Keeping our Children Healthier - Juice and Cold Medications to be avoided

Both should be avoided at certain ages.

The American Academy of Pediatrics has expanded its recommendation against offering juice to all infants 12 months and under because it offers no nutritional benefit. Previously, the group advised against juice consumption in infants 6 months and younger.

Among the group's other recommendations, published in Pediatrics:

• When a pediatrician deems juice to be medically necessary in infants older than 6 months, it should be given in a cup, not a bottle.

• For toddlers, 100% juice (4 oz. or less) may be offered as part of a snack or meal.

• For children aged 4 through 6 years, consumption should be limited to 6 ounces a day; for those 7 to 18 years, the recommended daily limit is 8 ounces.

• For children with chronic diarrhea, abdominal pain, excessive flatulence, and bloating, clinicians should inquire about juice consumption.

• For children with poor or excessive weight gain, clinicians should recommend cutting all juice from the diet

Over the counter cough and cold medications have never been shown to have any efficacy in children. The common cold in children is generally a self-limited illness that requires nothing more than hydration, rest, and sometimes fever treatment.

On the other hand they can be dangerous. To assess the rate of pediatric adverse events associated with over-the-counter (OTC) cough and cold medications in the U.S., investigators analyzed data from the Pediatric Cough and Cold Safety Surveillance System for patients <12 years of age reported to have at least one adverse event associated with any of the following pharmaceuticals: brompheniramine, chlorpheniramine, dextromethorphan, diphenhydramine, doxylamine, guaifenesin, pseudoephedrine, and phenylephrine.

They found over 3,000 adverse events from 2009-2014, often from accidental ingestion and overdose. These included rapid heart rate, agitation, hallucinations, and two deaths. (Green JL et al. Pediatrics 2017 Jun).

With no known benefit and such severe possible risk, these should be avoided in all children especially those under 4.