Is giving medication to our babies the answer...?

It's been a few days now that Leia rejects her "moi" (porridge). The best she could eat was just a few spoonfuls. But she's fine with drinking milk.

This is the usual symptom for babies when they are not well. Loss of appetite. Well, adults encounter the same too, no doubt.

Since my last post of her having fever, she has not fully recovered from cold till today. Fever went off 3 days later but cough and runny nose stay. Now, more than 1 week later, cough is gone but runny nose stays. No, she's not taking any medicine except Panadol syrup when she had high fever. Took her to a doctor earlier but her advise was that babies shouldn't be given any medicine to treat these common illnesses. Medicine only suppresses the symptoms but does not cure. We should allow our baby's own immune system to work and fight against those bacterias and germs. Babies will eventually get better with time. Which I agree.

It's very worrying to see the increasing trend of parents and doctors prescribing medicine and antibiotics to treat cough and cold. This quick-fix may cause more harm to our babies well-being.

Earlier this year, the US FDA warned parents that cold and cough medicines are too risky for babies and toddlers. Some of these cold medications can actually cause serious life-threatening side effects (difficulty breathing, unconsciousness) in children under age 2. As a matter of fact, the US FDA suggested that all cold and cough medications should be kept out of the mouths of any child under the age of two years. It went further to state that the medications don't help kids under 6 years old.

As a parent, I know how worried and heart-broken we may be - seeing our children not being their usual, bubbly selves - the unbearable pain and discomfort that our children have to go through... Like this afternoon when my mom told me that Leia is not interested in her "moi" again and the non-stop runny nose. But having learnt the great danger of medication intake for "immediate recovery" from these illnesses, I decided to be patient and consider other options to make her feel better while allowing her own body immune system taking care of it.

What we can do;
1. Let our children drink more water to flush out the toxins from their body & to reduce dehydration
2. Allow enough rest, which includes enough sleep
3. Try a tender touch - hold her hand and sing her a song
4. Lots more

Take note though. It is not advisable to rub our child's chest with a strong-smelling over-the-counter ointment containing menthol, oil of wintergreen or eucalyptus. These give parents something to do, but they really don't improve air flow. And in babies and very young children, these ingredients can be absorbed into the bloodstream, where they might have toxic effects.