A few weeks ago, Judah was in the hospital overnight for dehydration from the flu. A bad case of gastronitis has been going around every where you turn. I guess it is that time of year for the flu.
Every so often when Judah is sick, I check with his doctor the dosage amount of medicine, namely Tylenol, to give him for pain. Kids are constantly growing and changing making the dosage amounts different over time. And if you have not done so recently, you may want to do the same for your kids.
It was a good thing I checked again while we were in the hospital. What we discovered was that Tylenol has recently changed all their infant's and children's bottles to the same concentration amounts. This means that concentration amounts will be consistent among the brand name as they restock setting the standard for generic brands as well.
On the other hand, you need to be aware of marketing schemes used to sell the same concentration amounts. Infant's Tylenol now contains the same concentration amount as Children's Tylenol. The difference however, lies in the price point. In some stores, you will pay several additional dollars for the infants version of Tylenol than you would Children's Tylenol.
So frugal shoppers, I implore you to do your homework. First, check with your doctor on dosage amounts per child per weight. Check at the store to make sure concentration amounts are acceptable and in fact the same. From there I encourage you to buy the cheapest bottle per ounces. And in the meantime, save your infant droppers by washing them to reuse. You will be surprised on how much you will save.
This discovery encourages all of us shoppers to stop and read the labels. We may in fact be paying more for something that is just packaged and advertised differently. A good example remains generic canned brands that actually get processed by the same company. Usually they are slightly different but still have good taste and are always a few cents cheaper.
Let's know our product for the price. And in the interim, check your Tylenol bottles the next time you go into the store.
For more frugal tips, visit Learning the Frugal Life.
WOW! Great tip! I usually get an off-brand, because it's literally the same medicine, but if I ever find myself getting Tylenol I'll have to keep this in mind. THANK YOU!
ReplyDeleteexcellent advice. Did you two see that my next coupon meetup is feb. 25? Thanks for joining the Frugal Tuesday Tip! http://juliecache.com/2012/01/30/frugal-tuesday-tip-53/.html
ReplyDeleteCan I just add...be very, very careful with your Tylenol/acetaminophen dosing. At the children's hospital where I work, we encourage parents to consider using children's ibuprofen instead. An overdose of ibuprofen will cause upset stomach in small amounts, a need for charcoal treatment in large amounts. An overdose of acetaminophen in small amounts causes severe liver damage. I've seen the tragedy first hand of an accidental overdose of a small child. If you do switch between infant's/children's watch the concentration carefully. Infant's drops usually have a much stronger concentration.
ReplyDeleteAgreed. Thanks for the advice. And always check with your doctor first.
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