It’s funny how medical care can be so different from country to country. When I lived in London and asked the pharmacist for some suppositories to give to my sick baby, he literally looked at me as if I was asking him to stand on his head and sing the ABCs. Whereas here in Amsterdam, suppositories are the norm, and liquid paracetamol doesn’t seem to exist at all! Fact is (at least in my experience), that for small, nappy wearing babies, suppositories really work best, but for older children I definitely prefer liquid paracetamol.
For taking temperatures it seems to be the same story: in the Netherlands, temperatures are supposed to be taken rectally, whereas in the UK I think it is considered child molestation to use anything else than an ear thermometer. I must say that I’ve warmed up to the UK method here — especially since we own the Vicks Gentle Touch, which accurately measures the temperature behind the ear within a second, and it’s colour coded so you immediately see if your child is running a temperature or not (and can finish his dinner).
xxx Esther
Comments (5)
Hi Esther
You can get Sinaspril liquid paracetemol in Amsterdam, tastes different to Calpol, but my children seem to love it. You can get it in Etos and I’m sure most other similar shops.
Joanna x
Really???!!!?? Thanks for the tip! x
It is amusing how each country differs. I’ve lived in 5 different countries and I’ve had some good laughs. I grew up in the States where suppositories and rectal thermometers are definitely less common. But, when I had my children in France they didn’t bother me. Like you said, they are practical for small babies. What shocked me most was the manual nasal aspirator. When I first saw one I remember thinking, “You have got to be kidding me, I am literally suppose to suck the snot out of my baby’s nose!” I have gotten use to that as well. I think they have since come out with electric ones which equally freak me out.
Just looked for this thermometer, seems as though it’s not sold in the US! : (
My child was born in the US so I got to used to giving meds based on weight. We moved to the UK, and its all based on age and varies between manufacturer so on some brands the dose was less and on others it was more (this is taking concentration into account). Now we are based in Spain, and the dose is based on weight again.
@ Marina re: the thermometer. We have an exergen temporal thermometer that we bought when we lived in the US and its still going strong almost 5 years later. May be worth considering.