Don’t be lulled into thinking that cough and cold medicines are harmless because they are sold in grocery stores andsay “children’s” on the label. Giving children too much cough and cold medicine can be dangerous. Hundreds of young children have suffered accidental overdoses from common over-the-counter medicines, and a few have died.

In 2008, the makers of many children’s cough and cold remedies changed their labels to have the following warnings:

• Do not give to children younger than 4 years of age.
• Do not use antihistamine products to sedate or make a child sleepy.

Most cough and cold remedies contain at least three active ingredients, all of them powerful medicines. Some of these ingredients can cause heart rhythm or blood vessel problems that can lead to high blood pressure or stroke. Antihistamines may make some breathing problems worse. Young children are especially sensitive to these effects. Many combination cold medicines also contain a pain reliever or fever reducer like acetaminophen or ibuprofen. Overdose can occur if you give these along with other medicines for pain or fever. Never give any medicine containing aspirin to anyone age 18 or younger. Aspirin in children and teens increases the risk for a serious condition called Reye’s syndrome.

Protect your child from medication side effects

Keep in mind that cold medicines won’t cure a cold. In fact, studies have shown that they don’t even relieve symptoms in children younger than age 6.

If you do give over-the-counter medicine to your child, follow these guidelines:

• Talk to your doctor before you give your child any over-the-counter medicine.
• Never use an over-the-counter medication to make a child sleepy.
• Do not give a child any medicine that is labeled only for older children or adults. Choose only products meant for your child’s specific age group.
• Always read the “Drug Facts” on the label. Check all the ingredients, and be sure you understand the warnings.
• Never give a child more than the recommended dose. And do not give the medicine more often than the label says.
• Do not use kitchen spoons to measure liquid medicines. Use the dropper or dosing spoon that came with the medicine, or buy one with the right measurements at your drugstore.
• Do not use a medicine if you aren’t sure how to give it to a child or whether it is safe for children. Talk to a doctor or pharmacist first.
• Keep all medicines out of sight and reach of children.

How to help your child feel better

Children get lots of colds, and it’s natural for parents to want to help them feel better. Instead of reaching for a medicine bottle, try these time-tested and doctor-approved ways to keep your child comfortable:

• Offer extra fluids to ease congestion and reduce fever.
• Make sure your child gets plenty of rest.
• Use saline nose drops in a child over 12 weeks old to help clear out mucous. For older babies, use only one drop at a time and apply to only one side at a time. A bulb syringe may help clear a stuffy nose if a child is too young to blow his nose.
• Use a cool-mist humidifier to moisten the air and make breathing easier. Make sure to clean the humidifier according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

When to call the doctor for cold symptoms

If a child age 12 weeks or younger has any of the following cold symptoms, you should contact a doctor:

• Symptoms are not responding to treatment
• Symptoms last for two weeks or longer
• Fever lasts more than 72 hours
• Your child had been getting better and then the symptoms became worse
• New symptoms appear
• Your child has a weak immune system or other medical problem

Get immediate emergency help for:

• Fever of 105 degrees F or higher, or 100.4 degrees F in a child 12 weeks of age or younger
• Severe headache or stiff neck
• Call 9-1-1 if your child is having any trouble breathing.

(Source: MyOptumHealth, Jan 2011)

• Age-appropriateness: Your baby will get the most enjoyment out of a toy only if he can use it. An age-appropriate toy encourages or challenges your baby to use and improve one or more developing skills. A toy that doesn’t offer any challenge will probably bore him, but if the toy it’s too hard to use, it may frustrate your baby.
• Safety: Although toy manufacturers’ age recommendations do take safety into account, you should carefully examine any plaything you plan to give your baby. Toys should not have small part’s to avoid choking, they should be finished with a non-toxic material and they shouldn’t have sharp edges, string’s and ribbons.
• Stimulation: If used correctly, a good toy will stimulate more than one of your baby’s senses (touch, sight, sound) or his developing abilities (hand-eye coordination, general motor control, fine motor control).
• Variety: Consider the toys you already have before buying any new toys. Try to select toys that offer your baby different colours, different textures, different shapes and different sounds. By opting for variety, you expose your child at a very early age to the myriad of possibilities the world has to offer.
• Simplicity: In general, the simpler the toy, the longer it will last. Simple toys have fewer parts and therefore prove more durable than more complicated toys. Simple toys also tend to offer more versatility. Today your child can hold it, next month he can move it, and next year he can use it as a prop for make-believe play.

Whatever toys you choose, let your baby play with them in any way he chooses. After all, just because you know the “right” way to play with a certain toy doesn’t mean that your baby can’t come up with new and ingenious uses of his own.

What you should know?

• Before your baby is born, purchase a car safety seat.  Your baby needs to be well-protected right from the start.

-  There are different brands and types of baby car seats. Make sure you buy one that fits securely in your car and is convenient to operate.

- It is critical that the restraint be not only well-secured with a seat belt, but that your child is securely buckled in.

