What baby medicine

Your child has tonsillitis, at least that’s what you think. When he had his last sore throat – or that of his brother or sister – the doctor had prescribed a medicine (antibiotic in particular). There are still some left. You might be tempted to use it. Don’t do anything with it. What you call angina may be the beginning of another disease: in childhood, how many diseases begin with a red throat! In addition, administering a drug without a prescription may eliminate symptoms that would have guided the doctor’s diagnosis, and therefore treatment.

Simple treatments without medical advice

• In the event of a cold: physiological serum (or solution) in nasal drops.


• Against mild diarrhea in children over 6 months: the anti-diarrhea diet; rehydration sachets (sold in pharmacies). Give the child drink to avoid dehydration.


• Against fever: see our article Baby has a feverand the next paragraph.

• In case of constipation: vegetables, fruits.


• Against many small daily ailments: a simple infusion of lime blossom is as effective as many pharmaceutical specialties. Not to mention the spoonful of honey dissolved in a glass of water that you will bring to the child, saying: “This will make your stomach ache. Which indeed often happens. Honey also has an excellent calming effect on children’s coughs (one study found it to be even more effective than most cough syrups). Do not give before 1 year.

Medicines for fever

Medicines for fever, the discomfort it causes, pain, will have been prescribed to you by the doctor.

• The first recommended drug for children is paracetamol (Daffalgan®, Doliprane®) because it is very well tolerated. Here is the recommended dose: 60 mg per kilo per 24 hours, divided into 4 doses (or 15 mg per kilo every 6 hours). Paracetamol exists in syrup form, with a graduated pipette according to the weight of the child. For example, a “6 kg” dose to be given every 6 hours. The oral form (syrup or sachet) acts faster than the suppository.

• Ibuprofen (Advil®, Nureflex®, Toprec®) is very effective
on a child’s fever and it works a little faster than
paracetamol. It should not be used before 6 months, or in case of diarrhea, a situation at risk of dehydration and chickenpox (risk of serious secondary infection). It is administered in “doses-by-weight” (like paracetamol) every 6 to 8 hours.

• It is best to use paracetamol first. But if
after 24 hours of treatment, the child remains grumpy, in an uncomfortable state, this requires seeing the doctor again, who will decide whether to change the drug or combine another. This 24 hour delay may be shorter in babies under 3 months old.

• Aspirin, which has been used a lot in children, is no longer recommended today without the advice of a doctor. This drug indeed presents risks of allergy, digestive bleeding and serious complications in the context of certain viral diseases. If the doctor prescribes aspirin (Catalgine®, Aspégic®), here is the current dose: 50 mg per kilo and per 24 hours, every 4 hours.

• Today, we no longer recommend external cooling methods (such as lukewarm baths, cool wraps) because we have realized that they can worsen the child’s discomfort.
On the other hand, these procedures are always recommended in the event of hyperthermia related to heat stroke.

How to take a medicine?

There are many ways to administer drugs to children: in the mouth of course but also under the tongue (it is then a lozenge that melts); through the skin (such as eczema ointments); in the nose (especially in allergic rhinitis); in the eyes (remember to always treat both eyes); in the ear (after having warmed the product to be instilled by warming it for 1 to 2 minutes inside your hand); in the bronchi (to treat asthma). There are fewer and fewer drugs given in the form of suppositories: even if it is convenient for parents, the effectiveness is less good and this mode of administration can be poorly tolerated.

It is sometimes difficult to get children to take a medicine: some molecules have an unpleasant taste despite the efforts of the manufacturers, others must be administered several times a day, others must be given for long periods while your child is not. he’s not in his best shape and you want to comfort him more than to be demanding.

For the little ones

Preparation time is necessary before giving a medicine to a baby: reassure him by speaking to him softly, by hugging him or by stroking him. Then try to divert his attention by offering him a toy. If there is no contraindication, give the medicine just before a meal when your baby is very hungry.

Most syrups are presented with a dosing pipette (each pipette corresponds to a drug, so you should not use it for another). Fill the pipette up to the graduation corresponding to the child’s weight, then place it on the side of the tongue, near the cheek; Once the medicine has entered the mouth, gently blow on your baby’s face to swallow it, as this triggers the swallowing reflex.

For older children

Always give the medicine at the same time. Do not tell the child until a short time before the chosen time, because he does not master the notion of time and may think about it too in advance. You can offer to “give the medicine” to their blanket, stuffed animal or doll before taking it.
Use a firm and caring approach, avoiding arguments but explaining that this medicine is important for healing. Depending on the mode of administration and the character of the child, you can also say: “It will only take a minute and then you will go back to play”. Or: “It’s not very good, so it’s better
if you swallow it quickly ”. Or again: “You will then have a spoonful of compote or yogurt to pass the taste”. If it is a syrup, put it long enough in the refrigerator (the cold dampens the taste a little) and try to use a straw: the contact time on the taste buds of the tongue is shorter as well.

Different dose, different effect

Prescribed dose, distribution over the day, duration of treatment must be observed (in particular antibiotics, even if the symptoms have disappeared).
In addition, no drug is harmless: increasing the dose yourself in the hope of greater effectiveness exposes the risk of intoxication. In addition, there is always the risk of intolerance, allergy, unwanted side effects.

In conclusion: no self-medication for children.

Generic drugs

The development of a new drug entails significant research and development expenses. To amortize these costs, the laboratory, owner of the patent, has for about 10 years the exclusivity of the new molecule (that is to say of the composition). After this period, the new drug can be manufactured and sold by other laboratories. It then becomes a generic drug, sold at a lower price, this is its major interest.

The generic drug is identical to the original drug as regards its active principle, even if it differs from it by the name (which is that of the molecule) and by some details of presentation (packaging, color…). It can therefore be used without restriction, with the same indications and contraindications. Sometimes the generic has a different taste, less well accepted by children; the doctor will then prescribe a “non-substitutable” drug.

The medicine cabinet

Its content

• hydrophilic cotton


• sterile compresses


• adhesive bandages


• “Fatty tulle” and Biafine for burns


• a roll of gauze


• sticking plaster


• 1 medical thermometer


• physiological serum, to clean wounds, eyes, nose

• 1 bottle of liquid soap


• 1 vial of aqueous chlorhexidine-type antiseptic


• paracetamol (Daffalgan®, Doliprane®…) in syrup, sachets and suppositories (child dose)


• 1 box of rehydration solution sachets


• 1 box of Stéristrip type dressings: these are kinds of sticky papers very useful for small cuts, because they allow the edges of the wound to be brought together without making a suture


• dressings for blisters


• 1 splinter forceps (which you will disinfect with 70 ° alcohol before each use)

• On the door, write down the emergency numbers (doctor, ambulance service, fire brigade): if necessary, you will find them easily.

He likes it

The medicine cabinet should be locked and placed high enough to be inaccessible to children. Remember that tranquilizers
and sleeping pills are the main cause of serious poisoning
young children. Separate medication for children from medication for adults. The medicine cabinet should not be placed in a humid place or above a radiator.

This article is taken from the book “.

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