My daughter will be 2 in August. Is it ok for her to take OTC cold and cough meds now?

I heard a story on the news not too long ago, stating that over the counter cold and cough medicines are not effective in children under 2 years of age. My daughter is sick right now, and she is very congested. I was wondering if it would be ok for me to try giving her something over the counter to help break up the congestion. I hate to see her suffering. I don't own a vaporizer, and we have tried steaming up the bathroom, but that never seems to work. Does anyone have a clue what I should do?