Ms. Dao Mai Lan, who is currently living with her 12-month-old son in California, shared that in the US, cold medicine for children is not taken arbitrarily but requires advice, examination and prescription from a doctor.
The US Food and Drug Administration FDA recommends that children under 2 years old should not use cough medicine and OTC flu medicine (medicine without a prescription) and recommends that drug labels only allow children over 4 years old to use.
"Once, our 7-month-old Jack suddenly had a runny nose, sneezing, a mild fever and loss of appetite. That was the first time my child was sick, so I was very worried. Calling Jack's pediatrician is only advised on how to reduce the fever and there is no need to see a doctor" - Ms. Mai Lan said.
In addition, Ms. Mai Lan also added that only when a fever is above 39 degrees, do they call to schedule a check-up. However, when he arrived, the doctor only visited, checked and then diagnosed and explained that Jack only had a common cold, suggested to the mother some ways to take care of the child on cold days, gave him some antipices instead of prescribing antibiotics or any cold medicine because "children need to create antibodies to recover". And after exactly 4 days, all of my child's cold symptoms improved significantly.
Similarly, children in England with the common cold only need to drink plenty of water and cool down naturally. Hong Chi's mother (30 years old, currently living in the UK) said that in the foggy country, when children have a fever, doctors rarely use antibiotics, often only advise mothers to give them a lot of water, and instruct them on some ways to cool the body such as examining, wrapping socks in the soles of the feet or taking a warm sponge bath.
"During my time living here, I discovered that children in England had a common cold and no one took them to the hospital. All the mothers here only reported their children's health and daily temperature to the doctor via phone and let them leave at home on their own" - Hong Chi's mother added.
Accordingly, the things Tay mothers often do when their children have colds and fever include:
- Let your child rest and help him relax mentally.
- Drink your child plenty of water. If your child does not want to drink water, you can try many ways such as scooping up small spoons of water, drinking milk, eating fruit...
- Sick children often lose their appetite. This is not important, when he is sick, he will soon regain his weight before he gets sick, don't try to stuff your child with a lot of substances at this time, which is unnecessary. Children should be given thin congee gently and simply.
- If your baby has a fever of more than 38.5 degrees, you can take a pain reliever ( acetaminophen or ibuprofen), to help your baby feel comfortable. Do not give aspirin to children under 15 years old, especially when cold, because it can cause rare but very serious Reye syndrome.
- For children aged 0 - 6 months, any symptoms of illness, fever, or cold should be taken to the doctor.
