LilSugar

Mommy's Lil Helpers For Tough Hygiene Tasks

LilSugar — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 06:00:26 -0700

Babies needing their temperature taken or their noses cleared don't intimidate mamas who have the right tools. Handy parents who have gone though the trials of helping their tots have created products that get the jobs done. Take a look at some of the more interesting inventions that were made to assist fellow moms and dads.

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KidKupz: Kid Friendly or Are You Kidding?

LilSugar — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 05:00:57 -0700

Maybe Mary Poppins was right . . . a spoonful of sugar may help the medicine go down! Seeing how hard it was for children to take bad-tasting medicine, a mom and grandma developed an idea for candy-coated medicine cup rims to help ease the sting of the elixir. KidKupz ($7 for six) combines a standard medicine cup with either sour cherry, blue raspberry, watermelon or green apple candy rims, making taking medicine less of a chore, and more fun. Like other medicine tricks we've seen, this one tries to mask the taste with something tots are familiar with taking. Would you try this trick?

10 Ways to Help the Medicine Go Down!

LilSugar — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 07:00:13 -0800

In the heart of flu season, children are frequently coming down with colds and other ailments, which means there are prescriptions to fill. Babies, toddlers and even older kids can put up a fight when it's time for their daily dose. Follow these tips to help make the medicine go down.

For lil ones, try a medicine dispenser like the Kidz Med Medicine Dispenser ($10) to help get the dose in.
For babies, use a dropper or syringe and squirt it towards the back of their cheeks and then blow on their face. This helps them swallow the medicine instead of spitting it out.
Sit your lil one in an upright position, and dangle a toy over her head. When she looks up, her mouth will open, and you can sneak in the remedy.

To see other options, read more.

Tell your tot to hold his nose while he swallows the medicine. Not being able to smell the medicine can make it easier to swallow.
Pretend with a favorite baby doll or stuffed animal first. It can help ease the anxiety they have about taking the meds.
Have your child suck on an ice cube for a minute or two before taking the medicine. The cold tends to tone down the taste buds so the medicine doesn’t taste as bad. (This is not recommended for babies or toddlers because it's a choking hazard.)
Find out if the prescription can be flavored by the pharmacist with FlavorRx. For just a few more dollars the medicine can go from yuck to yummy with one of their 42 flavors.
Check with your doctor to see if the medicine can be mixed with any liquids or food. Yogurt, smoothies, or any thick fruit flavored drinks are good options to help mask the flavor of most medicines. Like a spoonful of sugar, try mixing it with a teaspoon of chocolate, applesauce or gelatin.
Offer rewards like stickers or treats to entice your tot to take the meds.
Giving control to your child will help alleviate the power struggle. Let him help pour the medicine or hold the spoon.

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Kiddie Wellness: Medicine You Should Avoid Giving to Your Tot

LilSugar — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 06:00:57 -0800

Tis' the season for your lil one to catch a cold or the flu. Before you reach into the medicine cabinet to treat him on your own, read this list of medicines to avoid giving your child from BabyCenter. Best practice says when in doubt, contact his pediatrician, but check out the slideshow for a few tips before even picking up the phone.

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Medibottle: Kid Friendly or Are You Kidding?

LilSugar — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 09:00:43 -0800

Does a swig of the bottle help the medicine go down? With the onset of cold and flu season, sixty-five percent of you will give your children medicine and trying to get your darling to take his full dose can be a battle. The creators of the Medibottle ($15) have designed a bottle with a syringe attachment that tricks the tot into swallowing meds. The novel approach allows the tyke to take his prescription without ever tasting it.

Would you buy this bottle?

Would You Give Your Child Meds Without Testing?

LilSugar — Fri, 23 May 2008 10:15:40 -0700

Two million children have been diagnosed with ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) and many take medications like Ritalin for the disorder. But, in some cases doctors have written prescriptions for their young patients without ever looking at the brain for proof. Would you trust a medical expert enough to put your kid on meds without ever looking inside their head?

Mommy Alert! Airborne Is a Fraud

LilSugar — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 15:00:08 -0800

Airborne, the effervescent health formula said to boost a person's immunity is a fraud.

A CNN article reported that the company, started by a teacher will have to pay $23.3 million to settle the class action lawsuit brought against it for false advertising.

The piece said:

"There's no credible evidence that what's in Airborne can prevent colds or protect you from a germy environment," said CSPI Senior nutritionist David Schardt. "Airborne is basically on overpriced, run-of-the-mill vitamin pill that's been cleverly, but deceptively, marketed."

Many parents swore by the pills believing they fended off illness - were you one of them?

Baby Wellness: Cold Meds Go Bye–Bye

babysugar — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 06:00:28 -0800

When my baby was sick last month, I was tempted to buy Dimetapp to give her some relief from her nasty cold. My mom and mother–in–law both said they had given it to my husband and me growing up, but that I should ask a doctor before administering it.

I'm glad I listened to them as the doctor told me not to use any cold medication. And just recently, the FDA said,

“Over-the-counter (OTC) cough and cold products should not be used to treat infants and children less than 2 years of age because serious and potentially life-threatening side effects can occur from such use.”

The FDA has reported rare cases of death, convulsions and rapid heart rates in children who consumed the medications. And, it turns out that using the over–the–counter drugs may not even provide any sort of relief.

While we are still in the middle of the cold season, it's important to let parents know that what works for us may not work for our babes. So ask the professionals what to do if your tot is ill. It seems like this might be a case where doctor knows best, not mama.

Lil Tip: Making the Medicine Go Down

babysugar — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 15:41:25 -0800

When little ones are under the weather, getting medicine down their throats can become a Herculean task.

If you can get the medicine in the mouth, you're halfway there. The toughest part usually comes when they have to swallow it. So before they can spew it back, quickly blow in the child's face. This will cause them to swallow as a natural reflex. Mother Nature has our back on this one. There's a reason her first name is Mother.

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Tell Mommy: Do You Use Alternative Medicine on Your Kids?

LilSugar — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 08:00:00 -0800

More and more often parents are ditching the pharmacy aisle in search of alternative remedies to treat themselves and their kids. In fact, MSNBC is reporting that more than one in nine children and teens use herbal supplements or some other form of alternative medicine. Whether it's treating a cold with echinacea instead of cold medicine, or giving your tot a daily fish oil supplement, do you try to use alternative therapy on your kids before turning to traditional medicine?

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