I REMEMBER the first cold my oldest had, when she was 2 months old. I was already a pediatrician, but I was sure that my baby had the worst cold on record. She was miserable--coughing all night, so stuffy she couldn't nurse, cranky, gagging on mucus. No one was sleeping.

Suctioning her with the bulb syringe made her scream, and the infant cough and cold medicine did nothing. So I hit the health-food store and tried everything that I thought might help: homeopathics, eucalyptus-oil chest rub, Echinacea, etc.

So, guess how long her cold lasted? Seven days. And for her next cold, I ran a vaporizer and used saline nose drops, and it lasted one week.

I've never been big on over-the-counter cold remedies, so it didn't upset me at all when the FDA issued the statement in January of this year that OTC cough and cold remedies should not be used in children under 2 years of age. All of the "infant" formulations of these medications were taken off the market voluntarily in October 2007.

Now, the manufacturers of the children's formulations of cough and cold medications are voluntarily changing labeling to read "Do not use in children under age 4."

The FDA supports this, but is not yet requiring it, so medications will not be removed from stores during this transition. Many in the field think that the FDA will ultimately say that these medications are not proven to be safe or effective in children under the age of 6.

However, some feel that taking all pediatric formulations off the market would be unwise, because parents would start using adult formulations on their children, and run an even greater risk of overdose.

SMART, SAFE TREATMENT

So, what can you do to help your child feel better when he or she is suffering with a cold?

Chicken soup and other warm liquids really do help!

Herbal (decaffeinated) tea with honey can soothe a sore throat and quiet a cough. In fact, a study last year showed a spoonful of honey was a better cough suppressant than dextromethorphan, the active ingredient in most OTC cough suppressants. (No honey for children under the age of 1 year, though.)