Don't give a dose, to the one you love most. . .*

A couple of months ago, parents in Massachusetts were charged with killing their daughter by overdosing her on prescription medications for ADHD and Bipolar disorder. She was four years old. And, she was diagnosed with these disorders at the ripe old age of two.

The coroner found Clonidine, Valproic Acid, a cough suppressant, and the antihistamine, Chlorpheniramine, in this little girl's system.

As this story has unfolded in the press, I have felt sick at what this little girl went through in her last days. This does not appear to be the case of innocent parents just trying to keep their daughter well and accidentally giving her too much medication.

However, I couldn't help but think about the 'what ifs'. What if a parent, with a doctor's prescription or with over-the-counter medications, screws up and gives their child too much? What if they don't notice their error until it is a fatal one?

I have been thinking about this a lot since I heard the news that over-the-counter cold remedies may be more harmful than beneficial to infants and toddlers (this is not a new story, since warnings have been issued in the past, but this is 'news' to me, since I never really noticed these warnings until last night's newscast).

In fact, "we recommend that families be aware of these risks and not use over-the-counter cough and cold medications for children ages 5 and under," Baltimore officials said.

That is, do "NOT USE . . .medications for children ages 5 and under". Wow.

Last night, D had a cough and stuffy nose. As he lie next to me, I knew I would normally jump up and get him something to help dry out his nose, quiet his cough. Instead, I held him extra close as he slept. And wondered if I was doing the right thing.

(* extra credit if you know the rest of this song and why it was sung)