[1] Health Canada issued an advisory on Thursday which [2] cautions about the use of over the counter cough and cold medicines, especially for children under 2.  For children under 2, they advise:

• Do not use cough and cold products, including drugs and natural health products, in children under 2 years of age unless instructed to do so by a healthcare practitioner.
• Even if the cough and cold products are labelled for use in children under 2 years of age (for example, they use the word “infant” in their name or have dosing instructions for infants) it is still preferable to discuss the use of these products with your healthcare practitioner before giving them to any young child.

There are cautions about the potential dangers of cough syrup use for children of any age.

When I read the full advisory, I was  reminded about the material from [3] Five Moms that I got at [4] BlogHer07.  The research they cite indicates that 1 in 10 teens have taken cough syrup to get high. There are many scary things that one can learn on the site because cough syrup is so readily available and, in the adult world, seems innocuous. The thing that most stuck with me is the fun sounding nicknames for the drug: Dex, DXM, Skittles, Syrup, Tussin, Triple-C, and CCCand the harmless words to describe what the kids are doing Robo-tripping, Dex-ing, Robo-fizzing, and Skittling.

 Reid is 3 and I know I need to keep cough syrup out of her reach to prevent accidental ingestion. I will remember to discuss with her the choice she needs to make not to use cough syrup as well as any other drugs. I know these things because [5] five moms decided to step forward and bring the message to the public. I’ve signed the [6] pledge which asks, among things, that people pledge to talk to 5 more parents. If you read this, please leave a comment so that I’ll know if I’ve made my minimum.