| Summary: | This article is based on a corpus of data collected in Antananarivo, the capital of Madagascar, between April and August 2015. The aim of this paper is to analyze the social conditions of production of self-medication for young children and the management of frequent and benign infant ailments. In this article, we question the use of private and informal actors in the sale of pharmaceutical drugs, the methods of acquisition and use, in light of popular knowledge about drugs. Our results show that pharmaceuticals are central in the therapeutic practices of Tananarivians. In the daily management of illnesses, choices are based on a pragmatic desire to heal at lower costs. The management of early childhood illnesses differs from adult care practices which are predominantly characterized by self-consumption of medicines. This article sheds light on the specificities of child care practices, which crystallize at the same time representations about child health and distrust towards certain pharmaceutical products.
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