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Infant's Medicine Cabinet
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Remember that most of these medications, will not make your child get better any faster. They should be used only if they are making your child more comfortable and are not causing bothersome side effects. If your child is not improving after a few days of being on an over the counter medicine or if he is getting worse, you should call your doctor. NEWS ALERT: on January 17, 2008 the FDA issued a public health advisory and said that it "strongly recommends that over-the-counter (OTC) cough and cold products should not be used for infants and children under 2 years of age because serious and potentially life-threatening side effects could occur.".
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Medicines that you should have handy and can use under a doctor's supervision include:
- antibiotic creams for minor cuts and scratches
- baby lotion (nonperfumed) if your baby has very dry skin
- decongestant drops - see below
- hydrogen peroxide
- pain and fever relievers - see below
- rehydration fluids, usually Pedialyte or Infalyte for persistent vomiting or diarrhea
- saline nasal drops
- skin creams, including hydrocortisone cream (0.5%) or calamine lotion to be used for itchy rashes or bites.
- topical protectant creams for diaper rashes (most diaper rash creams contain varying concentrations of zinc oxide):
- A & D Original Ointment or with Zinc Oxide
- Baby Diaper Rash Ointment (J & J)
- Balmex Diaper Rash Ointment
- Daily Care Ointment (Pfizer)
- Desitin Creamy or Ointment
- antifungal creams to treat ringworm
- Desenex cream, spray or powder
- Lamisil cream
- Lotrimin AF cream, spray, powder, or lotion
- Micantin creams, powder, or spray
- Tinactin cream, powder, lotion or spray
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Pain and Fever Relievers
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You should consult your doctor if you believe that your infant needs a pain and/or fever reliever. Remember, for acetaminophen containing products, do not exceed more than five doses in 24 hours.
Note that Ibuprofen containing products, like Motrin and Advil, aren't usually used before the age of 6 months.
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Name
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0-3 months
6-11 lb.
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4-11 months
12-17 lb.
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| Tylenol drops (80mg/0.8ml)
(Acetaminophen) |
1/2 dropper (0.4ml) every 4-6 hours |
1 dropper (0.8ml) every 4-6 hours |
| Tylenol elixir (160mg/5 ml)
(Acetaminophen) |
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1/2 teaspoon every 4-6 hours |
| Pediacare Fever Drops
(50mg/1.25ml)
(Ibuprofen) |
1/2 dropper (0.625ml) every 6-8 hours |
1 dropper (1.25ml) every 6-8 hours |
| Feverall Suppositories
(80mg)
(Acetaminophen) |
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one 80mg suppository every 4-6 hours |
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Name
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0-5 months
6-11 lb.
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6-11 months
12-17 lb.
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| Children's Motrin Drops
(50mg/1.25ml)
(Ibuprofen)
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1 dropper (1.25ml) every 6-8 hours |
| Children's Motrin Oral Suspension (100mg/5ml)
(Ibuprofen)
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1/2 teaspoon every 6-8 hours |
| Pediatric Advil Drops (50mg/1.25ml)
(Ibuprofen)
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1 dropper (1.25ml) every 6-8 hours |
| Children's Advil Suspension (100mg/5ml)
(Ibuprofen)
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1/2 teaspoon every 6-8 hours |
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OTC Cough and Cold Medicines
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The FDA is recommending that OTC cough and cold medicines "not be used to treat infants and children under 2 years of age because serious and potentially life-threatening side effects can occur."
This followed a recall of infant cold medicines, such as:
- Concentrated TYLENOL Infants' Drops Plus Cold
- PediaCare Infant Dropper Long-Acting Cough
- Dimetapp Decongestant Plus Cough Infant Drops
- Little Colds Decongestant Plus Cough
- Robitussin Infant Cough DM Drops
- Triaminic Infant & Toddler Thin Strips Decongestant Plus Cough
Although these infant cold medicines are no longer available, some parents still give cold medicines to their infant and just estimate a dose. This is part of the problem that led to overdoses and problems with infant cold medicines in the first place and should be avoided.
Instead, try other cold remedies to take care of your child's runny nose and cough, such as saline nasal drops, a cool mist humidifier, and extra fluids.
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