A governmental panel of health experts recommended Friday that parents should no longer give cold and cough medicine to children under 6 years old.

The panel advised the FDA to further study the medications. One FDA official said one solution may be to re-label the products to read ?Not for children under 6."

Doctors said the medicines are not worth the risk. They said the medications are overused and not dosed correctly.

The American Academy of Pediatrics has long recommended parents not to use cold and cough medicines on children under 6, but the products remain popular.

Dr. Marilyn Smith of Canterbury Pediatrics in Monroe said over-the-counter medications are not appropriate for small children.

?Little babies don't respond the way an older child might to those [medicines]. They can seem like they're sleeping but in reality they can be going into shock and you think your baby is asleep and they're in big trouble,? Smith said.

Smith recommends using a vaporizer, nasal suction or some saline solution in the nostrils to keep the nasal passages clear. She also advises parents give their children a lot of fluids, and some Tylenol or Ibuprofen to keep them comfortable.

Related Information: American Academy of Pediatrics