In Reply to: The Magic Word - Phenergan posted by TnT on Friday, 27. February 2009 at 13:14 Bali Time:
I agree coping with an unhappy baby on a plane is distressing and its tempting to resort to medications however parents really need to think twice before giving children (especially small babies) any medications without talking to your health care provider or pharmacist.
In particular the data sheet for Phenargan says:
"This product should not be used in children under 2 years of age, due to the potential for fatal respiratory depression."
http://www.medsafe.govt.nz/profs/datasheet/p/phenergantabelixir.htm
The same applies for paracetamol - its certainly great to have on hand when needed however some research does suggest a possible link to increasing the risk of developing asthma and agreed with the World Health organisation guidelines which says "paracetamol should be reserved for children with a high fever (38.5C or above)."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7623230.stm
Cheers
Sheryl