DS seems to have a cold and runny nose again! He only got over a bad cough less than a month ago and currently is not sleeping again. I'm 39 weeks pregnant and really need more sleep. The vaporizer and vicks just doesnt seem to cut it.

I wouldn't. Can you speak to your pharmacist and see what they say? They may have some suggestions that might help.

Most pharmacists I've come across are very against it being used on any child under 2 years. However, I guess it's easy to think he's SO close to 2, maybe it wouldn't hurt. I'd probably try warm steamy baths and vicks/baby panadol a little longer... but if there is no relief, I'd consider giving maybe a half dose as a last resort.
Perhaps discuss with your pharmacist what the actual danger is for children under 2 before making your decision.

I would not, I would buy FESS nasal spray and aspirator and regularly spray and aspirate as needed. That should do the trick, keep the fluids up and if you notice fever or he is generally not himself I would use panadol to ease any aches or pains.
If you are concerned perhaps get him assessed by a gp andd follow their directions.
I hope your DS gets better and soon.

I have only on Doctors advice. Basically because my 3 have always been big for their age it wasnt to bad for them.

You used to be able to give dimetapp to babies and then they changed the bottles so that they only show the dosages for over 2 year olds, I think because some parents were accidentally giving incorrect dosages which is obvious dangerous if you are small and it doesn't take much to get it wrong. If I knew the correct dose to give them I would, but I don't, so I wouldn't.

I would. My GP was happy for my to give it to DD3 22 months (she was younger at the time).

I have at that age after speaking to pharmacist. I believe the age for which it is recommend was increased due to concerns about the sedation side effects on breathing - ie. risk of stopping breathing.

Yes

My GP suggested I give my DS 2ml around sleep time to decongest him and help him sleep. He was much younger than 22 months - probably closer to 14 months when it was prescribed. He only needed it for a few days and getting a good night's sleep helped with his recovery.

I am DS is now 23 months but at 22 months my pharmacist gave it to me for him. I was 8 months pregnant at the time to

my son has always used dimeatapp, BUT he has a very rare allergy to paracetamol and i only started the dimeatapp AFTER both a pead and dr said i should use it for him. go to the gp they may be able to give something else that will help?

On our GP's advice, I have.

DD was looking down the barrel of her third ear infection in as many months, all because of the build up of mucous that drains in to her ears when she sleeps. The only way to prevent it from happening was to dry out the mucous.

Three or four nights of use and she was fine. I wasn't giving her any other medicines in the day, but had her in steamy showers, and was using fess during the day to try and get as much of it out as I could. She is 13 months.

Yes. I give dimetapp to my 12 month old. My GP recommended Dimetapp for 1-2 years old but that product is very hard to get hold of - the pharmacist compared all the ingredients on the one for plus 2 years with the one for less than 2 years and they're virtually identical.

So, yes, I would definitely give it to a 22 month old (assuming he/she is otherwise well and healthy, etc) but sparingly and in smaller doses than the recommendations on the bottle.

We give DS on small (2ml) dose right at bedtime and that is usually enough to give him (& Mum and Dad) a good night's sleep. We also chock the cot up on some magazines so that it's at an angle and I rub baby vicks on his sleeping bag.

Please check with either a doctor or pharmacist before giving your child medication, especially when it isn't recommended for their age group. They will be able to advise you.

I only would if recommended by gp. I also think from memory that some studies have shown that they do not work for children of that age anyway (can't remember exact details).

I would, a lesser dose.

I have before but it don't think it made much difference to DD's cold/cough or sleep.


Interestingly my sister is a pharmacist and said the other week apparently they are considering getting rid of all the cough /cold remedies for children under 5 years old.

Something to do with cough suppressants not being recommended for children ...I was only listening with 1 ear and rest/fluids & panadol being a better option

Yep I would - they don't magically change overnight on their 2nd birthday so they are able to have medications like that. I would probably just give a bit less than a full dose though.

If the child weighs as much as a standard two year old, yes I would. A small for age or chronically ill child, no.

Last week I gave dimatapp to my 8 month old because his nose was so blocked up that he couldn't drink his bottle or sleep and nothing else was helping. Within 15 minutes of taking it his nose was clear and he fell asleep so it was well worth it after days of all of us not getting very much sleep. I only gave it two him twice when he was at his worst and the rest of the time the Vaporiser and Brauer Runny Nose Relief were enough.

Our doctor often complains that it is ridiculous that they can't prescribe anything for kids under 2 years old anymore and the only reason for it was because some parents did the wrong thing and didn't follow the dosages correctly. Easy to overdose a baby. So it's another case of everyone having to miss out because of a few people who can't follow the rules.

I have not used Dimetapp but did use Demazin on my daughter under 2. It used to be used on unders twos and I was told they stopped because people would use it as a sedative. Not sure if that is true or not. My daughter would get herself into such a state with a blocked nose she would vomit. I found the dose on the internet from when they used to give it at that age. I felt fine about it as it had been given to DS when he was little by a Dr for coughing at night due to post nasal drip.

FWIW, there were two reasons that the TGA decided to make these medicines available to kids over 2. The first is this:

The second is this:
From The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia.
AFAIK Dr's can still prescribe these medicines for children under 2. But despite the fact they have been around for years, there is no evidence that they are actually helpful. (This goes for cough medicines too - there is no evidence that they are helpful.)

No I'm in a similar position too though, sick 22 month old, pregnant getting no sleep so I feel your pain!
Just because I was told not to by health direct, two doctors and a pharmacist. I figure they know more about that sort of stuff than me so why risk it.

We did and would again. Sparingly and with caution but yes.

Nope, they are pretty much useless, in all age groups.

I have used Paedmein on Drs advice just before sleep. I have to say though, i don't really think it does much good either!

I have found Fess, Vix and an electric aspirator worked better.

Of course you should speak to your pharmacist or Dr before you give her anything.

I have. Only on my GP's advice and only when nothing else seems to help. My son is 14 months old.

Yes, at 18 months under GP advice. DS2 needed the sleep, we'd tried everything else and he has the body weight to handle a small dose. it was around 2ml from memory.

It worked wonders in his case.

I would try some ventolin first - it opens the airways up and is perfectly safe. Suppressing the cough isn't alway a good idea - they do need to cough it up, otherwise it can cause further problems (pneumonia) and take longer to recover.

I did, but my child was the size of a 3yo at that age and I was conservative with the dose (gave a bit less than the dose for her weight).

I did (and do) since DS was 15mo, on doctor's advice. I probably won't go into too much detail here, because I think there is a valid reason for the warnings etc, and I would hate for anyone to read my post and go, "oh, ok, sounds similar to my situation, I'll do it". The doctor actually prescribed me infant dimetapp for the purpose ( which was not actually a cough), but when I went and handed the script to the pharmacist, found out that they no longer make infant dimetapp as it is so rarely prescribed, and actually had exactly the same ingredients as the regular version. Given I had a script in my hand, the pharmacist was happy to sell me the bottle and explain the appriopriate dosage.

Absent GP specific advice, and pharmacists's endorsement under my circumstances, I doubt I would have done it.