Yet another study shows the dangers of giving cold medication to children under 2. According to an article in Pediatrics, a “substantial” number of children taken to the emergency room when they stopped breathing or lost consciousness had a positive toxicology screen, with a number testing positive for over-the-counter cold medication.
About 1,500 children under the age of 2 are taken to the emergency room each year after taking cold and cough medicines, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That means we should all follow the recommendations of the Food and Drug Administration, which says that these medications should not be given to children under 2. So throw out that cough syrup and keep the bulb syringe handy the next time your bouncing bundle gets the sniffles.
