If your baby or toddler is ill with some other cold or virus and needs more than the usual cuddles, fluids and remainder, medication may be in social club. Simply before you head to the drugstore, yous'll desire to brand certain you're getting medicine that's safe for your little 1 and know the correct doses to dole out.

To prepare you, hither are some handy medication safety guidelines and tips for babies and toddlers.

How to requite a baby or toddler medicine

Here are some tips on giving your fiddling one medication:

  • Never give a baby under 2 months old any medication, not even an over-the-counter ane, that'southward not recommended or prescribed by a doctor.
  • Merely two types of single-ingredient pain and fever medications should be considered for both babies and toddlers: acetaminophen (like Tylenol) for babies ii months and older, and ibuprofen (such as baby Motrin or Advil) for those 6 months and older.
  • Always apply the baby or toddler formulations. Never give your baby or toddler a medication intended for older kids or adults.
  • Don't become physical. To prevent choking, don't squeeze your little 1's cheeks, hold her nose or force her head dorsum when offering her medicine.
  • Brand certain your child is propped upwards. If your babe is old enough to sit upward, manipulate the medicine with baby in a sitting position. If your baby can't even so sit up, aim the dropper to the inside of infant'south cheek while propping baby up slightly to prevent choking.
  • Aim the dropper to prevent gagging. Don't bespeak the dropper to the back of your little i'south mouth, since that can trigger gagging.
  • Have a few tricks up your sleeve. If your infant resists taking medicine, try gently blowing on her face up, which triggers the swallow reflex in young babies. Or offer a pacifier to suck on immediately subsequently offer medicine, as the sucking activeness will aid the medicine go where it needs to go.

Medications to avoid giving babies and toddlers

When it comes to medication safety for babies and toddlers, certain drugs may be harmful. These include:

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  • Cough and cold remedies. Studies have shown that cough and common cold remedies don't stop the sniffles or silence the hacking, and they may even cause young kids to develop serious side furnishings such as a rapid eye rate and convulsions. That's why the manufacturers of these drugs take voluntarily changed their labels to indicate that these meds shouldn't be used in children under 4 years onetime, and why the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) says cough and cold medicines should but be used in children who are at least four with their pediatrician'due south approval. Otherwise, the AAP recommends waiting until children are at least 6 years onetime to give them cold medicines specifically designed for them, and once again only with the doctor'due south blessing.
  • Aspirin (and anything containing salicylates). Doctors have been warning parents for years against giving their kids aspirin, but the message bears repeating: Don't requite aspirin to children younger than 19 years former because it has been linked to the onset of Reye's syndrome, a rare just very serious illness that affects the liver and brain. Although enquiry comes downwards hardest on aspirin, the National Reye's Syndrome Foundation advises against giving children any medication that contains any form of salicylate, so read ingredient lists on drug labels carefully.

Questions to ask your pharmacist

Getting a medication for your child requires more than but picking it upwards from the pharmacy: Yous demand to know the dose, how and when to give it and what the side effects are, among other details. Your pediatrician should requite y'all most of this information, simply you'll also want to talk to the pharmacist to be on the safe side.

If y'all're giving your child an OTC drug, check out the back label. For prescription medications, read the pamphlet that comes inside the box. Either way, bring any questions upward with your pharmacist. Here are a few y'all'll want to take answered before you head home:

  • Are in that location any generic (i.e. less expensive) equivalents to this make-name medication?
  • What is the drug supposed to do?
  • How should the medication exist stored?
  • Should it exist given earlier or with meals? Tin I mix it with food or milk?
  • Are there alternatives that require fewer daily doses (if it's given three times per twenty-four hours)?
  • If my child spits up a dose, should I give another one?
  • If I miss a dose, should I double upwardly the side by side time?
  • How soon should I expect to see an improvement? When should I phone call the doctor if I don't see an improvement?
  • Does my baby have to cease the full prescription?
  • Are there any common side furnishings I should expect out for?
  • If my baby is taking another medication, should I be worried nearly whatsoever interaction?
  • Could the medication affect my baby's chronic wellness condition (if applicable)?
  • How practice I go my toddler to accept liquid medicine?
  • Would you be able to separate the medication into 2 bottles, each with its own label, so that ane can be kept at dwelling and one can be kept at day intendance (if applicative)?

