Survey of parenting books for advice on the common cold, diarrhea, and otitis media in infants and toddlers.

Parenting books often provide advice for common medical ailments of infants and toddlers. However, the accuracy of such advice has never been evaluated. The purpose of this study is to survey the informational content of a sample of parenting books. Fifty general parenting books were identified and reviewed for the informational content on the following topics: common colds, diarrhea, and otitis media. When covered by the book, accurate and consistent information was generally provided in the following topic areas: non-medicated nose drops for nasal congestion, upright positioning for children with colds, breastfeeding infants with diarrhea, electrolyte solutions for diarrhea, and feeding practices as they relate to otitis media. The following topic areas displayed significant inconsistency: the use of decongestants, antihistamines, expectorants, cough suppressants, and decongestant nose drops for colds; antidiarrheal medications; soft drinks and juice for diarrhea; home recipes for oral hydration solutions; and the usefulness of pressure equalization tubes for refractory otitis media. Practitioners should be aware that parents may be misinformed by some parenting books and take measures to educate parents.