Grocery and drug stores provide such a staggering variety of over the counter cold and flu medicines that parents may find it difficult to choose the best product to treat their children. Use this brief guide to help you better navigate the cold and flu aisle next time you wind up at the grocery store at midnight desperately inspecting labels to find something that will help your child feel better in the morning. Of course, it goes without saying that it is always a good idea to consult a doctor before administering medication to a child.
The key to choosing the right medicine can be summed up in a single word, symptoms. Most of the different cold and flu medicines are made to treat specific symptoms. Of course a parent can easily identify the obvious symptoms such as coughing and fever. Talk to your child to find out if they are feeling less obvious signs of illness such as muscle aches or sore throat.
Once you have correctly identified the symptoms you are ready to shop.
If your child has a stuffy nose that is clogged to the point where blowing it does not help, you need to give them a nasal decongestant. Because oral decongestants cause more side effects, consider giving your child a decongestant nose spray. Decongestants are not intended to be used long-term so avoid giving them to your child for more than a few days in a row.
If your child has a runny nose (as opposed to a clogged one) and a cough, your child needs a product containing an antihistamine. The side effect of antihistamines is usually drowsiness so it is best allow children to use this type of medicine after school or at night.
When children have a dry cough that is different from the cough caused by sinus drainage, antihistamines won’t help. An oral cough suppressant is the best cure for a hacking cough. While coughing can become uncomfortable after awhile, try encouraging kids to stick it out during the day. The body is attempting to rid itself of harmful germs when it coughs, which means coughing it is beneficial to your child. Try administering the oral suppressant only in the evening to allow time for the body to do its job before the medicine kicks in.
When a child exhibits symptoms already listed above combined with a fever, it is time to get a multi-tasking medicine. In general, it is best not to administer to children a type of medication that treats more symptoms than what they child has. But when the symptoms start to add up, you need an all-in-one drug for colds. Find the right combination for your child’s symptoms, such as one that contains a cough suppressant, a nasal decongestant and a pain reliever.
To treat fever and aches find a medicine that contains acetaminophen instead of one that uses aspirin or ibuprofen. Again, it is always a good idea to consult a doctor before administering medication to a child.
It goes without saying that if your child is allergic to any of the above listed ingredients, do not give them medicine that contains it, no matter what his or her symptoms are. It is always a good idea to consult a doctor before administering medication to a child.
