To think my sons dad is careless with medicine

[Sonicandknuckles]

My son is 7. Dad is not fussed on shaking the bottle of calpol and stuff. He has given him a full tablet of paracetemol before. If my son gets a cough (even the slightest) he buys cough medicine and gives him morning, noon and night.

He has done this since a baby and it really worries me sometimes. There has been times my son has gone to his dads on the weekend with a full bottle of medicine and came home with only 1 quarter left. After two days!
I dont think he sees having too much medicine as possibly harmful and that worries me.
My son has come home with medicine after the weekend for a minor cough and told me he needs two spoonfuls. When reading the label, he should only have one. Yet his dad has been giving him two morning noon and night.

Aibu and worrying over something very minor, or is it as worrying as it feels to me?

It's not minor, no. A paracetamol overdose is life threatening.

Why is he so lax when it comes to getting the dosage right?

Cough medicine does nothing whatsoever. Ditch that.

I really dont know. I dont understand it. I really told him the day he came back with only a quarter left and had a major rant about the dangers. He made out like i was over the top, and our son was fine.

YABU about not shaking the calpol bottle and cough medicine

YANBU about him giving too much calpol.

Thats my beliefs with cough medicine. Im refusing to give my son it. Why put something into his body, while knowing his cough can go away on its own. If it gets bad (more than an average normal cough), then the doctors can instruct me.

It worries me how little he seems to think of medicine

Why put something into his body, while knowing his cough can go away on its own

Because it makes it more comfortable. Why take paracetamol, a headache will go away...

I agree with you about him giving too much

I thought you needed to shake to make the medicine spread about evenly, otherwise a bigger dose of paracetemol could be given unintentionally?

There are drinks such as lemon and honey that can be more beneficial to ease the cough. Im not saying i dont try to make him more comfortable, sorry if it came across that way.

You're supposed to shake it but it's not as if all the medicine will collect in one bit, in real terms it won't make a difference. certainly won't hurt your boy

Ah right yeah that makes sense I thought you were saying just let it go away without using any remedies

They do say to shake the bottle of calpol so probably best to follow that guideline. But in regards to the cough medicine if he's not going over the daily dosage guidelines it's fine. If he is, that's very irresponsible. I must add that from six up children can have a single dose of 250 to 500mg of paracetamol and seeing as there's 500mg in one tablet that's safe so don't worry.

Will he not read dosing info?

Its good to know its not so worrying about the paracetemol tablet!

As for reading dosing info, it seems he reads the label (if he actually does), and completely ignores it. If he doesnt read the label, then its just as stupidly dangerous anyway.
I sometimes wonder if he does it because im so finicky about it all and he knows im very cautious...which i think everyone should be, for both adults and children! If he does do it for that, then again its stupidily dangerous

all the medicine does collect in one bit though. the paracetamol is a suspension and it settles to the bottom over time. shaking distribtes it evenly so that the correct dose can be given, otherwise you get an lower dose at the start of a bottle and an overdose at the bottom.