Many of us readily relate to wearing so many hats as mother or family medical caregiver - you know, the whole "Dr. Mom" persona...
I'm never more concerned than when one or more of my children comes down with the "bug of the moment", experiences minor pain, or runs a fever - which OTC product suits this situation? I turn to the Tylenol line of infant and children's medications as dependable and effective. I know that my parents relied on Tylenol, particularly after the awareness of Rhyes Syndrome from aspirin products in youth.
Caregivers should contact their child's healthcare provider regarding all medical conditions, medical treatment, and dosing recommendations.
Tylenol Infant and Children's medications have seen our family through many illnesses with relief and without side effects. I consider Tylenol to be a trusted family brand.
Although Children's TYLENOL® is on store shelves today in limited quantities, the people at McNeil Consumer Healthcare (the makers of TYLENOL) understand that the absence of Infants' TYLENOL may be difficult for those of you who rely on the product. There will be updates to both Infants' and Children's TYLENOL products, including packaging enhancements and a change to the concentration of the Infants' product. These changes will be implemented as early as this upcoming cold and flu season.
Faced with some challenges and concerns, there are some new changes and improvements to Infants’ and Children’s Tylenol. Below is a fact sheet that outlines the new safety and convenience enhancements of both the Infants’ and Children’s Tylenol. The fact sheet also contains helpful tips for giving medicine to infants and children:
As early as the upcoming cold and flu season, Infants’ TYLENOL® will include a new, enhanced bottle with a protective opening and push-in syringe which will:
Provide even better dosing accuracy and ease of administration to infants
Allow for better control when dispensing the medication and reduce spillage
Further reduce the risk of children being able to get to the medicine in the bottle
We will also be introducing enhanced bottles with the protective opening on Children’s TYLENOL® products.
The Concentration
There will be new dosing directions related to the change in concentration on Infants’ TYLENOL® as early as this upcoming cold and flu season.
Infants’ TYLENOL® will have the same concentration of the active ingredient, acetaminophen, as Children’s TYLENOL®, which will standardize dosing across our products and age groups.
We have been working closely with other manufacturers of pediatric acetaminophen products to encourage an industry wide transition to one concentration across infants’ and children’s acetaminophen products.
There will be a time period when more than one concentration of infants’ acetaminophen products will be available in stores and parents and caregivers might have both in their medicine cabinets. Caregivers should be mindful to always read and follow the dosing directions on the package that is being used.
When Infants’ TYLENOL® products return to store shelves, they will include these changes.
As always, Infants’ and Children’s TYLENOL® products will continue to include specially designed dosing devices appropriate to the age of the child.
Parents and caregivers should contact their child’s healthcare provider if they have questions about dosing instructions.
New Children’s TYLENOL® bottle with dosing cup
New Infants’ TYLENOL® bottle with syringe
INFANTS’ AND CHILDREN’S TYLENOL® PRODUCTS WILL
FEATURE NEW SAFETY AND CONVENIENCE ENHANCEMENTS
These changes to pediatric TYLENOL® products will be available as early as this upcoming cold and flu season.
For more information on availability of Infants’ and Children’s TYLENOL® products, please visit
www.TYLENOL.com.
Helpful Tips for Giving Medicines to Infants and Children
Simply remember to
NURSENever give adult medicines to children.
Use the measuring device (syringe, dropper, dosage cup) that comes with the medicine every time you use it. Don’t use kitchen spoons (teaspoons or tablespoons).
Read and follow instructions on the label. Never give more than the recommended dose and do not give the medication more frequently than recommended.
Store all medicines out of the reach of children. Immediately following use, always restore the child resistant cap and put the medicine back into a high and out of sight location.
Every child grows. Know the infant’s or child’s weight and/or age to help determine the appropriate dosage.
In a letter from Ed Kuffner, MD, father of three, and Vice President, Medical Affairs at McNeil explaining the new product improvements in further detail. He recapped much of what is provided above and emphasizes that Tylenol wishes to address the concerns of families and provide their products to be used safely and effectively to regain consumer confidence. He states, "As a dad and a doctor, I know firsthand how tough it can be when your baby or child gets sick. While we are trying to comfort our children, we are also making sure that they are getting the care and medicine that they need to feel better. For me, like every parent, safety comes first."
I, for one, will continue to look to Tylenol in the future and find these new features and technologies in product development demonstrate their commitment to helping families.
Here is the link to the official Tylenol updates website to learn more:
http://www.tylenol.com/page.jhtml?id=tylenol/children/subfsafety_convenience.incI wrote this review while participating in a blog tour by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Tylenol and received a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.
