As a new parent, you are going through a period of adaptation, dealing with tiredness, the worry about caring for another human being and an avalanche of emotions. It can be difficult to keep track of every little detail regarding your baby’s health but you can never know when you will be required to remember specific facts.
With the advent of digital technology, parents are now given the possibility to record every aspect related to their children’s health with the help of smartphone apps. Health apps such as CareClinic can be used as a baby medicine tracker, among other things. They are meant to assist one with health management, reducing a lot of stress associated with parenting. (R)
Watching over your baby’s medicine intake
Babies can become sick quite easily, as their immune system is not yet fully developed. For parents, it can be difficult to keep track of every treatment, its effect and potential adverse reactions. CareClinic is a health app which can be used to create a customized profile for one’s baby, including the health history and offering the ability to review it at any moment desired. It is available on both Android and iOS, being an effective medical app for kids.
The information regarding the treatments administered to the baby might come in handy at the next doctor visit. Aside from treatment-related information, one can add details about the baby’s growth; common measurements include the height, weight and head circumference. These measurements, documented on a daily basis, can help one chart the growth progress of the baby, until the next stage (toddlerhood).
What kind of information should one record within the application?
Within the application, you can record every medication you have given to the baby. You can mention the dose and frequency, the purpose for which it was recommended and the duration of treatment. If applicable, you can add potential side effects or adverse reactions, as well as interactions with other medication.
Parents might also want to record any specific instructions for administering a treatment, as well as the type of treatment (liquid, suppository). For instance, both Motrin and Tylenol are available as syrup for babies, helping with symptoms such as fever. A child, including a newborn, should be prescribed with such treatments by an experienced pediatrician. The healthcare professional knows the best solutions for improving the health and wellness of the child/baby in question.
One can add the medication instructions from the label, as this can come in handy as well. Details about how the medication should be stored can be added as well; some drugs have to be kept in the fridge, while others require only a cool, dry place, away from direct sunlight. If there are any tools to be used with the treatment, such as bottle teats, medicine droppers or plastic syringes, you can make notes of that as well.
As babies need a lot of vaccines during their first stage of life, it might be a good idea to record all immunizations. In this way, you will know which shots have been completed and the ones that lie ahead. This information will also be useful in the situation that you have changed physicians, as the new healthcare professional will be able to review the immunization schedule easily.
Customized medication list
It can be of great comfort to know that you have all the medicine information of your baby in one place. As you will enter the required dose for each drug, it will no longer seem difficult to administer the correct amount to your baby. You should also consider creating a separate list containing medication to which your baby might be allergic. This can be a life-saving detail in case of anaphylaxis.
Thanks to CareClinic, it is not difficult to create a customized medication list. One can use the application to keep a history of given drugs, both short and long term. For instance, you might give single-dose medicine to your baby according to necessity. You can record these within the application, as it will help you determine which treatment was most effective at a particular time.
In the situation that your baby requires a treatment to be administered for a longer period of time, you can opt to record a prescription with a fixed number of doses (alternatively, days of treatment). For instance, one can record a treatment with Amoxicillin, which was prescribed for an ear infection. One might also add prescriptions which have to be administered until the symptoms improve; there are a lot of babies who suffer from reflux, requiring treatment, such as Zantac, for such purposes.
All medication is recorded within the application and displayed on the calendar. One might go to the previous month, for example, and see the treatments administered on a respective day (and how the baby reacted to them). Prescriptions can be searched as well, so as to see the date and make sure that all the doses have been administered.
One can review how many prescriptions the baby has had in the last months and when was a certain treatment administered. On the calendar, you will be able to see a summary of all medication that was given, including any skipped doses (if any).
Medicine Tracker for Kids and Children of All Ages
As it was already mentioned above, you can use the CareClinic health app to keep track of everything regarding your baby. You can use it to record symptoms of various conditions, such as vomiting or fever. The health history can be reviewed and exported in the form of monthly reports, to be shared with the treating physician(s). The kids’ wellness tracker is useful not only for babies but also for older children. The tracker printable report will definitely be valued by the doctor examining the baby/child.
