Medication

You should have the basic over-the-counter medication against pains, fever, cough and a stuffy nose in your home. Childproof all medication you have in your home.

Use medication correctly. Be careful to follow the instructions about how a certain drug should be used, whether it is bought on prescription or over the counter. If you do not follow the instructions and use a drug correctly, it can harm instead of help.

Childproof all drugs, for example locked in a cabinet inaccessible to the children.

This is how to use medication correctly

Here are a few good advice about how best to administer medication to your child:

It is important that both child and parents are comfortable with the situation and know what is going to happen and why.
It is a good idea for the parents to take turns administering the medication – so that one of the parents will not appear as ‘the mean one’.
It is very, very important that an ill child takes the prescribed medication. Be firm but never harsh, mean or threatening. Never punish a child because it is trying to avoid being medicated. Try turning the situation around to a positive experience; you could for example give the child a reward. Sometimes parents have to decide for the child despite the fact that they might be considered ‘mean’ by the child.