Kids don’t need medicines for every cough, sneeze, bump or bruise. Treating symptoms your child doesn’t have won’t help and may even be harmful. For example, if your child has a bad cough but isn’t sneezing, don’t give her medicine for sneezing. Cough and cold medicines may not work for young children, and they aren’t safe for children under 2. And don’t always insist on antibiotics for every sore throat or ear infection—they only treat bacteria, not viruses. Overusing antibiotics now may make it harder to treat your child later if he or she really needs them.

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