The majority of over-the-counter cough and cold medicines for children under 12 doesn't work and should NOT be given to them at all.
A government watchdog review has found "no robust evidence" that many popular remedies work in children.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA)also said that said 36 medicines should no longer be sold for children under the age of six. In some extremely rare cases some of the medicines can also cause allergic reactions and hallucinations.
It has specifically named 8 cough mixtures that can be used for this age group.
RECOMMENDED FOR UNDER 6s
Tixylix Baby Syrup (not to be given under three months)
Baby Meltus Cough Linctus
CalCough Tickly
Beechams Veno's Honey and Lemon (not to be given under one year)
Benylin Children's Tickly Coughs (not to be given under three months)
Benylin Tickly Coughs (non-drowsy) (not to be given under one year)
Care Glycerin Lemon & Honey with Glucose (not to be given under one year)
Lemsip Cough Dry
Pain relief products such as Calpol are not affected by the new advice.
New, clearer dosage advice for children between six and 12 will soon have to be published on packets and pharmacists will be issued with new advice to give to parents about the most effective medicines to use. They stressed that parents should not worry if they had used the medicines in the past.
MHRA spokesman Jeremy Mean said remedies which work on adults should not be assumed to have the same effect on children.
"Many years ago it was thought that we could use adult doses in a watered down way but we now know that children's bodies are different," he said.
Dr June Raine from the MHRA told the BBC there was no reason for parents to be alarmed.
"What we've found is no major safety problem but a lack of evidence that these products actually do anything much to help a child ..... So what we are advising parents is to stick to the simple, best practice - paracetamol, ibuprofen, warm lemon and honey. After all, a cough and a cold will get better on its own, after a few days."
High Street chemist Boots, which makes its own branded medicines, said it will be following the MHRA guidance.
David Pruce, director of policy for The Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain, said that further research was needed on how effective over-the-counter medicines were for coughs and colds in children over six.
March 1st 2009 | 
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