Common safety tips for giving your kid medicine

When giving your child medicine, follow these tips:

  • Always talk to your medico first. Yous shouldn't give a child of any age whatever medicine (OTC, or fifty-fifty an old prescription written for your child) without getting a specific okay from a md for every illness, unless your doc has given you standing instructions (due east.g. whenever your baby has a fever of 102 degrees Fahrenheit, give acetaminophen, or use asthma medicine any time wheezing begins).
  • Treat herbal remedies like whatever other medicine. No i really knows whether many herbs are safe for babies and toddlers. They aren't fully regulated past the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which means yous might be getting more than of an active ingredient than is advertised on the characterization, or information technology may comprise other contaminants. All of which ways herbal remedies should exist treated but like whatsoever other drug, but to be dispensed to your kid with an approval from your dr.. This includes herbal remedies that claim to treat colic, teething and gas.
  • Only employ medications made for kids. Children are not mini-adults who tin take smaller doses of adult medication. Children's bodies are less developed, and an adult medication (which is formulated specifically for an adult body) could not but work very differently on them, but could also crusade serious side effects. When choosing meds for your baby or toddler, limit yourself to medicine plant in the pharmacy's children'south aisle and to the medication your pediatrician prescribes.
  • Read the directions carefully. Read the medication insert and/or label advisedly. The rule of thumb when measuring the dose is to follow the weight recommendation — even if the package suggests i dose based on your child's weight and a different dose based on her historic period. If the instructions conflict with your physician'due south instructions or aren't specified for your baby's or toddler's historic period, phone call the doctor or pharmacist first. Follow the instructions about timing, shaking and giving with or without food.
  • Apply equally intended. Unless otherwise recommended by your doctor, only use a medication to treat the indications listed on the label or insert. And don't requite a medicine longer than prescribed.
  • Avoid double-dosing and keep records. Never requite your baby or toddler more than than ane medication at a time without checking with your md or pharmacist first. Some combinations are unsafe, and many parents accidently give double doses. Ever certificate when and how much medication was given to your child so y'all don't accidentally offer up a double dose or skip ane. Try using a slice of paper on the refrigerator door or a shared document (think notes or tasks or reminders) with any other caregiver to keep track. If yous do give your child a dose a little late, don't stress — merely get dorsum on schedule with the following dose.
  • Bank check the ingredient list. Know the active ingredients in the medication you're dispensing to avoid accidentally giving your infant or toddler two medications with the same active ingredient at the same time — possibly causing an overdose. Reading the ingredient list also clues you in to whether the medication contains anything that your child may be allergic to.
  • Steer clear of expired meds. Drugs that accept expired are not just less stiff, but they may also have undergone chemic changes that can render them downright dangerous (this applies to prescription meds you lot may have hanging around from a previous illness, besides). Await at the expiration date before you buy a drug to make sure information technology isn't outdated or about to expire. Recheck expiration dates periodically — otherwise you may stop up making a pharmacy run in the wee hours. Time to make clean out your medicine cabinet? Acquire how to safely dispose of expired medications.
  • Never give your kid a prescription medication intended for someone else. While it may be tempting to skip the trip to the pediatrician and give your tot her older sib'due south leftover antibiotics in a pinch, don't do it. Just because your v-year-old benefited from a medication doesn't mean your 2-year-old will. Plus, taking someone else'south meds could be very dangerous to your kid. Only give her a prescription medicine that'due south been written specifically for her by the pediatrician.
  • Plough on the lights. If you're doling out medicine in the wee hours of the morning, make sure yous can see — and think — clearly (not always easy when you've been up all night with a sick toddler). Read package labels in adept light (under a night-light when you're exhausted doesn't count) so you don't mistake "tsp" (teaspoon) for "tbsp" (tablespoon), or "every four hours" for "every two hours."
  • Measure with care. Once you've nailed down the right dose, dispense the medication in the cup that comes with it, or use a calibrated medicine spoon, dropper or cup. Don't use spoons from your flatware — you lot can't count on them to equal a true teaspoon or tablespoon (and that's how many dosing mistakes happen). Make certain the pharmacy doses your medicine in milliliters for your child's age and size.
  • Merely mix with food if recommended by your medico. Besides be sure your child will finish the whole bottle or cup (and therefore the whole dose of medicine).
  • Be conservative later any medication meltdowns. If your baby or toddler spits or vomits upwards a medication, it's best non to give a second dose without checking with your chemist or physician first, since under-dosing is less risky than overdosing. Definitely be certain to bank check with your doctor near antibiotics, since taking the full dose as recommended is especially important.
  • Have the full class of antibiotics. On that annotation, if your pediatrician does prescribe antibiotics for your toddler, be sure she takes the full course, fifty-fifty if she appears to be better. Stopping antibiotics midcourse can give lingering leaner the opportunity to grow back. The end outcome? A sick child all once more and, maybe, the need for yet another (perhaps stronger) course of antibiotics. Nip the illness in the bud the first time around and end off the antibiotics.
  • Shop meds safely. Keep medicine for babies and toddlers (as well equally those for the adults in the firm) out of kids' attain and in a cool, dry place. That ways you'll want to avoid stashing them in bathroom cabinets, where humidity from the bathroom and shower can impairment the drug's potency. As well, while information technology's easy to get distracted with your sick baby or toddler when y'all're giving her medication, retrieve not to get out the drugs out and unattended after dispensing them. Put them away quickly and then they don't end up in the incorrect easily. That goes for your medications too, including those in the pill-a-twenty-four hour period dispensers that can look like an enticing toy or box of candy to a child.
  • Re-read the characterization every time. That fashion y'all're sure to get dosing, timing and other of import data right.
  • Update other caregivers. If your child will be at day care or staying with another caregiver, be sure they accept clear instructions on how to utilise the medication. Licensed child care facilities require special forms to administer any prescription and nonprescription medication (including vitamins). Ask your twenty-four hour period intendance nearly the policy so yous know what to expect should your child demand to stop out a prescription for something like an ear infection while in their care.
  • Don't call medicine "candy" or a "treat."While doing and so might temporarily make your baby or toddler cooperate, that kind of clan could lead to an overdose if your child later finds and manages to open the medicine, and decides to try out the "care for." Vitamins and medicines often look like processed to a child, farther adding to the defoliation.
  • Enquire questions. If you're ever unsure whether to requite a medication to your baby or toddler, or if your child seems to be having an adverse reaction, call your md.

