AIBU to not wake the baby for antibiotics?

[pestov]

DD is 10 months old and has been prescribed penicillin for a chest infection, dosed 3 times per day to be given at regular intervals. DH seems to think this means strictly 8 hourly, and we should wake her on the middle of the night. I think you have one on waking one at bedtime and one in the middle of the day. DD is not well and needs all the sleep she can get, especially as she's still coughing herself awake. Who's right?

Check the packet. Like DementedPixie says, they normally recommend morning, midday & evening.

When I had antibiotics as a child I always had as soon as I got up, straight after school, and then just before I went to bed (so probably 7am, 3.30pm & 8-9pm).

When did u give the 1st dose? It's every 8 hours after that. I usually get advised to start antibiotics straight away for the kids, so sometimes yes. I do have to wake them at night.

Another doctor here, no need to wake her up in the middle of the night - 3 doses spread out from morning to night is absolutely fine. Hope she feels better soon

www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-az/antibiotics-conflicting-advice-768884.html

All the doctors I know agree with 'Dr Fred'.

I worked in a pharmacy and found pharmacists from other countries (mainly europe) were insistent that antibiotics should be given exactly at the stated times for max efficacy. Our resident pharmacist, however, would say let baby sleep and dose upon waking and before bed, with a dose in the middle of that. So there are differing views even amongst pharmacists.
keptonraining no need to be an arse about her dh

I'd give first thing 6-7 am, second dose say 2pm third dose 8-10 pm. Unless you're in hospital on IV meds I don't think you'd need one in the middle of the night.

As a health professional, I can honestly hand on heart say that it's better to space them evenly throughout the day and let her sleep/recover at night time. It doesn't need to be 8 hourly, just spaced out in the day is sufficient. They recover best whilst sleeping, particularly at that age. Hope she's feeling better soon x

and once at school the antibiotics dont have to be given during school hours, so i was told, so before school and on school pick up

I've spent many an hour in hospital with children on antibiotics and not once have they woken them up in the night to give them. They did, however, wake them up to give them their inhalers when things were really rough.

Paediatrician here, have never woken a child for abx. Morning last thing at night and half way between. Sleep is also important!

I wouldn't wake mine up for ABs, I would space throughout the day.

The majority of the time I have let them sleep and given three doses spread evenly in the day. When her eyes were terribly infected I did wake her for that as it seeemed to be the only way to clear it. Based on that, I would follow your gut.

IME if drugs have to be taken every 8 hours, that's what the label says.

The first day I would just give what I was able to before bedtime. So say you received the medicine at 2pm I would give a dose immediately then one before going to bed. Then the next day i would start a proper cycle of morning, noon and night, so roughly 7am, 1pm, 7pm.

If I had missed a dose by accident once well into the course, I probably would wake them up to keep the course going but otherwise no, sleep is an important part of getting better!

8, 2, 8.

I'm a dentist and would say no need to wake in night but doses should be evenly spaced ,but would go more than 10-11 hours max with none . There is no point in having 3 doses really close together is 9am, 1pm and 6pm then none for next 15hours till 9 am following morning. But l wouldn't wakes sleeping baby unless already had more than 10 hours sleep

When ds has been in hospital they have woken him for antibitoics (well normally they fall at a simailr time to inhaler/Nebs so they do both) but always been told not to wake for them after discharge.

If he happened to be awake, or woken by inhalers then I will give them but otherwise it's done during waking hours

Ithe leaflet says spaced evenly through the day.
You don't need to wake the child.
One in the morning, one in afternoon and one at night.

I'm a children's nurse working with infants aged 0-2 and when they are prescribed antibiotics they are based on a 24 hour time scale so theee times a day is 8 hourly and we do wake our patients up to give them their doses. The majority of our patients are on IV antibiotics though which have very set guidelines about the timescales they can be given in.

We do still wake the infants for other oral medications though. We do our best though to try and time them with when their feeds are due so they would be awake anyway. Or we might give them a little bit earlier when we are doing the 10pm or 2am observations where the infant is being disturbed anyway so as not to wake them twice.

The next ward up from ours is the children's ward where the patients are aged from 2 upwards and I doubt very much they wake them to give oral medications and pull probably just give the doses spread evenly throughout the waking hours.

When my own child has been on antibiotics I haven't woken him for them and just give them as soon as he wakes up at 6am ish, then lunch at about 1pm and then just before bed at 8pm.

Nurse here, I've never woken my DC in the night for antibiotics.