Children catch a lot of colds. According to Boston Children’s Hospital, most kids get between six and ten colds each year. They say kids in daycares get even more. As a parent, I know that when my kids are sick all I want is for them to get better. I hate seeing them feel bad. But most colds do go away in a few days, and kids do usually get better without complications.
Sometimes your child’s cough, fever or congestion are so bad you really feel you should be doing something to help. At least I do. If you are going to treat your child’s symptoms with over the counter medications, should you treat them with an all-in-one cold medicine, or should you treat the symptoms separately? I recommend you ask your child’s pediatrician this question at your next visit. In the meantime, here are some things you should know.
The FDA recommends that children under the age of two should never be given cold medicine. That is because some of the medications on cough and cold medicines can be dangerous for babies. However, this does not mean that you can’t treat your baby’s fever.
Ask your doctor or pharmacist for a dosing chart for fever medications for babies. Make sure you know exactly how much medicine your child should receive and how to administer it. Talk to your doctor about when you should treat your baby’s fever at home and when you should seek medical attention.
You can also use a vaporizer or humidifier to help your baby breathe better, and if your doctor okays it, you can raise the head of your baby’s mattress a bit. Make use of the nasal aspirator, known at my house as “the sucky thing” and don’t hesitate to hold and rock your baby all you can if this helps provide comfort and rest.
Use caution when reading labels
For older kids who are allowed to have cold medicine, you may want to treat them with an all-in one formula or you may want to treat their symptoms separately. If you choose to treat symptoms separately, you must be extra careful when reading labels.
I’ll be frank; if you don’t feel knowledgeable and confident when reading words like acetaminophen and dextromethorphan, ask for help at the pharmacy desk before attempting to treat with more than one over the counter medication. Giving your child multiple medications with the same or similar active ingredients can be dangerous. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.
I sometimes prefer to use an all-in-one medication, particularly if my kids have all the symptoms listed on the bottle. I don’t see a need to give them several doses of different medications if they have fever, cough, congestion and a runny nose and the all-in-one formula treats all those things.
On the other hand, if my kids have chest congestion and a runny nose, but no fever, I don’t see the need to give them acetaminophen that they do not need. Instead, I will give them guaifenesin for their congestion and diphenhydramine for the runny nose. I recently wrote articles on how to get those two drugs, commonly sold as Mucinex and Benadryl, cheaper by reading labels on over the counter medications and buying store brands instead.
More by Tavia:
Children’s Mucinex is Just Guaifenesin With an Animated Booger Mascot
Save Money on Over-the-Counter Medicines: Diphenhydramine HCL
Medication or Change in Environment: What’s Best for Kids With ADHD?
