Some lots of children’s Tylenol and other over the counter children’s medicines are being recalled. Most concerning– some have too much of the active ingredient.

This is a good time to review what pediatricians will tell you. These medicines don’t cure colds, they only relieve symptoms. For most children a low fever does not need to be brought down to normal as long as the child is comfortable. There are exceptions, trust your pediatrician who knows your child, not some commercial that misinforms you in order to sell more product. More is not better.

Not that these medicines can’t be useful, and relieving symptoms is a good thing, but the less you need to use them, the less worry when the inevitable human error kicks in. If your pediatrician is not just a phone call away, consider finding another. If your kid is really sick, you should be able to get help from someone who’s accountable for your child’s health, not the sales volume.