-  Whether in the front or back seat, your child seat must be fastened with the car’s three-point seat belt.

-  Some child seats can be placed facing backwards in the front passenger seat. But this only applies if the car has no passenger-side airbag or if the airbag is switched off when the child is placed in this seat.

-  If your car has a passenger-side airbag that cannot be switched off, your child MUST be placed in a child seat in the back of the car.

- Remember if you place your baby’s seat in the front you must move the car seat as far back as possible. A distance of at least 20cm (10 inches) must be left between the dashboard and the child seat, so your child won’t get hurt in a head-on collision.

-  If your child’s head sticks out over the top of the child seat, the child seat is too small.

-  A newborn baby may also be placed in a fastened carrycot (with hard sides). Fasten the carrycot with a special belt that is fitted in the car, or with the car’s three-point seat belts. A safety net should also be placed over the top of the carrycot to prevent the child from being thrown out of the carrycot in a collision. The carrycot must be placed with the child’s head facing the centre of the car, to reduce the risk of injury if the car is in a side collision. Be aware that carry cots do not provide the same degree of impact protection as child seats and that you can use them just for a few months.

• From the very first trip, use a child seat every time.
• Remember to choose a seat according to the weight of your child, not her age.
• Don’t buy a second-hand car seat unless you know, for certain, that it has never been in any sort of accident – there may be defects and cracks on the frame and/or bodywork which you just can’t see.
• It is very dangerous to place a baby in the front seat of a car without a suitable car restraint.
• As much as you might be tempted to hold your new little one in your arms while riding in the car, it just isn’t the time or place for cuddling. Make it a rule, right from the start, to have everyone in the car securely belted-in for each and every trip.

More useful information

In the early weeks, when your baby might not have good head control, it is helpful to use a head support intended for car seat use, or roll up a baby blanket to place around your baby’s head to steady it. Otherwise, her head has a tendency to flop from side to side.

• If your baby is sick or needs constant attention, it is important to have an adult sit in the back to help care for her. It can be very distracting (and dangerous) for the driver to keep turning around to care for the baby.
• The rear-facing position is the most protective. It is important not to move your child into a full-size safety seat too soon. Your baby should weigh at least 9 kg (20 pounds) and be one-year-old. If your child is quite big, but still well under one year of age, it is still very important for her to be placed in a rear-facing seat while riding in the car. Some rear-facing car seats have an upper weight limit from 10-11 kg (22 to 25 pounds). Some of the newer seats accommodate children up to 13.6 kg (30 pounds) or even more.
• Remember that a baby should not sit in a child seat for more than 20 to 30 minutes a day, as the muscles in their back are not fully developed. If the baby is not carried by car every day, they may be able to manage an occasional longer trip with regular breaks.

Other questions you may have?

How to install an infant car seat

Why are airbags dangerous for children?

What is a secure child seat?

Will a second-hand child seat be secure enough?

13 safety precautions you should follow in the car when driving with children?

1. Be sure before any journey that the child seat is properly fitted with a belt.
2. Never place anything underneath a child in the child seat; otherwise the child won’t be protected by the belt if you are caught in an accident.
3. If the belt is too large, it must be tightened to fit your child. If your child sits loosely in the child seat, it is acceptable to roll a couple of towels and place them on either side of the child in the child seat. There are also cushions especially designed for this purpose. You can find them in specialized shops.
4. All young children in the car must be secured by a child seat. All older children and adults must be wearing a seat belt.
5. The driver should not set off until everyone is securely fastened.
6. Keep everyone calm in the car. Shouting may disturb the driver and so create unnecessary danger.
7. Only the parent, or another adult, should undo and fasten the child’s safety belt. Parents should not teach their child how to do this, as they can otherwise never be sure that the child is securely fastened.
8. If the child opens his or her seat belt, pull over to a safe place and stay there until the child is safely fastened again.
9. If the child continuously undoes her seat belt, talk to your child and explain to her that it is very important that she is fastened in the car. If this doesn’t help fit a new buckle so she can’t undo it.
10. Lead by example. You can’t teach your child to use the seat belt if you don’t use it yourself.
11. Do not place large and heavy objects in the car, eg on the back seat or on the parcel shelf, as they may be thrown forwards in a collision and injure the passengers. These objects should be stored in the car boot.
12. A child must never be left unattended in a child seat. They may hurt themselves, accidentally put their head under the seat belt and get suffocated.
13. A child must never be left unattended in the car! Especially in a country like Malaysia where it is very hot, the child can get dehydrated very fast or have a heat collapse.

• The BS-standard is the British standard (Kite mark).
• An E-standard is a European standard of approval. There are no special requirements concerning protection of the child’s head in the European standard.

If your child is younger than 12 years, they must never sit in a front-seat with an active airbag in front of them. When your child is over 12 and wants to sit in the front seat, move the seat as far back as possible.

A child seat must never be fitted in the front passenger seat if the car has a passenger side airbag. Some cars enable the driver to switch off the airbag. But it should be switched on again when an adult is using the seat.