5 Crucial guidelines for parenting a child with HIV

1. Medication is key

Adhering to the medication regimen as prescribed by your care provider is key in managing your child’s viral load. Dr Gwen Norton, a GP with a special interest in HIV/AIDS, suggests learning a few tricks to help you administer the foul-tasting syrup: “Try giving your little one a spoonful of peanut butter first to coat their mouth, or encourage them to suck on an ice cube beforehand.” Always give the syrup before brushing teeth, as certain varieties contain sugar. 

2.  Transitioning from syrup to pills

Dr Norton advises teaching your child to swallow pills from an early age to solve the problem of transitioning the unpleasant syrup. “Jelly beans are fun to practice with. Once they can swallow jellybeans they can swallow pills,” she says. “Make a game out of it. If they swallow one jellybean they can eat two, for example.” 

3. Be honest with your care provider

Find a care provider with whom you feel you can be completely honest. “Everybody slips up sometime with meds,” says Dr Norton, “Your care provider is better equipped to care for your child properly if they know what’s happened.”

Ensure that your care provider is monitoring your child’s neurodevelopment and progress at school. Many HIV-positive children need extra support in this regard, and the earlier their needs are identified the better. 

4.  When to tell your child 

Dr Norton encourages open communication with your child from an early age. “Tell your child that they were born with a germ in their blood and they need to take meds to keep the germs ‘asleep’. Explain that a sleeping germ won’t harm them but an ‘awake’ one could make them sick. It’s advisable that your child knows the germ is called HIV by about the age of 10.” 

Dr Norton urges parents not to lie about the disease or withhold the truth until children find out themselves. “In one case, a child saw their meds broadcast on TV and found out that way. Another 12-year-old patient told his mom he only ever wanted one girlfriend because he had learnt about HIV and didn’t want to place himself at risk. She had not told him he was already infected. It’s much tougher dealing with that damage than preparing them at an earlier stage. Not talking about it builds walls and makes HIV taboo and shameful.”

5.  Take care of yourself

It’s also important to look after your own health if you are HIV positive – failure to do so can have devastating consequences for your health and your child’s future. Take your medication and don’t neglect appointments with your care provider. Set a good example in the way that you manage your health and your child will likely follow suit. 

How Clicks Clinics can help you

Did you know Clicks offers HIV testing and counselling at our clinics? To make an appointment at a Clicks Clinic, call 0860 254 257 or book online at Clicks Clinics online.

HIV home test kits are also available for purchase in-store.