Safety Guidelines for Giving Your Baby Medicine

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If your baby or toddler is sick then the most common remedy is to give them plenty of comfort, food and rest. However, there might be times where this is not enough. In some situations, you may need to give your baby some medication to help with any symptoms they’re facing, but it’s crucial that you don’t just try to feed them random syrups to help with their problems. You need to be incredibly careful when it comes to giving your baby any kind of medicine, so here are some safety guidelines that you need to follow.

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Know what the serious symptoms are

The symptoms that we face as adults can be similar to the symptoms that our babies face. However, that doesn’t mean that the severity is the same. For example, if your baby gets a fever within the first few months of being born, it’s absolutely crucial that you speak to a doctor and have them examine your baby. A fever itself isn’t dangerous, but it can be the sign of a serious bacterial infection and isn’t something you should be treating with medication.

Similarly, rashes can often be treated with different creams, but it’s important to know the difference between a typical rash and something more serious like eczema. If you notice that your child’s skin is flaring up and is causing distress or pain, make sure you speak to a doctor instead. In short, make sure you’re speaking to your doctor if you notice any serious signs in your baby.

If you buy medication for your baby, make sure it’s suitable for them

Another mistake that some parents make is using medication that’s not actually suitable for their baby. It’s paramount that you check the labels on different types of medication before you give it to your child. Looking for paracetamol for cold in babies will always give better results as the formula will be designed for younger children and be more palatable. Make sure you also check the correct dosage for children if you’re using something that is suitable for different ages.

To conclude, make sure you don’t try to give small doses of adult medicine to your child. Your child’s body is completely different to yours and it's not a substitute to just give them a smaller dose. Make sure the medicine is suitable for children, has a child-friendly dose and that you read the instructions carefully.

Getting your baby to take medicine

Another challenge is convincing your baby to take medicine. One thing that you absolutely shouldn’t do is treat medicine like a “treat” as this could build dangerous habits in your kids. This is more likely to happen than you think, especially if the medicine you give has been sweetened or flavored to be more palatable.

If the medicine tastes strange, try to bypass the taste buds by placing it behind the rear gum and inside the cheek. With water, this will help the medicine go down the throat without touching any of your child’s taste buds.