Some healthcare products marketed to parents may not be quite as healthy as they claim to be — and in a few cases, one pediatrician has warned, they could be doing more harm than good.
Beachgem10 is a pediatric emergency medicine doctor with four kids, and she has parents hanging on her every word in a viral TikTok video with 3.5 million views.
The doc admits that there are five product she “detests,” saying they’ve been marketed well but “can have side effects for kiddos.”
Under-six medicines
As cold and flu season gets underway, Beachgem10 says she’s against any cough and cold medications that say that they’re for children under six.
“These are not recommended,” she warned. “They are expensive. They generally do nothing. And they have a lot of side effects associated with them.”
They could also end up leading to more problems.
“In pediatrics, we don’t really recommend cold medicines. Certainly not for kids under six anyway, because they’re younger and they’re more susceptible to side effects,” Dr. Brittany Chan, a pediatrician at Texas Children’s Pediatrics in Spring, Texas, told the American Medical Association.
Those side effects can include irritability, fatigue, and behavioral changes.
Instead, the TikTok doc says that during the sick season, it’s better to just give kids ibuprofen and Tylenol, Pedialyte and Gatorade, saline, and cold mist humidifiers.
Neosporin
Neosporin, an antibiotic ointment made with neomycin, polymyxin B and bacitracin, is also on her no-no list — and she’s not the only one to warn against it.
Several dermatologists have spoken out — and gone viral on social media — with words of caution.
One potential downside: A 2021 study found that when Neosporin was used, wounds healed more slowly than when it wasn’t.
What’s more, derms caution that it lead to allergic reactions and cause rashes — and that sensitivity can even develop later in life, after years of using it with no problem.
“It is a common source of allergic contact dermatitis,” dermatologist Ranella Hirsch, MD, told Allure.
Instead, she and many other derms recommend simply washing cuts and scrapes and coating them with petroleum jelly (like Vaseline).
“Petrolatum keeps the wound from drying out and, as it happens, is the lead ingredient in most antibiotic ointments — the one doing most of the heavy lifting,” she added.
Fragrances
If it’s meant for kids — soap, lotion, laundry detergent — it shouldn’t have fragrance, as far as the doc is concerned.
“So many of these kiddos end up with contact dermatitis or worsening eczema symptoms. They are super rashy,” she said, advising parents to toss them.
Toddler formulas
If your kid doesn’t medically need “toddler formula,” this pediatrician says to avoid them — not just because they teach kids to drink their calories but also because they’re so unnecessarily expensive.
Last year, the the American Academy of Pediatrics published their verdict, reporting that toddler formulas “offer no nutritional advantage” despite claims from manufacturers that they “improv brain development” or “improv immune function.”
The AAP said these drinks shouldn’t even be called formula, noting that there is no mandated criteria for formulas for children over 12 months old.
“Composition of these drinks is unregulated by the FDA and their promotion typically characterized by misleading claims,” said George J. Fuchs III, M.D., FAAP, a lead author of the AAP’s report.
Gummy vitamins
The TikTok pediatrician’s final “don’t” may be a tricky habit to break — including for adults, many of whom also get their multivitamin in the form of a sugary treat.
“These are literally candies that have vitamins sprayed over the top of them,” she said, claiming that dosing is inconsistent, the candy can cause cavities, and most kids don’t actually need a vitamin supplement.
Gummy vitamins have certainly been the subject of debate, but there does seem to be a consensus among experts that dosages listed on bottles aren’t necessarily accurate.
“We find that there are many more quality problems with gummies than there are with tablets or capsules,” Dr. Tod Cooperman, president of ConsumerLab.com, told Today.
“Many companies seem to have trouble controlling the amounts of ingredients in each gummy,” he added to Time, confirming that the vitamins are often sprayed on the outside of the gummy.
