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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To give calpol more than 3 nights

25 replies

Pondlife87 · 10/12/2019 07:29

My 6.5 month old baby has a cold. The night she got it she must only have gotten 7 hours sleep as she was up all night coughing, snuffling, comfort feeding and tossing and turning. I'm not big on giving my baby medicine but I have her half the recommended dose for 3 nights (none in the day) before bed. This led to a much more normal sleeping pattern for her (approx 2-3 waking between 7.30 and 7).
I went to give her some agaim last night and my husband accused me of dosing her. I felt so guilty that this be how it may be viewed, I chose not to. But again she was up every 1 to 2 hours as before snuffling, coughing etc. I know calpol advises only 3 days but I'm not giving it all day. Just to help her sleep. At this point I'm used to being sleep deprived, it wasn't for me it was so she could get good rest to recover.
I messaged my Mum nd she agrees with my husband. I feel terrible, but also my motherly instincts are saying she needs sleep to recover.
What do you think? X

OP posts:

InDubiousBattle · 10/12/2019 07:36

You're right, he's wrong. Give your baby all the pain relief you can so that you can both get some sleep.

DrWAnker · 10/12/2019 07:36

If you were ill with a cold would you not take paracetamol??
You aren't giving it for no reason, it's to make your baby comfortable.
I understand why you are doubting yourself, been there!, but it's fine.

8by8 · 10/12/2019 07:38

Calpol mainly say that so that if a kid still has a fever after 3 days you take them to a doctor to check it’s nothing serious, but it sounds like a classic cold.
You’re not giving her the full doses so I wouldn’t be worried about her taking too much of it.

I’d do it for another couple of nights - after that if she’s still sick I might see if I can talk to a doctor just to check.

needsomehelptoday · 10/12/2019 07:40

Dosing her? Does your husband mean drugging her to sleep? Does he realise paracetamol is a pain killer not a sedative?

If it makes you feel better then see if you can get the pharmacists advice.

DS had the flu when he was 1. We had to give him paracetamol and Brufen alternately for about 10 days. He saw a GP and they said it was fine.

BonnyE · 10/12/2019 07:41

Have you ever tried the Calpol plug ins? These were a godsend when DD was tiny and full of cold. Baby Dan cot raisers too.
A GP once told me Nurofen is better for colds so we use that instead of Calpol.
Anyway, to your main point, go with what you think is best for your baby. And next time DH is sick hide all the pain relief and see what he thinks then

needsomehelptoday · 10/12/2019 07:41

And the 3 days thing is to get a doctor to check if the child is seriously ill with a high fever for longer than 3 days as a pp poster said. Not because you can't take paracetamol for longer than 3 days.

Sipperskipper · 10/12/2019 07:43

Calpol doesn’t make babies drowsy or sleep better, it is just paracetamol. The only reason she will be sleeping better with it is because it has given her relief from pain or discomfort (sore throat / headache etc that she can’t tell you about!). It is perfectly safe to use and ther is absolutely no reason not to. I never understand people who try and avoid giving it. If you felt ill with a rotten cold & sore throat you’d take paracetamol or ibuprofen, so why wouldn’t you give your baby that relief?

In addidion, there is little point in giving half the recommended dose - just give what is suggested. It is perfectly safe and far more likely to give decent control of your baby’s symptoms.

Mascarponeandwine · 10/12/2019 07:47

Well if your DH and mum think it’s for the best, they can take on all the night wakings can’t they. I hate the way people give you crap advice after their 8 hours uninterrupted stretch of kip. Why shouldn’t you BOTH matter, not just baby?

Whoopsies · 10/12/2019 07:48

Both me and my 4mo have a horrible cold. I've taken paracetemol every night at bedtime this week so I've given him the same. It's just helping them feel a little better so they can sleep and get better quicker.

toomuchtooold · 10/12/2019 07:49

I've heard on here that back in the day, Calpol contained a sedative. I wonder if your mother is remembering that. It certainly doesn't now, it's just paracetamol. Your mum and DH are being daft - if they were three days into a cold they wouldn't knock off the lemsip on the fourth night and then lie awake with a headache would they?
And as others have said, the 3 days is to make sure you get it checked out if it could be something more serious than a cold. Check her temp in the morning when the Calpol has worn off - as long as she is not still running a high temperature, and as long as she seems not to be getting worse, I wouldn't take her to the GP right now - she'll pick up worse in the GP surgery than she went in with!

8by8 · 10/12/2019 07:51

I wonder if calpol used to have sedatives in as well? Only I saw a Michael mcyntire show a few years back where I was joking about dosing up his kids so he and his wife could get a break. So maybe that’s what your husband is thinking of?

It’s not a sedative at all now, it’s just pain relief.

Original poster

Pondlife87 · 10/12/2019 07:59

Wow thanks ladies. I had braced myself to get slayed, as i was feeling so guilty. Thank you for taking the time to reply and for your support. I will trust my instincts in the future x

OP posts:

swlondonnanny · 10/12/2019 08:05

Why would you only give her half of the recommended dose?

