There’s been so much in the news about children’s cold remedies that it is overwhelming and confusing. Being faced with a sick child and not knowing who to trust or listen to is really frustrating and maddening.

It appears as if, once again, the FDA has let the American consumers down by not being diligent enough in their approval process of these over the counter drugs.

According the FDA, there are more than 800 cold-related over-the-counter medications on the market.. The revenue for sales of these products to children alone amounted to $3.8 billion in 2006.

“Cold medicines for infants and children are pure quackery,” says consumer health advocate Mike Adams. “They are Big Pharma’s snake oil. There is zero scientific evidence showing cold medicines are either safe or effective when used on infants and children. The aggressive marketing of these over-the-counter medicines, packaged as infant or baby medicines, is dishonest, unethical and is no doubt causing far more harm than good,” said Adams.

Doctors are saying now that fluids, moist air, and saline drops are the best way to treat colds in children.