They're haranguing us again, those heartless, faceless ranks of "researchers" (men probably) seeking to scare exhausted mothers desperate for a night's sleep. Not so long ago cough and cold medicines for the under-twos were banned amid fears of potentially fatal overdoses - although getting a wheezing tot to imbibe any more than a spoonful requires gaffer tape and the sort of body bag used in deportation.

Now we learn that Bonjela can should be whisked out of the bathroom cabinet pronto, because it contains salicylate salts, which have been linked to Reye's syndrome, a rare but potentially fatal condition in children. According to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA - no, I hadn't either), anyone under 16 who has suffered a previous viral infection such as flu or chickenpox and is exposed to these salts could contract a metabolic disorder leading to severe liver and brain damage.

Nasty stuff, but across the country the cry has gone up "Take away our gin, but not our Bonjela!" Any mother who has endured the trauma of teething (like mushrooms, molars tend to pop up in the small hours), will be distraught at the idea of losing that little tube and all it represents - it may not work, and often doesn't - but when you've paced the bedroom floor for six hours with a distraught baby, the placebo effect is for the adult, not the infant.

Telegraph.co.uk