This post is in partnership with OnCure.
If your medicine cabinet is anything like mine, it is stocked at all times with several bottles of children’s over-the-counter (OTC) fever reducers and all of the extra dosing syringes and cups that came with previous bottles (I’m always afraid the new bottle won’t come with a dosing cup, even though it always does).
I’ve been mothering for over five years now and there have been countless reasons to give my two kids ibuprofen (like Motrin) or acetaminophen (like Tylenol). Teething, random fevers, bad colds are all made a little easier by dosing out some medicine.
And while I certainly don’t overmedicate my kids, their developing immune systems and exposure to all sorts of germs at school give me plenty of opportunities to play doctor. What gets tricky, especially if I’m dealing with two sick kids at once and alternating between Tylenol and Motrin, is remembering when I can give the next dose. I usually do the math in my head and commit the time of the next dose to memory but that method is far from perfect.
In fact, according to poison center reports, parents in the United States make mistakes dispensing OTC fever reducers once every eight minutes! The actual number is probably even higher than that since this statistic is only based on the calls coming into poison control centers.
Mistakes happen, but when they put our children at risk, we need to find another way. OnCure ™ is a new app that was created to help parents solve the problem of incorrect dosing. This easy-to-use tool is a simple and reliable way to manage and track OTC fever reducers. Check out this feature on the app and its creator, Hadas Kanner-Golan, on the NBC morning news.
With OnCure, you don’t need to calculate doses, set reminders, track doses, write notes, or update other caregivers. It does it all for you. You can even add the dosing instructions for additional medications your child is taking (like an antibiotic) to have that included in the schedule. I grew up working in a pharmacy, so I feel the need to remind you here that you should always ask your doctor or pharmacist whether it’s safe to combine OTC fever reducers with your child’s other medications and also let them know if your child has any allergies to medication. OnCure’s primary purpose is to track OTC fever reducers, not flag potential drug interactions.
A fellow mom created OnCure so you can trust that the tool is intuitive to use, and a board-certified pediatrician reviewed its functions to ensure they strictly adhere to medical guidelines. The dosing instructions are displayed in a clear, simple way every time to reduce the risk of mistakes, and the unique scheduling feature is flexible and dynamic to account for changes in the time gaps between dosages or a change in medication. This app seamlessly updates the future schedule based on changes, eliminating the need for you to preset reminders.
Out of all of OnCure’s features, my favorite is the ability to sync the dosing schedule with other caregivers. I’ve always been my kids’ primary caregiver, responsible for dispensing their medication, but I know I would be a complete stress ball if I had to go to work and leave someone else in charge of my sick kids. OnCure reduces the chance for miscommunication because all caregivers with access to the app see real-time dosing information and can update the schedule as needed.
While I certainly hope your children don’t get sick any time soon, go ahead and take advantage of OnCure’s free download available in the App Store (the Android version is in the works) now so have it ready the next time your child is under the weather.
