In 2008, when the FDA issued its warning that we shouldn’t give children under 2 OTC cough or cold remedies, I dutifully tossed my infant versions of said medicines. We didn’t use them much, but I liked having them if I needed them and nothing soothes this worrying mother like a teaspoon of cough syrup for my coughing baby. I even asked my pediatrician if he was SURE we weren’t allowed to give them to our under-2-year old and he replied that buckwheat honey was what we needed.
Since I was such a rule follower in this instance, I was particularly interested in a survey announced yesterday by the University of Michigan Medical School that showed that I’m in the minority. In fact, 6 out of 10 parents used an OTC cough and cold medicine for their under-2-year old in the preceding twelve months. And more than fifty percent of those parents did so on the advice of their pediatricians!
In a news release, Matthew Davis, MD, associate professor in the Child Health Evaluation and Research Unit at the University of Michigan Medical School said, “Unfortunately, this latest poll indicates that the FDA warnings have gone unheeded by the majority of parents, and surprisingly, many physicians. ”
Among the other findings as summed by US News and World Report:
- Use of OTC medicines for children ages 2 and younger varied by race/ethnicity: 80 percent among blacks; 69 percent among Hispanics; and 57 percent among whites.
- Use also differed by income: 80 percent among families with annual incomes of less than $30,000 and 41 percent among families with annual incomes of $100,000 or more.
- Wanting their child to be able to sleep better or to be more comfortable during the day were cited by two-thirds of parents as “very important” reasons for using the medications.
- The recommendation of the child’s health care provider was very important to 57 percent of the parents.
So where do you fall? Are you one of the 61% giving cough/cold meds to your under-2-year old? With or without your pediatrician’s blessing?
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Once employed in tv production, Jill Austin now uses those management skills to boss around her husband, son, daughter and dog, with minimal success. When she’s not turning daily life into a production, Jill is a free-lance writer, a middle-of-the-pack triathlete and an optimist. She now blogs at Lamemom.com