Calpol for a 6 week old???

[Pheebe]

DS2 (6 weeks) has a nasty cough and a sore throat. Been to the docs and he said lots of fluids and sleep and also paracetamol every 6 hours. I'm a bit worried as it says all over the bottle not for bubs under 2 months.
Has anyone else given paracetmol under 2 months??
ta
phee

[kittenbaby]

no,
do not give paracetamol 6 weeks is too young it can damage the liver beyond repair.

[LIZS]

You can under dr's prescription but need to be clear as to how little to give , can you ring and ask ?

[kittenbaby]

pheebe paracetamol will not do anything for a cough and how do you know your ds has a sore throat ?
does he have a high temp ?

[LIZS]

That is true, raising the cot head and a humidifer are better for a cough. Saline nose drops and an aspirator for the stuffy nose . Calpol is good for a temperature .

[Sidge]

You can give paracetamol under 2 months on doctor's advice. It's usually 2.5 mls.

I would give it for a high temperature, and whilst it won't do anything for a cough if the baby generally feels crappy (which it probably does if it's poorly) then the paracetamol will make him more comfortable and able to sleep (and sleep is very healing).

[Myrrhcy]

Agree with LIZS suggestion.

My dd had a sore throat when she was 8 weeks old - I could tell because she was having slight difficulty in swallowing - but she wasn't given anything.

[Pheebe]

thanks everyone, doc looked in his throat and said it was red and sore and he has a raspy cough which must be hurting his throat. he isn't struggling to sleep, his brother and his dad both seem to sleep through all illnesses so hoping he'll take after them. he definitely doesnt have a temp so i think i'll lay off the calpol for now unless he seems really distressed and go with the nose drops, lots of drinks, raised crib and humidifier. He's too young for karvol too i think isn't he?
thanks for the support, my instinct was not to give it just yet

[nannyL]

medicine doeses is mainly about the weight of a child rather than the age of the child.

am sure Dr would NOT advise you to give a (presumably small; 2 / 2.5ml) dose unless it was SAFE to do so.

Howver if eh is fine without it then why bother.

also medicines wont even have a licence if a small over dose can do significant harm, and from that point of view i cnat see how 14 days can make such a huge difference, especially if the baby isnt a very small baby.