BLOOMINGTON , Illinois ( CNN ) -- On a recent chilly Illinois morning , Dimitria Alvarez sat at her kitchen table and looked through her son Devon 's baby clothes . `` He was just so happy all the time , '' Alvarez remembered later with a smile . `` He was so much calmer than my girls . '' Devon Mehlberg-Alvarez died at 4 months from an overdose of an ingredient in cough syrup . Devon Mehlberg-Alvarez was Alvarez 's firstborn -- and her mother 's first grandchild . When he was 4 months old , Devon got a cold . Alvarez took him to the doctor . The doctor told her to give Devon an over-the-counter infant cold and cough medicine . Alvarez followed the doctor 's directions and gave Devon the suggested amount . However , a few mornings later when the Bloomington , Illinois , mother checked on her son , something was wrong . `` I screamed , '' says Alvarez , `` He was n't breathing . He was cold . '' Devon was dead . Deborah Mehlberg found out her grandson was dead after returning from a weekend trip . When she pulled into her driveway , her family was standing in the front yard . Her son told her the terrible news . `` My heart fell out of my chest . I could n't believe it , '' says Mehlberg . `` No one in my family ever died this way . '' She needed answers . At first , investigators blamed SIDS for Devon 's death . But Mehlberg and her family were not convinced , so they pushed for more tests . `` I 'm a technical person , '' says Mehlberg . `` I know that there 's a cause and effect for everything , and I knew that there was something that caused this baby to die . '' A few months later , the results came back . The cause of death : Dextromethorphan intoxication . Devon 's family says they were told later that Devon 's body could not metabolize one of the key ingredients found in many infant cold and cough medicines . Over the past two years , 1,500 babies and toddlers have wound up in emergency rooms after having a bad reaction to cold medicines , according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . On Thursday , the Food and Drug Administration will meet to discuss whether over-the-counter cold medicines are safe and effective in children age 6 and under . Earlier this year , the FDA completed a review that found between 1969 and the fall of 2006 there were 54 reported child deaths from decongestants and 69 from antihistamines . Most of the deaths occurred in children under 2 . Baltimore Health Commissioner Dr. Joshua Sharfstein headed the push that led to the FDA hearing . He became alarmed when four Baltimore children died after their parents gave them excessive doses of cold medicines . `` I did n't quite realize that it could potentially be a life-and-death issue , '' says Sharfstein . In August , federal health officials recommended the `` consult your physician '' advice to parents on the labels of cold and cough medicines aimed at young children be replaced by a warning not to use the medications in children under 2 unless directed to do so by a health care provider . Last week , in advance of the hearings , some of the leading manufacturers of cold and cough medicines announced a voluntary recall of more than a dozen cold medicines for infants . The Consumer Healthcare Products Association said the products were being pulled `` out of an abundance of caution . '' Potential misuse of the medications , not product safety , is driving the voluntary withdrawal , the group said . In a written statement , the group 's president , Linda Suydam said , `` It is important to point out that these medicines are safe and effective when used as directed , and most parents are using them appropriately . '' The recall `` in no way affects our taking this issue to the advisory committee meeting , '' said Dr. Joel Schiffenbauer , deputy director for the FDA 's Division of Nonprescription Clinical Evaluation , Office of Nonprescription Products , Center for Drug Evaluation and Research . `` All potential actions are on the table , '' he said . Sharfstein says the industry must go further . He wants the FDA to ban the use of cold and cough medicines in children under age 6 . `` There 's no evidence that they actually work , '' he says . In a statement on its Web site , the American Academy of Pediatrics states `` No well-controlled scientific studies were found that support the efficacy and safety of narcotics ( including codeine ) or dextromethorphan as antitussives in children . Indications for their use in children have not been established . '' Since Devon 's death , his grandmother has been on what she calls a `` one-woman crusade . '' `` I 'm the nut that walks up to people in the grocery stores and asked them if they have ever heard of this . '' says Mehlberg . From her home in a quiet Bloomington neighborhood , Mehlberg says she e-mailed comments to the FDA and will be watching what happens at the hearings closely . During a recent trip to Devon 's grave , Mehlberg received word of the voluntary recall . `` Oh thank God , '' she said with tears in her eyes . `` I never want another family to go through what we have . '' E-mail to a friend . Jennifer Pifer is a senior producer with CNN Medical News . Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen and managing editor Miriam Falco contributed to this report .
FDA : 54 reported child deaths from decongestants between 1969 and fall 2006 . 69 child deaths from antihistamines in same period ; most were under 2 . Comment: