Is there anything worse than seeing your child sick? For me, the only thing that ranks lower is knowing that I can do absolutely nothing to stop their pain. I vividly remember the first time my daughter came down with a fever, and the feeling of helplessness still stays with me. She came down with a fever late in the night out of nowhere and at first I thought it was something else entirely – teething, an upset stomach, just being overheated… anything but the flu.
I remember thinking, how could she be sick when no one else seems to have caught it?, and denying all the telltale signs of illness. Maybe it was because this was really her first illness and she was already 2 ½ years old, so I guess I just overestimated her immune system. Either way, we were entirely unprepared for how to best soothe her.
As in bare medicine cabinet, no thermometer, newborn baby brother, sleep exhaustion. Let me tell you, it’s something you only have to do once. I vowed it would be my last middle-of-the-night medicine/thermometer run and ever since then I’ve kept our cabinet well-stocked, especially during cold and flu season.
It turns out this was a good plan because shortly after starting her first year of preschool this year, our illness-free streak was broken again. Handwashing {which is done roughly 100x per class} hasn’t been enough to keep the kids from coming down with every cold, cough, or flu that gets passed around and we’ve had sick kids more in the past 5 months than we have in the past 4 years.
Luckily, we have had a full medicine cabinet ever since, with plenty of Children’s Advil on hand. Although having sick kids is still no fun at all, it’s certainly easier when your kids are asking to take their medicine and you are able to easily control their fever. While they have liked every flavor we have ever tried {available flavors shown below}, my kids are especially fond of grape so I like to stock the dye-free white grape for them year-round.
Fever Relief Tips from Dr. Alanna Levine & Children’s Advil
- Stay Cool: Remember that most fevers are in fact indicators that the body is fighting an underlying illness.
- Be Prepared: Start the season by talking to a pediatrician about proper fever management. Also, check the medicine cabinet to ensure that all medications have not expired or been recalled.
- Watch for Serious Signs: Generally, it’s time to call a pediatrician:
• if your child is less than three months old and has a fever of 100 degrees or higher;
• if the fever is over 103 degrees, no matter what the child’s age;
• if the fever lasts more than three days;
• if your child has a fever and looks and acts very sick;
• if you are concerned regarding your child’s health.
- Long Lasting Relief: When choosing a fever medication, be sure to consider how long the medication will last. Children’s Advil®®, which contains ibuprofen, provides up to 8-hours of relief with one dose.
Children’s Advil® “Dose of Reality” Survey Highlights
Pfizer Consumer Healthcare, makers of Children’s Advil, conducted two new surveys of more than 1,000 parents and 250 pediatricians nationwide and found that more than half of consumers {52 percent surveryed} report feeling anxious, fearful or helpless when their child comes down with a fever. I was actually surprised by that as it seem low to me. Who can help feeling anxious when their child is sick?
Do Parents Really Know Best?
Unintended Fever Mistakes
• More than half of parents (52 percent) have sent their kids back to school or daycare less than 24 hours after their fever passed.
• More than half of parents (52 percent) report waking their sick child up in the middle of the night just to give them fever medicine.
• One in five parents (17 percent) admitted to bringing their child to the emergency room solely for a fever without first calling their pediatrician.
Check out the Children’s Advil® Website and you can even print off an awesome Children's Advil coupon you can use on your next pack! Also, be sure to like Children's Advil on Facebook so you can keep up to date on new products, information, and even savings!
Thank you to Children’s Advil® for providing free product samples, the survey information, and gift pack
