Vapour rubs provide instant relief from blocked nose. But is it safe to use it on children to give them quick relief from cold. Read on to learn more about using vapour rubs on kids.Vapour rubs are amongst the commonly used symptomatic cures for cough, cold and congestion. However, there has been a lot of controversy over whether vapour rubs are safe for application on children. Read on to know the whole story. In this articleHow Do Commercial Vapour Rubs Act?Side Effects of Vapour RubsWhy is Vapour Rub Used on the Chest?What Not To Do with Vapour Rub?Safety CheckHow Do Commercial Vapour Rubs Act? Vapour Rubs usually contain the chemical camphor and menthol that partially numb the skin and suppress the irritation formed in sore muscles. The odour of a vapour rub is pungent and the chemicals will open stuffed airways and congested nasal passages. Some vapour rubs also contain turpentine oil, levomenthol etc which have decongestant effect. A vapour rub also has a cooling effect that soothes irritation and stops coughing spells. Side Effects of Vapour Rubs Vapour rubs may cause your child’s eyes to water and nose to run. Your kid could also feel a slight burning sensation below and above the lip line by the vapours being emitted by the ointment. Vapour rub can cause respiratory distress in very young kids (under the age of 3) and also cause dysfunction of the lungs. Research shows that very young kids have smaller airways and are thus at a higher risk from vapour rubs. In very young kids vapour rub application has conclusively been linked to secretion of excessive mucous and respiratory disease. Do not apply vapour rub to a child below the age of 3 unless the vapour rub has been certified for safe use on kids. If the vapour rub contains camphor then the stomach may suffer from a camphor overdose. Camphor is known to cause burning sensation, irritation and vomiting bouts in young kids and adults. Extreme excitement, muscle rigidity and agitation, twitching and convulsions are other common side effects of camphor overdose Why is Vapour Rub Used on the Chest? The Vapour Rub formulation is put on the chest so that the beneficial vapours can be easily breathed inside. The vapour rub medicine can also be added to some hot water and the vapours are inhaled. However, this procedure is only safe for kids above the age 7. What the vapour rub does is to liquefy the solidified mucous and allow the airways to slowly clear out. Thus a vapour rub applied on the chest claims to be a dual cure for cough and blocked nose. What Not To Do with Vapour Rub? Under no circumstances should the vapour rub contents be swallowed by the child. The vapour rub should never be applied to the nostril or the area under the nose of a very young child. The ointment should not enter the internal tissue through broken or irritated skin or wounds which are yet open. The vapour rub is also no meant to get in contact with eyes, private part, mouth etc. Never ever use a heat wrap to “seal†the vapour in as this is dangerous for your child. Safety Check For a better safety protocol avoid using commercially available vapour rubs on kids below the age of 2. All kids should be made to undergo allergy tests to see whether they are allergic to any of the ingredients in the vapour rub. In case you see your child’s skin breaking out with a rash after vapour rub application then contact your paediatrician immediately. If your child has some form of airway disease or has hyper allergic airways then do not use vapours rub on him or her. In conclusion it might be said that if your child is above the age of 3 and has no asthma or allergy history then vapour rub is probably safe to use. In any case it is always wise to take the opinion of your paediatrician. What are the risks associated with using vapour rubs on kids? How to use vapour rubs safely on kids? When it can be unsafe to use vapour rubs on kids? Discuss here.
Vapour rubs provide instant relief from blocked nose. But is it safe to use it on children to give them quick relief from cold. Read on to learn more about using vapour rubs on kids.Vapour rubs are amongst the commonly used symptomatic cures for cough, cold and congestion. However, there has been a lot of controversy over whether vapour rubs are safe for application on children. Read on to know the whole story.
How Do Commercial Vapour Rubs Act?
Vapour Rubs usually contain the chemical camphor and menthol that partially numb the skin and suppress the irritation formed in sore muscles. The odour of a vapour rub is pungent and the chemicals will open stuffed airways and congested nasal passages. Some vapour rubs also contain turpentine oil, levomenthol etc which have decongestant effect. A vapour rub also has a cooling effect that soothes irritation and stops
coughing spells.
Side Effects of Vapour Rubs
Vapour rubs may cause your child’s eyes to water and nose to run. Your kid could also feel a slight burning sensation below and above the lip line by the vapours being emitted by the ointment. Vapour rub can cause respiratory distress in very young kids (under the age of 3) and also cause dysfunction of the lungs. Research shows that very young kids have smaller airways and are thus at a higher risk from vapour rubs.
In very young kids vapour rub application has conclusively been linked to secretion of excessive mucous and respiratory disease. Do not apply vapour rub to a child below the age of 3 unless the vapour rub has been certified for safe use on kids.
If the vapour rub contains camphor then the stomach may suffer from a camphor overdose. Camphor is known to cause burning sensation, irritation and vomiting bouts in young kids and adults. Extreme excitement, muscle rigidity and agitation, twitching and
convulsions are other common side effects of camphor overdose
Why is Vapour Rub Used on the Chest?
The Vapour Rub formulation is put on the chest so that the beneficial vapours can be easily breathed inside. The vapour rub medicine can also be added to some hot water and the vapours are inhaled. However, this procedure is only safe for kids above the age 7. What the vapour rub does is to liquefy the solidified mucous and allow the airways to slowly clear out. Thus a vapour rub applied on the chest claims to be a dual
cure for cough and blocked nose.
What Not To Do with Vapour Rub?
Under no circumstances should the vapour rub contents be swallowed by the child. The vapour rub should never be applied to the nostril or the area under the nose of a very young child. The ointment should not enter the internal tissue through broken or irritated skin or wounds which are yet open. The vapour rub is also no meant to get in contact with eyes, private part, mouth etc. Never ever use a heat wrap to “seal†the vapour in as this is dangerous for your child.
Safety Check
For a better safety protocol avoid using commercially available vapour rubs on kids below the age of 2. All kids should be made to undergo
allergy tests to see whether they are allergic to any of the ingredients in the vapour rub. In case you see your child’s skin breaking out with a rash after vapour rub application then contact your paediatrician immediately.
If your child has some form of airway disease or has hyper allergic airways then do not use vapours rub on him or her.
In conclusion it might be said that if your child is above the age of 3 and has no asthma or allergy history then vapour rub is probably safe to use. In any case it is always wise to take the opinion of your paediatrician.
What are the risks associated with using vapour rubs on kids? How to use vapour rubs safely on kids? When it can be unsafe to use vapour rubs on kids? Discuss here. 
