Seven medicines you shouldn't give your child

Children are much more likely than adults to have adverse drug reactions, so giving your child prescription or over-the-counter (OTC) medication is serious business. Here are some medicines you shouldn't give your preschooler:

1. Aspirin

Never give your child aspirin or any medication containing aspirin. Aspirin can make a child susceptible to Reye's Syndrom — a rare but potentially fatal illness. Don't assume that the children's medicines found in drugstores will be aspirin-free. Aspirin is sometimes referred to as "salicylate" or "acetylsalicylic acid." Read labels carefully, and ask your doctor or pharmacist if you're not sure whether a product contains aspirin.

2. Over-the-counter cough and cold medicines

Studies show that over-the-counter (OTC) remedies claiming to relieve stuffiness, runny noses, and coughs are actually not effective for children younger than 6.

Worse, some cough and cold medicines can be downright dangerous, especially when a child mistakenly gets more than the recommended dose. In addition to side effects like drowsiness or sleeplessness, upset stomach, and a rash or hives, a child can suffer serious effects such as rapid heart rate, convulsions, and even death.

Every year, 7,000 children under the age of 11 are treated in U.S. emergency rooms after taking too much cough or cold medication.

Under pressure from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), in October 2008 drug makers began relabeling their products to say they should not be given to children under 4.

If your preschooler is miserable with a cold, you may want to try a humidifier or other home remedies.

3. Anti-nausea medications

Don't give your child an anti-nausea medication (prescription or OTC) unless his doctor specifically recommends it. Most bouts of vomiting are pretty short-lived, and children usually handle them just fine without any medication. In addition, anti-nausea medications have risks and possible complications. (If your child is vomiting and begins to get dehydrated, contact his doctor for advice on what to do.)

4. Adult medications

Giving your child a smaller dose of medicine meant for an adult is dangerous. If the label doesn't indicate an appropriate dose for a child, don't give that medication to your preschooler.

5. Any medication prescribed for someone else or for another reason

Prescription drugs intended for other people (like a sibling) or to treat other illnesses may be ineffective or even dangerous when given to your child. Give him only medicine prescribed for him and his specific condition.

6. Anything expired

Toss out medicines, prescription and OTC alike, as soon as they expire. Also get rid of discolored or crumbly medicines — basically anything that doesn't look the way it did when you first bought it. After the use-by date, medications may no longer be effective and can even be harmful. Don't flush old drugs down the toilet, as they can contaminate groundwater and end up in the drinking water supply.

7. Extra acetaminophen

Some medicines contain acetaminophen to help ease fever and pain, so be careful not to give your preschooler an additional separate dose of acetaminophen. If you're not sure what's in a particular medicine, don't give her acetaminophen or ibuprofen until you've first gotten the okay from your doctor or pharmacist.

Cautionary notes

These two types of medications aren't 100 percent off-limits, but you should carefully consider whether and how to give them to your child:

• Chewables

Most preschoolers can handle chewable tablets, especially those that are fast-melting. But keep an eye on your child when you give him a chewable, especially if he isn't proficiently chewing solids yet.

If you think chewables might be a choking hazard for your child, crush the tablet and put it in a spoonful of soft food, like yogurt or applesauce. And of course, you'll need to make sure your child eats the entire spoonful to get the complete dose.

• Herbal remedies

Check with your doctor or an alternative medicine practitioner before giving your child any herbal products. And always let the doctor know about any herbal remedies your child is taking before she prescribes a medication.

Many herbal remedies are gentle and safe, but just because something is natural, or derived from a plant, doesn't mean it's safe for your child. Herbal products can cause allergic reactions, liver damage, and high blood pressure. In certain doses or when combined with the wrong medications, they can be fatal.

Never take or give your child the Chinese herb ma huang, also known as ephedra or ephedrine. In adults this herbal decongestant has been linked to high blood pressure, irregular heartbeat, seizures, heart attack, and strokes.

Source: Reviewed by the BabyCenter Medical Advisory Board

How do I keep my child from getting carsick on a long trip?

It's always a good idea to try to schedule car trips during your child's nap (if he takes one) or regular sleep times, and if he's prone to motion sickness that strategy might be especially helpful. Here are some other ideas to keep in mind:

* Don't seat him too far back in the car. He's more likely to feel nauseated if he sits in the back of a van, behind the axle, than if he sits in the middle seat, for example.

* Stock the car with some toys or books, but keep in mind that playing or looking at a book can sometimes make matters worse. If this is the case for your child, try other distractions, like listening to the radio, singing, or chatting with him.

* Looking out the window may help prevent motion sickness, so talk about what's going on outside. (Gazing into the distance will help your child's brain register that his body is moving.) Invent some games to engage him — see how many different colors he can spot, or help him find animals (a dog being walked, a kitty on a doorstep, a bird perched on a fence).

* Provide your preschooler with a small snack before the trip so that he has something in his stomach, and take frequent breaks during the trip to give him a chance to calm his tummy. Help him stay hydrated by offering him plenty of fluids. Otherwise he may get headachy, or even dizzy or weak, which would only make him more miserable.

There are medications you can give your child, but you'll want to know how they affect him before you leave home. Dramamine, for example, is simply a form of Benadryl, a common sedating antihistamine. Although antihistamines aren't usually recommended for regular use by children, an occasional children's dose of Benadryl or Dramamine for a long car trip may be in order.

Keep in mind that these medicines may cause dry mouth and nose, so keep those fluids handy. They often cause drowsiness, but sometimes they have the opposite effect and cause — heaven forbid — irritability and hyperactivity. If you want to give medication a try, ask your child's doctor about the correct dose for your child's age and weight.

Motion sickness patches aren't an option, as they're not for use on children under age 12. Don't cut one in half to deliver a smaller dose to your preschooler.


by Jo Ann Rohyans, pediatrician (Source: www.babycenter.com)

Best and Worst States for Kids' Healthcare

Wed, May 28, 2008 (HealthDay News) — The quality of children's healthcare in America varies widely from state to state, as does their access to insurance and care and the likelihood of living long and healthy lives.

That's the conclusion of a new scorecard produced by the Commonwealth Fund, a private foundation that seeks to promote better healthcare for all Americans.

According to the scorecard, if all states performed as well as the top few states:

• an additional 4.6 million children nationwide would have health insurance;

• 11.8 million more children would get their recommended yearly medical and dental check-ups;

• 10.9 million more children would have a "medical home" — a regular source of care;

• 1.6 million fewer children would be at risk for developmental delays;

• and nearly 800,000 more children would be up-to-date on their vaccines.

Iowa, Vermont, Maine, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire are the top performing states, according to the report, while Arizona, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Jersey, Nevada and Texas are at the bottom.

"States and the federal government have a very high stake in ensuring that children are healthy," Commonwealth Fund President Karen Davis said during a teleconference Tuesday. "In fact, more than one-third of children in the United States receive healthcare funded by the federal government as well as the 50 states and the District of Columbia."

The report, U.S. Variations on Child Health System Performance: A State Scorecard was released Wednesday. Read more.