Giving Medicine to Your Baby: Not Always Child's Play!

It’s not always easy to give medicine to a baby.

Here are some useful, easy-to-follow tips to help you treat your child successfully:

Accurate dosing and giving medicine.

Know the weight of your child because all medicine doses are calculated according to the weight and not the age of the child. The doctor will ask you, as will the pharmacist.

Shake the medicine thoroughly before each dose when required. Measure quantities accurately with a precise, graduated instrument. For a baby, the slightest difference in dosage can affect the results of the treatment.

For liquid antibiotics or syrups, ask your pharmacist to provide and identify a second, empty container to bring to daycare: this will prevent that you forget the medicine when transporting from one place to another. Make sure you clearly understand the instructions on the label and ask your pharmacist if you have questions or are unsure about the written information. Read the directions for use more than once (at purchase, before measuring and while measuring): you can never be too careful!

Disposing of medicine

Antibiotics must be taken throughout the prescription period and no remaining quantities must be kept. Bring back what’s left to your pharmacy so it can be safely destroyed.

Expiry dates

Always check expiry dates before administering medicine. Make sure you know exactly how to give the medicine to your child before you leave the pharmacy:

• How often it must be taken;
• With food or on an empty stomach;
• For how long;
• How to preserve it;
• And any other characteristics.

These simple precautions will allow your baby to benefit from the best possible effects from his or her treatment and limit unwanted adverse effects and reactions.