Record Spending on Baby Vitamins and Medicines in the UK

When in doubt, medicalise the problem and purchase a solution: increasingly, this seems to be the advertising message that can undermine parents' confidence in the way they treat their babies. The Telegraph carries a story about record spending on baby vitamins and medicines in the UK.

Vitamins? Is this expressing a lack of confidence in breast milk, infant formula or the quality of baby food that is being fed to babies? If the baby is feeding well, isn't it more likely that parents who give supplementary vitamins are in danger of over-dosing a baby? To quote the Paracelsus cliche, "the right dose differentiates a poison and a remedy". Vanessa Shaw is the head of Dietetics at Great Ormond Street Hospital and she is quoted as saying:

It would be interesting to tease out if parents are buying vitamins because they have been recommended to do so or if they have seen advertising or read about them and just decided to do it.

It would also be interest to know if the baby vitamin manufacturers are beginning to establish a successful market on the coat-tails of all the new stories about the supplementation of older children. Of course, if parents are going to use dietary supplements for infants, it is better that they should use an appropriate formula than attempt to halve or otherwise reduce tablets or drops intended for older children.

Reportedly, sales of painkillers and remedies for crying babies are increasing; more than 56% in a year. Parents bought more analgesics, which treat pain and high temperatures. Again, there has noticeably been more advertising about infant analgesia products over the last year. It is difficult to interpret this figure without knowing what has happened in the prescription market. If parents are confident enough to handle (say) a suspected acute otitis media or a cold by administering analgesia and watchful waiting before taking a baby to see the GP, then this increase could be A Good Thing because it is matched by a corresponding fall in prescriptions. I was a little disappointed by the suggestion that

mothers, particularly those who work, may have less tolerance for disturbed nights and a crying baby.

I do feel that this overlooks an economic reality for many families, and the fact that parents may be heeding the strong public health warnings that they should not drive when very tired. However, Prof. Choonara, a researcher in child health is quoted as saying,

[i]t is my impression that more parents are seeking medical advice over problems that are really about parenting. They ask questions that are really about normal development and that implies they are not getting support.

It is difficult to discern which of the many possible explanations is most plausible: it may be that different explanations are true of different demographics such as age-groups. However, one area in which there is consistently a triumph of hope over experience is the continued purchase and adminstration of colic medicines. Most parents know that the medicines are little better than a placebo but in the face of implacable crying, the are driven by the need to try to do something, anything, to soothe their colicky baby.

One of my recurrent issues is that some parents do not know how to reduce babies' breathing problems (that can interfere with proper feeding and can disturb their sleep). The following tips may be useful if your child has persistent episodes of breathing problems and in general:

• Keep your child away from places where he/she is exposed to tobacco smoke.
• Talk to your doctor or nurse about techniques for clearing the nose of babies (there is a wide assortment on the market from simple bulb aspirators to intimidating but widely-recommended gadgets that connect to a vacuum cleaner) and whether it is appropriate for your child. A few drops of saline into a baby's nostrils can help to clear the nose.
• Learn the new cough etiquette. It's not what your mummy taught you. If you can't cover your mouth and nose with a tissue, use your upper sleeve whenever you cough or sneeze. Do not cover your mouth and nose with your hand. Dispose of the tissue carefully and quickly, and then clean your hands before handling your child.
• Encourage children to breathe in and out through the nose wherever practical (even when asleep): there are substantial benefits.
• Doctors are understandably reluctant to prescribe antibiotics for a virus: they are inappropriate in the absence of a secondary (bacterial) infection or other relevant medical history. Some doctors will cave in to pressure from parents but this is not necessarily in the interest of the baby's health. Follow your doctor's advice.

Of course, many parents know how to de-congest their baby but all too often, the resources of child-minders or pre-schools can not stretch to giving one-to-one assistance to a snuffly baby which will take longer than administering de-congestant drops.

Overall I am interested to know if parents are increasingly considering dietary supplementation for infants, following on from the news items about supplements for older children. How many consider them to be superfluous for babies who are feeding well, and how many think that they are a good idea, 'just in case'?