Taddda · 10/12/2019 08:11

Your LO has a cold! Shes probably going to get another one (and another!) while her immunity is building, you cant be made to feel like this everytime she gets one, especially because your in the Right! Give her the calpol, it's a pain relief medicine, not a sleep inducing one, shes sleeping more because your making her more comfortable, sick babies need sleep to recover a cold.

Keep an eye on her temp though, both my Dd's have had terrible colds this winter, my two year old started nursery and seemed to pick up every bug all at once!

I agree with the Nurofen working better for a temperature, I was told 'Nurofen to bring down a temperature, Calpol to maintain, pain relief'...Suitable from 6months (your dd 6.5 months?) and you can alternate.

Maybe show this thread to you DH/Mum, not only are they wrong, they're making you feel gulity which IMO is outrageous...

Hope your little ones better soon x

Taddda · 10/12/2019 08:15

(Also snufflebabe vapour oil on a cloth under the cot...my house still smells of it but worked so well)

Damntheman · 10/12/2019 08:26

There is zero point in giving half doses. Give her the whole dose, poor thing! And it's fine. I had to give my 10 month old calpol for two weeks after the MMR (doctor approved). The GP, when I asked after day 3, said it was okay. Just give the full dose as needed. I hope DC feels better soon!

Original poster

Pondlife87 · 10/12/2019 08:45

Thanks again everyone.
To those asking why I'm giving her half a dose, she is only tint (only just out of 0-3 clothes), so i was anxious to give her the fill 6 month dose in case that was too much for her little body.
I was going on the logic it would be better to be dosed by weight rather than age, but if you ladies think i should give her the whole dose I definitely will. I'm a FTM and winging it x

OP posts:

Taddda · 10/12/2019 08:53

@Damntheman did they give your 10 month old the MMR? I thought 12 mnths + was the minimum age on that? Did your LO get on okay with it given at that age (any side effects?) Sorry, only asking as my youngest now due (12 months) but she was premature, making her actually about that age and we were wondering whether to wait (the extra couple of months) or not?

Taddda · 10/12/2019 08:59

@Pondlife87 I did the same as you with my dd due to her size at that age (going with the same 'weight' thinking) - but she's 1 now and go with the recommended dose...do what you think is best, if the smaller dose your giving her seems to work for her, stick with what your doing- but I wouldn't be frightened by giving her the full dose if she needs it?

You seem pretty switched on OP, do what you feel is right by your LO

SnuggyBuggy · 10/12/2019 09:05

Don't feel guilty for giving some pain relief so she can sleep. It's a perfectly sensible thing to do

CactusSmactus · 10/12/2019 09:05

Wow thanks ladies. I had braced myself to get slayed, as i was feeling so guilty. Thank you for taking the time to reply and for your support. I will trust my instincts in the future x

Please do. I remember once when my son was around the same age as yours he was ill with a cold and got suddenly worse one night. I was really worried about his breathing but his father and my own dad both said I was overreacting and that he was fine. I ended up getting a taxi to the hospital with him and it turned out that he was struggling to breathe with bronchiolitis and his oxygen level was low. Goodness knows what would have happened if I had listened to those two. Take advice onboard yes but don’t ignore your instincts. Hope your little one is feeling better soon Xx

BHouse19 · 10/12/2019 09:22

Hi OP,

I'm also mum to a 6 month old recovering from a cold (and I'm a nurse!)

I think you're doing the right thing OP.

Do your husband and mum realise that Calpol is a pain reliever and not a sedative? If it's helping your baby sleep, it's because she's not feeling well and the Calpol is relieving her symptoms enough for her to be able to sleep.

The advice about not giving it for more than three days in a row is generally so that you visit a GP if your baby has a fever that has not subsided.

Of course you don't want to medicate for longer than necessary but for a baby with a cold, giving Calpol before bed for a few days is definitely a no brainer!

I'd also highly recommend the Calpol plug in, it's a god send along with snuffle baby vaporub and snuffle baby nasal drops. You could also try elevating her slightly at one end to help ease her congestion by slipping a folder blanket or similar underneath her mattress.

BHouse19 · 10/12/2019 09:24

P.S very important she gets the full and not half dose

Damntheman · 10/12/2019 12:16

You know @Taddda he might well have been 12 months.. He's six now and everything is a bit hazy! I'm in Norway as well so the vaccines aren't at the same age as they are in the UK. I do remember though that he had a 40 degree fever for 10 days in a row though, it was horrendous. Think he also caught himself a throat infection at the same time which was just unlucky circumstance. My daughter wasn't prem but she is pretty tiny and she handled the MMR without a problem at all so if your doctor is happy to give your child the MMR at that point I'd go for it :)

Josephinebettany · 10/12/2019 12:23

It's just paracetamol not a sleep aid. If your baby needs paracetamol you give it. You're doing nothing wrong.

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