Getting your baby or toddler to take medicine

Where'southward Mary Poppins when you lot need her, right? Unless you're lucky enough to accept a baby or toddler who happily opens up wide at the sight of a medicine dropper, having these tricks in your back pocket to "help the medicine go downwards" can assistance (spoonful of sugar non included):

  • Try giving the medication to your toddler before meals. Unless you're instructed to give medicine on a full stomach or later eating, attempt offering it before breakfast, luncheon or dinner. Your kid may be more likely to accept it when she'south hungry.
  • Avert taste buds. Taste buds are located in the front and center of the surface of the tongue. Bypass them by placing a medicine behind the rear gum and inside the cheek, where it volition glide downwards the throat without striking the taste buds as much. (Yes, this requires a flake of skill, and possibly an extra set of hands to keep your toddler withal while you perfect your dunk shot.)
  • Keep medicine cool. If your pharmacist says chilling the medicine doesn't touch potency, endeavour sticking it in the fridge to make the gustation less pronounced. Otherwise, offer a cool bottle, a mesh feeding bag with frozen fruit or a Popsicle first to slightly chill and numb baby's natural language so it doesn't sense of taste equally strong.
  • Look for fun flavors. Enquire your chemist for an FDA-approved child flavoring (like FLAVORx) that tin combat the icky-tasting flavor of many medicines. Sometimes these practice have a small up-charge, merely information technology tin can be totally worth it.
  • Bribery. Okay, last resort. Offer a care for, a pocket-sized prize, stickers or extra fourth dimension watching a show in exchange for taking medicine without a fuss. Pull out all the stops if it helps!

Side effects of babe and children'due south medicine to look out for

Some children may experience side effects when taking certain kinds of medications. Here'south what to watch for in your baby or toddler:

  • Diarrhea

  • Change in activity or mood (due east.g. increased fussiness or drowsiness)

  • Sweating/flushing

  • Unexplained rash/swelling

  • Rapid heart rate

If you notice your infant having any trouble breathing or showing other signs of distress, call 911.

Though you should utilise medication sparingly when your babe or toddler is sick, have heart in knowing that if other at-home remedies just aren't working to make her feel better, in that location are some rubber options for infants and immature children. Be certain to follow these guidelines and your pediatrician's advice when giving your fiddling one medicine, and residuum assured that she'll soon be on the mend.