Sometimes when our nieces and nephews are left in our care, stuff happens. They get sick, they get hurt, and issues of concern arise. The following are hypothetical questions that might occur while you are taking care of the kids.  Dr. Stephanie’s responses should be read for informational and educational purposes only. While Dr. Stephanie is a real pediatrician, we strongly urge you to seek professional medical advice from your health care provider when a real health concern happens. And in case of emergency, call 911!

My 5 year old niece has a bad cold. She’s coughing, sneezing, the whole nine yards. But the FDA took children’s cold medicines off the shelves. She's in my care for a couple of days. What can I do to help her?

It is true children’s cold medicines have never been proven to be effective and not pediatrician recommended.  Having a viral upper respiratory infection (aka cold) can be very uncomfortable for your niece but unfortunately medications are not the solution.  If she has fever you can use Acetaminophen or Ibuprophen as directed.  For her sneezing, runny nose and cough there really isn’t medication that works effectively.  Placing her in a steam room can help relieve some of the congestion.  The best way to do this is to leave the shower running on hot and sit with her in the bathroom to soak up the steam (do not place her in the hot tub/shower).  Encourage her also to cough up the mucus; post-coughing vomiting is a very good thing for her in this case.  She may not want to eat, and that is fine, you must encourage her to drink frequently however.  Your tender loving care is really the best medicine for her.