On Sunday Kariana woke up with her first runny nose/cold and as I reflect on the past few days I realize I have mixed feelings about Kariana’s first cold. I also realize that as a neurotic and overly protective mother it’s not surprising that I am analyzing my baby’s first cold. Some of you may find this obsessive/compulsive. I like to think of it as staying well-informed.
On one hand, I’m proud that we’ve gone 11 months without a cold. Although I know it comes with the territory, I find myself looking at other mothers whose kids have sniffling, sneezing, snotty noses with a bit of scorn. Don’t those mothers have sense enough to take care of their crusty nose kids? But now I am one of those mothers with a sniffling, sneezing, snotty nose kid. It’s not an easy task to fight with your irritable child who isn’t feeling well to wipe the crusty off her nose. These little ones have a mind of their own which probably explains why there are a lot of crusty nose kids running around this time of the year. It is flu season and I am glad we’re dealing with a cold and not the flu.
On the other hand, I feel some sense of relief that we’re going to make it through our first cold and it hasn’t been too terribly bad (knock on wood). It was inevitable that Kariana would get sick at some point. It’s not really the fault of other mothers who bring their sniffling, sneezing, snotty nose kids to playgroup, music class, etc., right? Kariana isn’t sick, sick. I mean we’re not battling a high fever and we’re not staying up with her all night because she won’t sleep. She just has a sniffling, sneezing, runny nose which is making it hard for her breath. I imagine it’s a lot worse for these little ones when they get a cold because they can’t blow their nose. So the snot makes them feel congested and it has no place to go other then running down and out their little noses!
On one hand, I’m proud that we’ve gone 11 months without a cold. Although I know it comes with the territory, I find myself looking at other mothers whose kids have sniffling, sneezing, snotty noses with a bit of scorn. Don’t those mothers have sense enough to take care of their crusty nose kids? But now I am one of those mothers with a sniffling, sneezing, snotty nose kid. It’s not an easy task to fight with your irritable child who isn’t feeling well to wipe the crusty off her nose. These little ones have a mind of their own which probably explains why there are a lot of crusty nose kids running around this time of the year. It is flu season and I am glad we’re dealing with a cold and not the flu.
On the other hand, I feel some sense of relief that we’re going to make it through our first cold and it hasn’t been too terribly bad (knock on wood). It was inevitable that Kariana would get sick at some point. It’s not really the fault of other mothers who bring their sniffling, sneezing, snotty nose kids to playgroup, music class, etc., right? Kariana isn’t sick, sick. I mean we’re not battling a high fever and we’re not staying up with her all night because she won’t sleep. She just has a sniffling, sneezing, runny nose which is making it hard for her breath. I imagine it’s a lot worse for these little ones when they get a cold because they can’t blow their nose. So the snot makes them feel congested and it has no place to go other then running down and out their little noses!
So we’ve done all we can for Kariana – nasal spray rinses, steamy baths, rubber suction bulb (yeah, right), a humidifier in her room, Vicks BabyRub on her nose and regular doses of Infant Tylenol every 4 to 6 hours. This is the recommended treatment for symptoms of the common cold from the brilliant minds in the U.S. medical profession. But what ever happen to Robitussin?
Before I continue, you should know that I’m not being sarcastic when I refer to the brilliant minds in the U.S. medical profession. I honestly have the utmost respect and admiration for physicians and medical providers in the U.S. I believe we educate and train some of the best and brightest in the medical profession. The doctors and medical providers I know are some of the most brilliant people and I believe most of the idiosyncrasies that occur in the medical profession are not their fault. One might argue that it’s the legal profession that is at fault and I don’t necessarily disagree! Now, back to my point . . .
Take a closer look at the label on any children’s OTC drug. I just discovered this in the past two days by standing in the children’s medicine aisle of CVS at 9 o’clock at night. I’ll use Robitussin as an example because it is one of the most trusted brands on the market and after Tylenol has probably been around the longest. Robitussin Children’s Cough has one active ingredient, Dextromethorphan, which is a cough suppressant, and the label reads “children under 4 years – do not use.” The label on Robitussin Children’s Cough and Cold, which has three active ingredients, a cough suppressant, expectorant and nasal decongestant, reads “children under 4 years – do not use.” The label on Robitussin Children’s Cough and Cold Long Acting, which has two main ingredients, an antihistamine and cough suppressant, reads “children under six years – do not use.” Since standing in the aisle of CVS reading these labels the other night, I did my research and learned that the current labels on most children’s OTC drugs are relatively new (since 2007). These new labels came in the wake of advice by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) advisory panel that cough and cold medicines that have been sold over the counter for years should not be given to children under six. I found the following answer to a Q&A on the Center for Disease Control’s website:
“The Consumer Healthcare Products Association (CHPA), a group that represents most of the makers of nonprescription over-the-counter (OTC) cough and cold medicines, recommends that these products not be used in children under 4 years of age. The Food and Drug Administration supports this recommendation. Overuse and misuse of OTC cough and cold medicines in young children can result in serious and potentially life- threatening side effects.”
Following these new recommendations, pediatricians and public health officials across the U.S. asked the FDA to restrict sales of OTC cough and cold remedies for children, complaining that the drugs are not effective and can even be injurious to young children. If this is the case, then you have to ask yourself the following questions: Are these new recommendations a result of a few unfortunate overdosing incidents because some parents simply can’t read labels? Is this the government and the drug manufactures trying to protect themselves from stupid parents? Doesn’t this beg the question whether these OTC drugs are dangerous to all of us – even adults? However, the drug manufacturers assure us “there are no problems with the medicines themselves,” but we just shouldn’t give them to small children.
I am not saying that I fall on one side of this debate or the other. I am just expressing my frustration as a mother who is trying to do the best for her young child amongst the rapidly changing and confusing advice. For now I’ve decided to follow our pediatrician’s advice and treat Kariana’s cold with the simple home remedies suggested above and maybe a little Infant Tylenol to ease the pain for both mom and baby. Have you ever tried using a rubber suction bulb on your baby’s nose when she is cranky and irritable? That's what a thought – good luck!!
Final Thoughts: After writing this lengthy blog this afternoon, I took Kariana to the pediatrician. I wanted Kariana's pediatrician to check her ears and it just so happens that I had planned on taking Kariana in to get her flu shot this week anyway. I'm happy to report Kariana's ears look good (knock on wood) and it is officially confirmed that she just has a cold, but unfortunately what I also found at the pediatrician's office was organized H1N1 (a/k/a "swine flu") chaos. Even Kariana's pediatrician was a little taken back by the number of patients they are screening for H1N1 so early in flu season. It's only September and flu season usually doesn't kick in until November. So today Kariana got her first of a series of two flu shots, but next I'm going to have to decide whether I want her to get vaccinated for H1N1. The new H1N1 vaccine will be approved and on the market in a few weeks and it is being highly recommended for all children under the age of six. Sigh . . . . back to the drawing boards with my research.
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