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Medicating Baby's First Illness

Caution Required!

By Carma Haley Shoemaker

Babies are not little adults. According to Dr. Salerno, a baby's system is much too primitive to handle the ingredients or dosage of adult medications. "Adult medications should not be used for babies under any condition," she says. "Medication dosage for babies and children is based on weight, determined by what their bodies can use and metabolize. Adult medication may contain too high of a dose, or the medication may not have been studied in the pediatric population and may not be approved for children in that age group. The side effects could be deadly."

The dangers of using adult medications don't end when infancy does. Even older children are at risk.

"My daughter was 6 years old and complaining about an earache," says Barb Bromitis, a freelance writer living in Ireland. "I gave her a pain reliever my husband had brought home from a nearby store in Ireland. It killed the pain and totally knocked her out for the night. She slept soundly – so soundly she didn't even feel her eardrum burst! I learned the hard way on this one."

A common mistake many parents make is to save prescription medication and give it to a sibling when they contract a similar illness. Not a good idea, according to Dr. Salerno. "Someone else's medication should never be used to treat your baby," she says. "A prescription is made and given based on more than a person's symptoms. It takes into account the weight, gender and the severity of the illness as well. The dosage differences could be very dramatic. Just remember that medications are prescribed for certain reasons, and even though you may see similar symptoms, you could be giving your child an incorrect dosage, or your child may be allergic to that medication."

Want to see more?

• Newborn Worries: Your Top 10 Questions – Answered!
• Prenatal Screening: The Pros and Cons of Enhanced AFP
• Operating Instructions
• A Prescription Primer: A Guide to Commonly Prescribed Medications for Children
• Talk about it!

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