The application was designed by a team of specialists, so as to be as useful to parents as it can possibly be. For instance, one can set up reminders for each medication, so that there is no risk of missed doses. In the situation that you have skipped a dose, there will be a snooze feature to remind you that the treatment has yet to be taken.
CareClinic can be used to set up reminders for doctor appointments, so that you never forget about going in for a checkup. You can rely on it to record all the questions you might have for the doctor, regarding treatments, immunizations or any other subject.
Reasons for which you should consider using a baby medicine tracker
Applications such as CareClinic are meant to empower parents and boost their parenting skills. As you become accustomed to using the application to record your baby’s medication intake and other health-related information, you will also familiarize yourself with common health issues.
You will learn to recognize and address frequently-encountered manifestations, such as fever, colics and crying. You will become an expert whereas treating ear infections are concerned, using the information entered into the application to improve communication with your doctor.
As you will pay more attention to your baby’s treatments and health in general, you will develop the necessary skills to deal with acute concerns, such as intestinal transit issues (constipation, diarrhea) or dehydration. Basically, you will have a faster response time, dealing more effectively with any issue that appears.
Only parents can understand why it means for a baby to be sick and require treatment. Applications such as CareClinic allow parents to feel less stressed and record information regarding various treatments effortlessly. The health history can then be exported and shared, as mentioned, with any healthcare professional. One will be able to identify what kind of medication the baby has received, in what dose and with which frequency.
Using CareClinic to track medication
As you will begin to track your baby’s health, you will be able to reflect on the data you have entered within the application. You can draw conclusions on how well the baby is doing on a certain treatment, what vaccinations have been completed and what shots have yet to be scheduled.
The medication history can be referenced whenever it is necessary. One might find out, for instance, how many infections the baby suffered from over a period of time.
With the help of the CareClinic health app, one can identify and record the best solutions for helping one’s baby when he/she is not feeling well. When adding treatments, be sure to add any warnings you have been given for the medication in question.
In case of ear infections, which are quite common in babies and young children, the doctor might prescribe antibiotic ear drops or a spray to improve experienced symptomatology. One can use the application to record the date you opened the bottle, as such treatments often have to be used within a specific date.
A similar thing can be done for eye drops, which have a limited validity as well, and a high risk of contamination. By recording the date, you will know when to dispose of the treatment. If your baby suffers from chronic constipation, the doctor might prescribe suppositories to facilitate the transit. You can record the treatment and also the effects it had with regard to constipation.
How to administer medication correctly to a baby
When giving medication to a baby, the most important thing is to administer the correct dosage, following the prescribed instructions to the letter. One should never give a larger dose, or administer the medication more frequently than recommended. Liquid medication, for instance, presents the highest risk of error. (R)
The pharmacist can provide valuable advice with regard to administering treatments, what dosing instruments should be used, quantity, frequency and potential side effects. As a parent, if you are ever in doubt about giving a particular drug, do not hesitate to contact the doctor or nurse about symptoms or adverse reactions, as well as potential interactions.
If you must administer liquid medication, do not squirt the entire quantity into the baby’s mouth at once, as you may cause them to choke. You should refrain from aiming for the center of the mouth, as will lead to a gag reflex. The best way to administer such drugs is on the side of the cheek.
Always check the dose before administering the medication, paying attention to the marking. Some syringes are marked in ml, while others have mg as marking. Wash your hands thoroughly before and after giving a treatment, and use the measuring spoon that comes with the treatment. Do not use a common spoon, as you might end up giving the wrong dose to your baby.
Even though it is an obvious thing to do, you should check the expiry date of the medication before giving it to the baby. The medication should be used only as instructed. It is also clear that treatments should be kept out of reach of children. Once the medication has passed the expiry date, one should stop using it and throw it away. CareClinic medicine tracker can be useful in saving the expiration dates of medications as notes to help you remember when to safely toss away medication. (R)
In case there are any concerns regarding the treatments prescribed to the baby, one should immediately contact the treating physician. For each doctor visit, one might want to use the reports generated by the CareClinic app, as they offer useful information regarding the regular medication intake.
