My son is sick can i give him...?

Question

my son is 4 and he is starting to get sick, coughing, runny nose etc. All i have in the house is alka selltzer night cough and cold medicine. Do u think i can give him a half of a tablet or will that still be too strong?

Answer 1

No! don't give that.

Actually, you shouldn't give him any medication unless he is running a fever.They say that medications don't actually help the symptoms much and do not help the child get over the cold any quicker.

The best thing to do while a child is sick is to feed the child foods that boost the immune system to help it combat colds.

You can also try Vicks plug ins or humidifiers to help with stuffy noses.

Answer 2

i am sure if your pediatrician would answer he would even say no. there has been a lot of stuff in the news about cold medicine in general and children. try a cold wash cloth on the back of his neck you may have to hold it. or a lukewarm bath to help lower the temp. try to get him to drink water. i would call the advice line for his pediatrician, most offices have an answering service and the doc will call you back for free. with his age i am afraid to suggest any over the counter meds. i wish you all the luck in the world and a get well soon.  

Answer 3

if he is for a tablet or pill would be to much give him soup and have him gurgle salt water also have him drink lots of water

Answer 4

Wow, you really need to ask this?

No, this is not ok.

You need a medicine that specifies the weight of your child. I am sure that  on the box, there is a certain age... check that.

Answer 5

no you should not, but I really think its great that you asked instead of just doing it. Don't let others make you feel bad for asking. Had you done it without asking that would have been dumb. Now you know to keep a supply of this kind of stuff around get yourself a little basket and keep it up high (our house we keep it in the kitchen) and put baby tylenol and cold medicine and bandaids and such,a little first aid kit just for him. Its good to keep it seperate from the adult drugs that way if its late at night or you have  baby sitter there is no chance of giving them the wrong drug. We also keep a little bottle of epicac not sure how to spell it it induces vomiting. anyways put all this stuff together and check it every couple months make sure nothing is expired.

Answer 6

No, get him childrens tylenol or any other brand that has 'children' in the name.

Answer 7

No! don't give him that, go and get something for children, you never know the side effects a child is gonna have and even if you give him half its still  medicine made for adults. Be safe!

Answer 8

Never give a child something meant for an adult.  They don't even recommend giving children cold medicine anymore unless it is really necessary because so many parents overdose their kids without meaning to.  If you look on the side it will probably say ages 12 and above meaning do not give it to a child under 12.  At 4 he would need a children's medicine.  Also only give cough medicine as needed because if you try to stop a cough with mucus in the lungs you can cause pneumonia to set in.  

Answer 9

It probably isn't a good idea to give kids an adult "night time" medicine.  You should just let him tough it out anyway unless he has a fever.

Answer 10

I wouldn't give him any adult medicines even in a small dose.  Call your pediatrician and see what they recommend.  My son's told me not to give him any over the counter medicines until he is 6 but every doctor is different.  If he has a fever then give him children's Tylenol or Motrin but if not, try children's Vick's vapor rub and a cool mist humidifier.  Also try to keep him away from milk products if he has a cough or congestion because it will make it worse and could make him vomit.