On the topic of Children's OTC Meds...
Our's is a sick little germ-infested home this week.
Pneumonia, sinus infection, fevers.
And that's just this week.
I'm starting to wonder at the effectiveness of my handwashing...
Anyway, I've learned a couple tricks over the years.
And just so we're clear, I have my Mom-hat on right now.
These are Mom-tricks, not nurse-tricks.
Ever tried giving a febrile 3 year old tylenol or ibuprofen during the night?
They are groggy, sick, and miserable.
And now, you need to shove 5-10ml of fluid down their throat.
I realized that for such occasions it's nice to have the infant concentration on hand.
It's contains more milligrams of medication per milliliter so you give less.
The dropper comes in handy, too, for shoving it between their little lips.
So instead of 7.5ml of children's tylenol, I can give 2.5ml.
And it'll go in and not come back out again!
The other trick I learned has to do with infants.
When giving a med (into the side of their mouth/cheek), blow into their face a little puff of air.
That puff causes the swallowing reflex and you can usually keep most of the med in.
I'm not sure when that reflex is outgrown but I've used it on my little ones before vaccinations and what-not.
Oh, and one more!
I just found this one out from the pediatrician last night.
When giving a particularily yucky liquid med, give your child 1/2 teaspoon of either chocolate syrup or maple syrup followed by the medicine and another 1/2 tsp. of the syrup of choice. That helps coat the taste buds and makes the med easier to tolerate. It worked on BigBoy #2 this morning!
I will say I'm ready for Spring and open windows!
Pneumonia, sinus infection, fevers.
And that's just this week.
I'm starting to wonder at the effectiveness of my handwashing...
Anyway, I've learned a couple tricks over the years.
And just so we're clear, I have my Mom-hat on right now.
These are Mom-tricks, not nurse-tricks.
Ever tried giving a febrile 3 year old tylenol or ibuprofen during the night?
They are groggy, sick, and miserable.
And now, you need to shove 5-10ml of fluid down their throat.
I realized that for such occasions it's nice to have the infant concentration on hand.
It's contains more milligrams of medication per milliliter so you give less.
The dropper comes in handy, too, for shoving it between their little lips.
So instead of 7.5ml of children's tylenol, I can give 2.5ml.
And it'll go in and not come back out again!
The other trick I learned has to do with infants.
When giving a med (into the side of their mouth/cheek), blow into their face a little puff of air.
That puff causes the swallowing reflex and you can usually keep most of the med in.
I'm not sure when that reflex is outgrown but I've used it on my little ones before vaccinations and what-not.
Oh, and one more!
I just found this one out from the pediatrician last night.
When giving a particularily yucky liquid med, give your child 1/2 teaspoon of either chocolate syrup or maple syrup followed by the medicine and another 1/2 tsp. of the syrup of choice. That helps coat the taste buds and makes the med easier to tolerate. It worked on BigBoy #2 this morning!
I will say I'm ready for Spring and open windows!
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