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Medicines and young children Medicines and young children
Babies and young children are not miniature adults when it comes to medicines. Not only are they smaller, but also the way their bodies handle medicines is different, particularly in the first few months of life. The differences mean that babies and young children are more sensitive to the effects of medicines than adults, so great care needs to be taken when giving them medicines.
Is there an alternative?
It’s very tempting to reach for a medicine every time your child is unwell. After all, you want the child to get better as soon as possible. However, a medicine may not be the best option.
It may be more appropriate to treat them with a simple remedy. For example, if the child is constipated, it may be better to give them a small cup of prune juice or add more water or fruit to their diet.
Some medicines are not suitable for babies and young children.
Is the medicine suitable?
Some medicines are not suitable for babies and young children. Don’t give any over-the-counter or alternative medicines to young children unless you’ve checked their suitability with a pharmacist.
When a doctor or pharmacist is selecting a medicine for your child, remind them about any other medicine — prescription, over-the-counter or alternative — the child has been given. This will ensure that they don’t give the child a medicine that interacts with the existing one, or contains the same ingredients.
Don’ts
- Don’t give more than the recommended amount of paracetamol (e.g. Panadol, Dymadon) to a child (see box below).
- Don’t give aspirin (e.g. Aspro, Disprin) to a child under 12, because it can make them susceptible to a rare and potentially fatal condition known as Reye’s syndrome.
- Don’t give ibuprofen (e.g. Actiprofen, Brufen, Nurofen) to a child under 6 months.
Follow instructions
Take note of all instructions about giving the medicine. Write down any instructions given by your health professional, and carefully read all the instructions on the medicine’s label and packaging.
Double check the dose, and measure it carefully (see Measuring children’s medicines). Never be tempted to think that ‘a little is good, so more must be better’.
Give the child the whole course of any medicines prescribed by your doctor, particularly antibiotics, unless otherwise advised by the doctor.
Check the expiry date if giving a child an already opened medicine. Some liquid medicines for children expire after as little as one week.
Getting it down
To prevent a baby spitting out their medicine, place the dose on the inside of their cheek, and keep their mouth closed until they’ve swallowed it. Then give them a drink of water to distract them, and make sure the medicine has gone down.
Don’t put a baby’s medicine in their milk or juice bottle. If they don’t drink the whole bottle, they won’t get the full dose.
Don’t mix medicines with juice unless the pharmacist says it’s acceptable.The acid in the juice may make the medicine less effective.
Never refer to medicines as lollies or sweets. It may make it easier to get them down at the time, but it may also make the child more likely to ‘have some lollies’ when you’re not looking.
Unless otherwise stated on the label, store the medicine out of reach from children in a cool, dry place away from light. For information about storing medicines safely, see Keep out of reach of children.
Keeping track
When more than one person is caring for a sick child, especially if they’re working in ‘shifts’, it’s very easy for the child to be given too many or not enough doses of their medicine. Keeping a written record of the time and size of every dose that has been given to the child will help prevent such mistakes.
Also, make sure that every carer (be they a family member, child care centre or family day carer) is given clear written instructions about when and how much medicine to give the child.
If in doubt, ask
If you’re unsure about your child’s medicines, the dosages to use, and so on, talk to your doctor, pharmacist or child health nurse. Alternatively, ring Medicines Line on 1300 888 763. The service is open Monday to Friday 9 am – 6 pm EST. As the saying goes, ‘It’s better to be safe than sorry.’
Giving paracetamol to young childrenParacetamol (e.g. Panadol, Dymadon, Tylenol) is one of the most common medicines given to children. However, it comes in many different forms and strengths, so it’s quite easy to unintentionally give your child the wrong dose.The different forms and strengths of paracetamol are intended for children of different ages. The main forms for babies and young children are drops and suspensions or elixirs, though soluble tablets and suppositories are also available. The strength of paracetamol products varies. Baby drops may be 100 mg per mL, whereas suspensions for young children may be only 24 mg per mL, which is about a quarter the strength of baby drops. Also, the way the strength is expressed varies. Some companies express the strength as mg per mL, whereas others express it as mg per 5 mL or mg per 10 mL. Ask your pharmacist to help you choose the most appropriate form and strength for your child’s weight and age. If you’re using a different product from the one you’ve used previously, take particular note of its dosage instructions. Don’t just give the child the same amount as you’ve given them previously. If the strength is less than the previous one, you could be unintentionally underdosing them. The required dose of paracetamol depends on the child’s weight rather than their age. Most products have a table on the label and packaging that shows the right dose of paracetamol for each weight range. Follow the instructions carefully, so you don’t overdose the child. Overdosing on paracetamol can lead to serious liver damage and even death. Most cases of overdosing are due to the cumulative effects of giving the child more than the recommended dose over several days. When giving a child paracetamol:
If you suspect that a child may have had an overdose of paracetamol, immediately ring the Poisons Information Centre on 13 11 26, or go to the nearest hospital emergency department. For more information about the safe use of paracetamol (children and adults), see the fact sheet at http://www.tga.gov.au/docs/html/paracetco.htm. |
The information in MedicinesTalk is not medical advice, so seek professional help before making any decisions based on this information.
This article was accurate and up-to-date when it was published. The evidence or context for this article might have changed since then.
MedicinesTalk is a free quarterly newsletter for consumers written by consumers about using medicines wisely. Subscribe to the hard copy version using our online ordering system, or write to MedicinesTalk, National Prescribing Service Limited, PO Box 1147, Strawberry Hills, NSW 2012.
