One of the more challenging aspects of parenting is taking care of our children when they are ill. When it comes to medication, children cannot be viewed simply as mini versions of adults. Age alone also cannot determine how much medication to give a child, due to the wide range of weight between genders and individuals. For medications to work best, they must be administered correctly. This means giving the right dose at the right time in the right way.
What You Need to Know
Normally, detailed instructions accompany each prescription. Unfortunately, these details are often in tiny print and are not written with the layperson in mind. Often, the only information that is clearly written on the label is the name of the medicine and whether it should be taken with or without food. Therefore, each time a medication is prescribed for your child, ask the doctor or pharmacist the following:
Measuring Children’s Medications
Medications often come in liquid form to make it easier to ingest, since many young children do not yet know how to swallow pills and capsules. With liquid medications, be sure to shake well, read the label to determine the exact dosage, and use proper measuring tools, such as a medicine dropper, oral syringe or a dosing spoon. Do not use tablespoons or teaspoons that come from silverware or flatware sets, as these do not provide accurate measurements.
If the medication is in pill or capsule form and the child does not know how to swallow it, ask the pharmacist if it is alright to crush the tablet or open the capsule and mix with a little liquid or a small amount of soft food, such as applesauce or pudding.
Precautions
The rule of thumb is to keep ALL medications out of the reach of children, regardless of whether they have child-proof lids. Store adult and children’s medications in their original containers and as directed on the label. For example, does it need to be refrigerated? Should it be kept away from sunlight or heat? Will it stick together if exposed to humidity? (Bathrooms are often where medications are kept but may not be the best storage places.)
Many people have “leftover” medications. This occurs because people have a tendency to stop taking the prescribed medicine when they start feeling better. The result can be a developed immunity to certain medications. It is therefore imperative that children are given the complete course of their prescriptions. If the prescription is for 10 days, make sure the child takes it for all 10 days. If the medicine is a liquid and has been spilled, call the doctor for a refill if you have more days left on the prescription but not enough medication. Do not administer leftover medicine from another prescription.
Sometimes in our efforts to be helpful, we volunteer to give medications we have for someone else in need. Avoid this temptation, because we really only know our own children best, and would not want to cause an allergic or other adverse reaction in anyone else.
After taking medications, if your child shows any signs of swelling, trouble breathing, seizing or blacking out, call 911 immediately. For minor side effects such as rashes, itchiness or diarrhea, call the doctor or pharmacist first. Do not stop the medication before checking in with the physician first. Always keep in mind that the more we know about our children’s medication, the safer we keep them.