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Is It Okay To Use Vicks Steam In The Presence Of A Child With Cold?

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Posted on Thu, 14 Jun 2012
Question: i have a 5 month old baby who has a cold, i also have a cold, a bad one, i bought a vicks vaporizer and the vicks med that goes into the water and come out in steam. its says on the bottle not to use with children under 2. but i have it in the living room, and i used less than i was supposed to for the amount of water, is it okay for her to be in the same room with it, and if not why
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Answered by Dr. Santosh Kondekar (4 hours later)
Hi XXXXXXX

I understand your concern.

Most medicines whose effect is not known or not studied in children will have such instruction written on it. Occasionally an infant may have a skin reaction to Vicks and at times it can be serious type, if the infant has been allergic to it. On the other hand I have come across a good number of infants who have been using Vicks without issues.

With vaporizer often the problem is related to hot water contact and scalds. So it’s discouraged to use in infants. But if the infant is in the same room and not within one foot distance or not held by you while you take the vapors, I don’t find any possibility of issues with small quantity vapors. But if you do find infant coughing even despite this, you may stop and see if it is truly related to vapor in air.

Hope I have answered your query. Please accept my answer in case you do not have further queries.

Regards,
Note: For further queries related to your child health, Talk to a Pediatrician. Click here to Book a Consultation.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Shanthi.E
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Answered by
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Dr. Santosh Kondekar

Pediatrician

Practicing since :1997

Answered : 379 Questions

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Is It Okay To Use Vicks Steam In The Presence Of A Child With Cold?

Hi XXXXXXX

I understand your concern.

Most medicines whose effect is not known or not studied in children will have such instruction written on it. Occasionally an infant may have a skin reaction to Vicks and at times it can be serious type, if the infant has been allergic to it. On the other hand I have come across a good number of infants who have been using Vicks without issues.

With vaporizer often the problem is related to hot water contact and scalds. So it’s discouraged to use in infants. But if the infant is in the same room and not within one foot distance or not held by you while you take the vapors, I don’t find any possibility of issues with small quantity vapors. But if you do find infant coughing even despite this, you may stop and see if it is truly related to vapor in air.

Hope I have answered your query. Please accept my answer in case you do not have further queries.

Regards,