to give my 2 year old Medised

[whoneedssleepanyway]

I imagine I am going to get a universal flaming for this but here goes ...

DD1 and DD2 share a bedroom. DD2 has always been a poor sleeper but she is just a nightmare at the moment, waking before 5am every day (445 this morning). DD1 has started just started reception and is knackered and needs her sleep. She sleeps through most of DD2's shenanigans but when it gets to 5amish and she is in a lighter sleep DD2 does sometimes wake her up.

DD2 has been a bit under the weather and the last 4 mornings when she has woken at this time I have given her Medised and she has gne back to sleep till gone 7 meaning DD1 gets her sleep (as do DH and I) and DD2 catches up too.

I still have the doseage instructions from when you could give Medised to a 2 year old (in fact I remember 4 years ago you could give this to a 3 month old) so how unreasonable am I being? I am just not sure how else to deal with the current situation as we do not have a separate room for DD2 to sleep in. Have tried putting her in bed with DH and I when she wakes and she just tries to play but obviously Medised is not a permanent solution...

[2cats2many]

YABU and you know you are.

You need to come up with a solution that doesn't involve dosing up your daughter.

[LoveBeingAMummyAgain]

You are not giving it to her because she is a bit under the weather you are giving it to her to make her sleep. If this is a real post you should be ashamed.

[ZonkedOut]

I think YABU to use medication to make a child sleep at all, unless she is I'll enough that you would use it anyway, though that isn't implied in your post. And they changed the age on it for a reason, so YAB slightly U for that too.

You need to work on the problem of her waking up and wanting to play. My DD1 is 2.4 and recently went through a period of walking up early and coming into our room. I realized it was mostly about attention and even just the attention of putting her back in bed encouraged it.

In the end, we found that closing the door so she couldn't open it meant a few nights of her crying outside the door, before going back to bed by herself, and then she didn't get up at all. We also use a gro clock which she has just got the hang of too.

I know it's harder with her sharing a room, but is there something like that you can try? You need to sort the actual problem out, and it cause a few nights for your DD1 where she doesn't get enough sleep, but medication isn't a good solution.

Good luck.

[ZonkedOut]

I'll should be ill of course.

[meditrina]

YABU: it's been a good couple of years since reviews of the active ingredient found that the potential side effects (which include arrhythmia and depressed respiratory function) outweighed any benefit to the patient (no clinically demonstrable effect above that of straight paracetamol).

It is OK to give, if you are following a doctor's advice for that specific bout of illness; but OTC self-medication is a bad idea (it's banned across the developed world now - that the big pharma companies to accept the losses that flow from such a ban (rather than attempting to fight it out in court) should tell you something about the seriousness of the underlying issues.

[meditrina]

I think she's probably knackered, and it's still early, and I've got a cold too. And it does feel awful.

It doesn't however make it OK to give a small child a medication containing an active ingredient which is now banned for OTC use in that age group.

[whoneedssleepanyway]

Ladyradiator I think you will find I said I knew I was going to get flamed and that this isn't the right thing, was hoping perhaps someone could give me some advice as AIBU gets the most traffic, I know that you invite people to disagree with you in AIBU but for someone to just imply I am making this up is far from helpful have also posted in sleep maybe similarly sleep deprived individuals will be able to help me. Thank you for your comment.

[2cats2many]

Whoneedsleep- I understand that you are exhausted, but you need to think of a plan B. Medised is not the answer.

Do you have any relatives/ friends that can take her for a weekend, so you can catch up on your sleep and approach the problem properly with a clear head.

Things to try include:

-a childrens alarm clock that tells them when its ok to get up and when they need to stay in bed. There are lots on the market and they help small children to know when its too early to wake the house. My 2 yr old uses one and it works.

• a reward chart with something she might really want as a reward for a week of staying in bed until (whatevr you think is a reasonable time)
  
• changing your sleeping arrangements for a while until this period of early waking passes (i.e one child and one adult in each room).
  
• taking turns at getting up with the early waker so that only one of you is tired on any given day.
  

A bit of research on the internet will help you find lots of other ideas to try.

As exhausted as you are, you should take comfort in the knowledge that this is just a phase and, like everything else, will pass in time.

[whoneedssleepanyway]

sorry Ladyintheradiator

[whoneedssleepanyway]

Thank you 2cats I have been wondering about those clocks, thing is DD2 is so willful and naughty in general I am not sure this would work but anything is worth a try. Good to know it works for you.

So far I have tried bringing her in our bed, giving her milk, giving her books to look at in her bed, leaving her to cry...

Reward chart is a good thought, haven't done that.

Medised has been poured down the sink.

[Fisharefriendsnotfood]

I know how desperate sleep deprivation can make you. We are having awful problems with our ds 21 months the past few weeks.

Try and get a nights sleep, staying elsewhere, then tackle this head on.

[JambalayaCodfishPie]

Of course a nerve has been touched, the OP is clearly exhausted.

Could you try putting DD1 in your room, while you work on this issue with DD2 in theirs, at least then it's only one of you not getting a full nights sleep?

I think you need to accept there is no quick fix answer to this. Self-medicating definitely isn't it, but you know that already.

[2cats2many]

You poor thing. You are clearly shattered. I hope you get a chance for an afternoon snooze today.

[LoveBeingAMummyAgain]

*hasn't slept through

[whoneedssleepanyway]

I have been through silent reflux too for over a year, and it has nothing to do with your circumstances, a bit of empathy can go a long way....

I am sorry about your dad and I am sorry about your DS having silent reflux.

But please don't call me a silly cow or imply I am making this up.

[actiongirl1978]

OP don't beat yourself up after reading these posts. We have all thought of desperate measures in desperate times and sleep deprivation has to be one of the worst.

Perhaps go cold turkey on the attention. For 5 mornings, be prepared to keep taking her back to bed, saying NO, time for sleep and keep taking her back. Take turns with DP. She might eventually get the message.

My DS is 19 months and I have similar problems though I have the benefit of his own room. If he wakes before 5, he gets a nappy change and a cuddle and told its sleepy time, and put back in bed. Before 6 he gets the Wheels on the Bus CD on and a pile of books in his cot. If after 6, he comes in for cuddles and a play and we resign ourselves to being tired.

I hope it gets better for you.

[Honeydragon]

Why don't you ask hq to put this in behaviour and development or sleep .... Posting for high traffic won't necessarily get you advice, especially with your title?

Yes you are tired but it doesn't give you the right to swear at anyone who doesn't post uanbu.

Surely 2 or 3 posts that offer you advice on the real issue are more constructive than a 500 page bunfight?

[whoneedssleepanyway]

Thanks Ladyintheradiator.

Am going to move DD1's matress onto the floor in our room and try a week of leaving her until 6am with consistent it is time for sleep message. DH and I can take it in turns.

We have in the past spent a month in the living room splitting them up trying to get DD2 to sleep better (which did make a big difference).

The ideas are all appreciated, I have now posted this in sleep and may ask for this to be deleted as not sure I can take anymore negative comments. In case anyone missed it in my previous post the Medised is down the sink.

[whoneedssleepanyway]

Agreed honeydragon, I didn't ask for people to say IANBU, it does always seem in AIBU it is ok for posters to give the OP as much abuse as they want but if the OP fights back that is not the done thing.

anyway this will be going now.

[LoveBeingAMummyAgain]

You mentioned circumstances not me and you told me to fuck off, don't expect me not to reply.

[Honeydragon]

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