Medicines for Children: Dos and Do'n'ts

Administering medicines to your children may be worrying. Some parents think that giving medicines to their children may be dangerous. Some others think that other child's illness and medicines may be equal with what their child needs. In this article we will discuss about what the dos and don't's about giving medicines to your children.

Your first aid kit

Generally, your first aid kit should include these following emergency supply items:

1. Bandages and dressings: elastic bandage, sterile dressing or towels, cotton swabs, bandage tape, scissors.
2. Medicines:

• NSAIDs, fever relievers, or pain relievers: paracetamol, ibuprofen, aspirin. Remember that paracetamol is given about 10 mg/kgBW per dose, ibuprofen about 5-10 mg/kgBW per dose, and aspirin should not be given for children and adolescent under 16 years old.
• Sore throat and cough medicine, throat lozenges, cough mixture. Be careful in giving cough mixture to children under 6 years old.
• Gastrointestinal medicine: antidiarrheal medicine (active charcoal), laxataive, antacids or PPIs.
• Antihistamine (diphenhydramine) for allergic reactions or insect bite.
• Dimenhydrinate for motion sickness.

3. Skin care: hydrocortisone cream, calamine lotion, antibiotic creams, sunblock.
4. Wound care: hydrogen peroxides, eyepatch, arm sling, tweezers, ice packs, antiseptic (povidone iodine and lotions), permeable adhesive tape, disposable gloves, cotton buds, sterile saline.
5. Others: rehydration fluids, safety pins, flashlights with batteries, blanket, oral digital thermometer, list of emergency phone numbers.

How to administer medicines to children with more convenient way?

Getting kids to take their medicines sometimes is difficult. First of all, if the child's already talking, talk to them about why he/she has to take this medicine. This is necessary especially when he/she needs a medication for long-term.

Special for ophthalmic solution: drop the ophthalmic solution on the top of the nose, between the eyes. Wait until the solution flows to the medial canthus, then command the child to open their eyes as the solution enters the conjunctiva.

Oral solution: best way is with a dropper or dosage syringe, squirt the medicine to the back of child's mouth. Pacifier medicine dispenser may help in younger children. If possible, choose the higher concentration of medicine. Ask your physician if you want to cover the spoon with other food to blur the flavor of medicine.

Suppository: suitable for child who cannot be given any medicines orally, like in fever (paracetamol) or seizure (diazepam).

Other ways: Use compliance chart and award if the child manages to take medicine regularly.

What about keeping the old medicines?

Medicines, like foods or drinks, have shelf-life. Their expiration date should be listed on the package of the corresponding medicines. Watch out that date and remember not to keep it for a long time. At least once every several months, you need to check the expiration date of medicines in your cabinet and first aid kit. Replace the medicine immediately if you find some of them are expired. Also remember to follow the listed instruction in product information about how to keep the medicine. Some are needed to be stored in dark places, in dry places, in certain temperatures, etc. The other fact you need to know is that once a fluid medicine (suspension, syrup, etc) is reconstituted, the shelf-life is shortened to only several days to several weeks. Remember to discard all the remaining medicines like this when the treatment course is over.

What about using the same medicine to your other child?

Your children may have same body weight measures, or your child has same body weight measure with other child. But this does not always mean that they can be cured with the same medicine. They may require same doses (for some medicines which its dose is count by body weight), but physician may find differences between the sickness among them. Consult with your physician first before considering that the sickness may need same medicines.

References:
http://www.keepkidshealthy.com/medicine_cabinet/kids_taking_medicine.html
http://www.keepkidshealthy.com/welcome/firstaid/firstaidkit.html
Grinsted & Poulsen, http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/health_advice/facts/firstaidkit.htm