As We Enter Cold Season
Here's a bit of advice on preventing ear infections from a fellow Baby Blog Addict.
"I wanted to pass along something that I learned years ago and it saved me so many trips to the doctor.
I noticed when my daughter was almost two that everytime she had a runny nose it would turn into an ear infection. We were helping with a camp session during the month of July and she had gotten her third ear infection of the summer. We were about to do tubes when a nurse practicioner friend of ours at the camp told me something that I had NEVER heard. She said that when you give children a decongestant when the have a runny nose that it dries it up but dries it THICK and that is when they get an ear infection. She said to give then an EXPECTORANT – like Robitussin DM. I don’t think that we have had an ear infection since and she is now 4 ½.
I just wanted to pass this along as we are about to enter this cold season. Thought that this may help someone else like it helped me!!"
During all the recent recalls, I think Robitussin has been in the clear (except for a recall at the end of October regarding missing labeling on their dosage cup). We recommend that you ask your health care professional before giving any medication to your children. Thanks for the advice, Renee.
1 comment:
I kind of think parents over medicate these days. For a basic runny nose - cold, just use a humidifier , encourage fluids and elevate the head of the bed to keep the drainage running out instead of draining back into the ears. Many pediatricians do not recommend giving meds for colds (which is what can lead to the ear infection). Also, there have been recent studies that show that we use antibiotics too much for minor ear infections, when it could be best to wait it out. Give your child a good 2 weeks (if no fever and breathing ok) to work a cold out of their little systems... that's the average length of a cold.
Heat (or cold depending on the child's preference, usually heat) can help ease the pain of an ear infection too.
Also there are recent studies that say we give Tylenol too frequently. The group of pediatricians that my daughter's pedi works with (and actually her old pedi in NY) doesn't recommend it unless it's a high fever (a fever over 101 or 102) and the child has symptoms (seems to be feeling bad, fussy, cranky, c/o other symptoms like pain). If it's just a low grade fever (under 101), they recommend just fluids and staying cool (not overbundling/dressing and not going into a hot environment). They don't even recommend the tylenol for 24 hrs after vaccinations that I've heard many friends say they were told to give. Just give it if they child is fussy or has a high fever. I've never given my kids tylenol after vaccinations and they've done just fine. Over it after their nap.
Just a few things I've learned since being a parent.
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