Health Tip: Giving Medicine to Your Child

(HealthDay News) — You want to help your child feel better by giving medicine, not make the problem worse by dosing incorrectly.

The American Academy of Family Physicians offers these suggestions:

Ask your pharmacist or doctor for an information sheet about any newly used medication.
Ask the doctor or pharmacist to indicate on the bottle label what the medication is for.
Give your child only the recommended dose of a medication. Use any measuring device given to you by the pharmacist.
You do not typically need to wake your child to give medicine in the middle of the night. Medicine normally is given at specified intervals during the day only.
Continue giving your child medication for the entire prescribed duration, even if your child feels better.
Let your doctor and pharmacist know immediately if your child suffers a side effect to any medication.