to wonder why people give so much medicine to their kids?

[RagamuffinAndFidget]

I am totally open to being told IABU here, am just looking for opinions really.

DS3 (7mo) has a cough and a cold. I posted a 'go the fuck to sleep' type status on Facebook earlier and had lots of comments from friends telling me to give Calpol/Nurofen. For a cold? Really? Also some comments suggesting Vicks on his feet, which seems more sensible..

Do people really give Calpol every time their child has the sniffles? Is there actually a point to it, or is it just the done thing to dose a child up every time they cry now? Don't get me wrong, I do give my children medicine if they have a very high temperature or are in pain, but I try not to give it often, and I wouldn't give it for a cough/lack of sleep.

Is it just me?

Oh FGS I'm laughing at pps who say they've never tried the vicks on feet but "it must be shit" My ds has suffered from chest Infections and now he's been diagnosed with asthma. I'm telling you rubbing Vicks on his feet and putting socks on helps with his cough. I have no reason to say it works if it doesn't

Anyway i have a dsis who will only take painkillers if she can barely walk where as if I feel a cold coming on I take paracetamol so I don't feel like shit and can function and take care of my dc.

I give my dc calpol if they feel unwell which isn't often but why not give it when they are feeling unwell? Especially a young baby who can't tell you how awful they might be feeling

Well currently ds (age 14) is popping ibuprofen like sweeties.. He has a kidney issue and we are waiting for a date for his operation to fix it. (obviously we do not go above the recommended dose before anyone worries)

So I am really just happy that they exist to make him that bit more comfortable.

When they were younger I would judge how bad I felt they were. If i felt a cold was bad enough to likely give them a headache yes I would give capol or similar.

I do the same for myself if I have a cold and a headache I take painkillers so why would my Child not need it? DH drinks Lemsip when he has a cold (and gives me the rage over it but thats a different thread all together [smile)

I don't need to bathe in vinegar and run naked anticlockwise around an oak tree to know that won't cure my cough, same as I don't need to rub vicks on my feet to know that doesn't work either.
Try some logic, fgs.

TheSecondViola
don't need to bathe in vinegar and run naked anticlockwise around an oak tree to know that won't cure my cough, same as I don't need to rub vicks on my feet to know that doesn't work either.
Try some logic, fgs.

Indeed, however the placebo effect cannot be denied. If the Oak tree running works, or the Vicks works, then by all means carry on.
My issue with this is when someone announces that this supersedes validated, peer researched, and accepted medical research and so all conventional medicine should be ignored, in lieu of home remedies, homeopathy (DON'T UPSET ME) and various other solutions, all non researched, non peer reviewed and let's face it, bullshit.
Then, and only then, would I have to say "please do some real research".

I would use this for blocked nose! It's great! www.boots.com/en/Snufflebabe-Nasal-Aspirator-(with-case)118420/?cm_mmc=bmm--google----Boots%20Shopping%20-%20Category%20-%20Baby
My friend who is a pharmacist recommended it to me. For fever I would use calpol for sure.

I gave Calpol tonight because my son was burning up and when I checked his temp it was 39.2. I wouldn't put him to bed miserable and upset when I could ease him a little.

I have had several Drs tell me in cases of ear and throat infections to keep him dosed up alternating paracetamol and ibuprofen. Why would anybody want their child to suffer? I don't tough it out if I am in pain.

Your 7 month old can't tell you if he has a headache, or his sinuses are blocked, or if his whole body is achy.

thesecond It works for my ds. Vicks is hardly alternative medicine

Lucybabs
thesecond It works for my ds. Vicks is hardly alternative medicine confused
Just to clarify, are you only using Vicks to treat your child's asthma?

Not of course not don'tlaugh I was just making the point, Vicks helps my ds when his cough is bad at night time. We see our gp regularly and he uses Ventolin

You think it works. Thats not the same thing.

Hahaha OK thesecond I must imagine it when my ds doesn't cough at night after I've put Vicks on his feet. I for one am glad I heard about this because it has made my ds's life so much better.
You keep on thinking it doesn't work and I'll keep on using Vicks when my ds needs it

If DS2 (3) has a cold then I give him ibuprofen for children. This reduces the inflammation in his nasal passages and gives him a better chance to breathe and sleep, both of which make him happier and being able to sleep will help him recover more quickly. Did the same for DS1, he gets far less medicine now he's older and more able to do things like blow his nose for himself; but if he needs it, he gets it.

I give ds calpol or ibuprofen if I think he might have discomfort or be in pain. He is 9 but cannot tell me if or where he hurts. We get through loads but that is the way it is with some children. It's better than watching him deal with possible discomfort by self harmimg.

My DS hates medicine & I literally only put myself & him through the torture of giving him some if he has a really high temperature. I've got friends though who pump their children full of calpol & ibuprofen for every little thing! Completely unnecessary in my opinion.

I don't understand why OP thinks everyone has an 'obsession with ramming calpol down their kids throats' at every opportunity; because a friend suggested calpol to ease a cold?

People with painkillers, if they think their children are in pain, is my experience

Ds rarely gets high temperatures. You can be in a lot of discomfort without a high temperature.

I'm a bit like you, OP. I don't take anything when I'm ill either. There's no cure for a cold plus I hate paracetamol!

We've used the Vicks thing with our 4 year old when he's very congested and all blocked up. It helps to draw the snot out of him, when we've used it , it pours out of him and we don't he stays blocked up. I read putting it on their feet helps it soak into the bloodstream quicker and works more effectively? Either way it works for us.

If my baby can't sleep because if a cold then calpol it is! Also calpol plug ins are ace for sniffly noses! I also use snuffle babe to clear the nose and a few drops of olbas oil on their sheet (to the side not where their face actually is).

Mainly a baby with a cold can't sleep because they breathe through their nose, clear that and they usually will. Hope he gets well soon

I used to love the Karvol plug ins but they have been discontinued? ?? Do the Calpol ones still have a night light on them?

"I read putting it on their feet helps it soak into the bloodstream quicker and works more effectively?" Seriously? You believe that Vicks soaks into the bloodstream? How do you cope if your child steps in dogshit, don't you freak out at the thought of all that shit soaking into his blood?

As soon as I get a cold I generally take paracetamol or lemsips etc. As you feel so rotten.

When my DS gets a cold he is snotty and miserable so I would give him calpol, if he is up through the night with a cold it is probably because he's uncomfortable so I would want to do what I could to help him as he can't make that decision himself, I don't so much with coughs unless he is complaining of a sore throat with it.

I am the opposite of OP. I am rarely ill, but if I am I take everything I can get my hands on, dose myself up. I do the same for the kids.