Cold medicines?

I'm sure this topic has been brought up a million times so sorry for yet another post about it. My little Jack started getting sick a few days ago but it didn't seem like it was going to be too bad. Well..... of course it got much worse today when I won't be able to take him to the ped until Monday. He is soooo stuffed up and he's coughing constantly. He doesn't seem to be running too high a fever though. I went to the store to buy him some of that Juicy Juice with the zinc in it and I was looking at the Children's motrin and Tylenol. Well Motrin makes a Children's Motrin Cold and the box says from ages 2 and up and has dosing instructions for 2 year olds in their weight range. The only other ingredient is a small dose of decongestant (pseudophedrine). I was just curious if anyone has used it, if it works and whether I should try it. I have never given them anything other than motrin or tylenol. The nasal drops are impossible for me to use, because he just screams and kicks I can never get them in. Thanks ladies!

 

I haven't used the Motrin Cold with kids that age so I'm not sure, although if there are dosing instructions it's probably fine. I did want to say, though, that my two had a horrible cold a couple of months ago & were up all night coughing until my MIL reminded me of Vicks Vaporub (which I had totally forgotten about) and it really helped them! I was surprised at how much better they breathed & how much it helped the cough.

 

I don't like pseudoephedrine alone because it's a decongestant and can make them more runny. Most of the meds our pedi has prescribed have a combination decongestant and antihistamine. My pedi assures me its perfectly safe to give kids 2 and older a 1/2 tsp of cough medicine (dextromephorphan is the generic name for it) 2-3x/day as needed. And if you find a combination that contains dextromephorphan and an antihistamine, that'll help with both cough and a runny nose. Hope he feels better.

 

Our Pedi has assured us that we are safe giving the kids cold medicine as long as we follow the weight guidelines and timing guidelines. We also make sure that we don't give something that has the same med in another form. For example, my kids take Zyrtec so I don't give them anything else with an antihistamine unless I hold their Zyrtec. I think you're fine giving it to him as it's directed. The new sudafed pe doesn't work on my kids, so I have to hunt down places that have the Children's Sudafed.

 

I would do Vicks Vaporub on the feet and chest, a spoonful of honey for the cough, and then give good old Benadryl for the stuffiness. It will clear him up, and help him sleep as well. (As long as you know he's not in the small percentage of kids that get wired on Benadryl.)

Hope he feels better soon!

 

Just thought I would tell you ladies that I tried it and it worked really, really well for a full 6-7 hours.

 

Good to know and glad it worked for you!