Painkiller or placebo

[CannyLad]

My DS is 15 months. He screams like a banshee when I lay him down to sleep. He can cry and cry until I relent and pick him up or give him Calpol/baby ibroprofen. But, he stops crying within a minute of having the medicine making me think it couldn't have worked that fast.

He's had an ear infection with two rounds of antibiotics that finished 4 days ago and seemed fine. It was bothering him during the day, but it's not any more. Can he have pain that only comes at night?

He has never been a good sleeper but the crying for so long is new. Should I just give him the medicine? Im not giving him more than the recommended dose. Will get him back to GP next week. Any advice until then? Thanks

What if you give him a syringe of water instead?

Is it because you pick him up to give him medicine? Could it be reflux and it improved when he is upright?

When DS was in NICU the doctor told me that sugar is pleasant/calming for them.

When taking blood from tiny babies they would give them a syringe of sugared water which made them temporarily stop crying. So it could be to do with that- or it could be just a comfort thing - your baby wants your attention and gets it when you administer medicine?

Thanks for replying, I'm desperate to know what's going on. I don't think it's the attention he's after. I can be sat with him patting and singing and he pushes me away or wriggles around. I can try a squirt of water and see if that works!

I don't think it's reflux but I'll read up about it. We have the same screams when he wakes up in the middle of the night. I thought maybe pressure on his ears when he lies down. I just don't know :-(

He was in NICU for 5 weeks (prem) so maybe he got used to having medicine and he associates it with being fussed. I'd feel rotten if he is actually ill though I don't understand why he cries when he lies down other than not wanting to go to bed.

Have you tried asking him what's wrong? He might not say many words at 15 months but could point to ears if they hurt? But no harm in taking him back to the GP just to double check there's nothing causing him pain.

Can you prop up the head end of his cot or bed on some bricks or books or something? If it helps then you know it's likely his ears or reflux.

He's not really able to communicate when he starts crying, he loses all sense of himself. He has reached for the medicine bottle though, so maybe he's telling me that way, or he just likes the syrupy sweet calpol...

I can try to prop him up, we already have a pillow for him to raise his head a little but a bigger wedge under the mattress might also help.

Thanks all, chipping away at the problem.

I would say that, as he’s reaching for the bottle, and settling as soon as he’s given a dose of either calpol or ibuprofen, he’s linking getting the medicine as the response to his crying/being unsettled. I think you may have to be a bit hard hearted to him and try other things before reaching for medication.

Sucrose is given in NICU for some procedures / pain relief but I’m not sure it has an effect on older babies. He may associate the medicine with an improvement in pain so knowing he’s had it may help him calm down.

You could try giving him some sugar water in the syringe and see if that helps settle him.

But yes, some issues tend to be more painful at night so that is possible. It’s so hard when they can’t tell you - my boys don’t understand words and I hate worrying that they’re in pain but can’t tell me

My nephew slept in a baby walker for 2 months due to reflux. It was literally the only way he could sleep. Even someone holding him upright wasn't good enough, the only time he nodded off was when he was in his walker so essentially standing up. Poor little sod was exhausted but reclining even slightly had him screaming within minutes.