the howling and raging to subside a bit, then sneakily administer the drop in the other eye once that eye pops open again. Speed is the name of the game here folks.

I think in younger babies, distraction with a fun toy or pattern, or even screen time would help. But toddlers will likely see any sort of distraction attempt as an insult to their intelligence and protest all the harder. 

Post-Eye Drop Administration

Once you’ve successfully administered the eye drops or ointment using my stellar parenting bribery techniques, you can wipe the tip of the medication clean with a clean tissue. That step is recommended in some package inserts.

You also should immediately recap the medicine and store it in a cool dry place away from children. These medications do not come with child safety caps.

A few types of eye drops require refrigeration - read the labels but if it’s a refrigerated product, usually you want to let it come to room temperature before administration then place the product back in the fridge once you’re done. 

Just like antibiotics, use your eye drops for the full amount of time recommended by your doctor. This could be a defined amount of time if treating an infection or other condition, or it could be for a season or indefinitely. Eye drop application can be challenging, but with the right trickery and some master negotiation skills, hopefully you can make it as painless as possible! 

The following references were used to compile this information: 

healthychildren.org (2013, February 13). How to Give Eye Drops and Eye Ointment. https://www.healthychildren.org/English/safety-prevention/at-home/medication-safety/Pages/How-to-Give-Eye-Drops-and-Eye-Ointment.aspx

This article has been reviewed by Andrea Morrissey, PharmD, Board Certified Pediatric Pharmacy Specialist, and Chief Content Officer of Kids Med Guide. The content is for educational and entertainment purposes only and does not replace professional medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider for medical guidance, and call 911 in an emergency.

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