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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To give my child medised because I need some sleep!

143 replies

Neighboursfan · 09/09/2007 20:37

I'm not used to ds waking up - he's 16 months and pretty much slept through the night since he was 12 weeks.

His molars are coming through - that and he's just started walking so he's too excited to sleep - and he's up twice a night. I give him milk the first time he wakes but the second time I've had enough and dope him up.

I'm not a good sleeper and when he wakes (even if he goes straight back down), I'm awake for the next hour at least paranoid that he's going to wake again.

I don't think he's particularly in pain, and he doesn't have a fever, so AIBU to give him medised so I can sleep? Please tell me I'm not alone! Obviously it is not happening every night.... but is it wrong to say that medised rocks?

OP posts:
BBBee · 09/09/2007 20:39
BecauseImWorthIt · 09/09/2007 20:39

If he's not in pain, therefore there's no reason for medication then yes, you are being unreasonable.

Sorry. I know what it's like to suffer sleep deprivation, but you're giving him serious drugs with no need!

totaleclipse · 09/09/2007 20:40

errr............

ruddynorah · 09/09/2007 20:40

personally i wouldn't. can you try to tackle the problem rather than resorting to drugging him to sleep?

Original poster
Neighboursfan · 09/09/2007 20:41

But he is teething!

OP posts:
Theclosetpagan · 09/09/2007 20:42

It's only Medised - hardly "serious drugs". If he's got some teeth coming through then chances are he may be a bit uncomfortable even if not in dreadful pain. I'd give him some just in case. No you are not being unreasonable to do so.

totaleclipse · 09/09/2007 20:42

Have you tried teething gel through the night?

beansprout · 09/09/2007 20:42

In the scheme of things, I don't really feel that this is extreme sleep deprivation - it's just more night wakings than you are used to. If you were at your wits end with a very different and much more difficult situation, I would say, ok, I understand, go ahead, but this feels more like something you just don't like than something you can't actually cope with.

Sorry, YABU.

Carmenere · 09/09/2007 20:43

Oh God NF, all of us here feel your pain at the lack of sleep but you just can't dope your child because you want to sleep. I mean certainly in very exceptional circumstances it is ok but not as a regular occurrence.

lulumama · 09/09/2007 20:44

if he is teething, give him calpol.. not a medicine for when babies have a cold...if the pain subsides, he will hopefully sleep

also, you can alternate calpol and infant nurofen, if the pain is bad

but yes, i thing YABU to use a sedative medicine when your child does not have the symptoms that require it

Original poster
Neighboursfan · 09/09/2007 20:44

I think I probably need to tackle the reasons behind my own insomnia. Maybe I'll take some medised tonight .

OP posts:
LadyVictoriaOfCake · 09/09/2007 20:44

is he crying up distressed?

could it be he has gotton used to having soemthing off a spoon for the second wakingh and is associatibng this with sleep? offer some water off a sponmn and see what happens?

or if he is in distress, then try and give some calpol and not medised.

have you tried medised yourself? its makes you feel shitty in the morning, all dopey.

Theclosetpagan · 09/09/2007 20:45

I gave mine Medised when he was teething - it made all the difference between him having a bad night and a night where he slept well. If your DS is waking up then chances are he's not having a good night either.

Original poster
Neighboursfan · 09/09/2007 20:45

So is medised worse than Calpol? Aren't they all as bad as each other? It does say for teething on the bottle.

OP posts:
Original poster
Neighboursfan · 09/09/2007 20:46

Oh he won't take it off a spoon - that's what makes me feel even worse - it has to be syringe under duress.

OP posts:
Beetroot · 09/09/2007 20:46

i think teething is very very rarely a reason for a child not to sleep. I certainly wouldn't give any other medication other than calpol for it. It is often used as an excuse for bad sleeping patterns imo.

Theclosetpagan · 09/09/2007 20:46

Medised also contains Paracetamol - and lets not forget that teething babies are sometimes very congested as well. My DS seemed to have a permenantly runny nose when teething so it wasn't unreasonable to give. Calpol alone was crap - sorry but it was.

Starbear · 09/09/2007 20:47

Be careful. I'm also a poor sleeper my Ds is now sleeping through the night but anything can wake me up and I can't get back to sleep. I have to be up at 6am for work so if I wake up at 4.30am (very common) I worry that I'll only have 1 1/2 hours sleep. Try the following, if you can, Radio 4 or my Favorite Radio 7 (it drama on radio) get a Roberts Pillowtalk headphone thing. It takes you mind off your worries then I drift off to sleep even when I want to listen to the play.

alipiggie · 09/09/2007 20:47

Try Ashton Parsons teething powders. They worked a treat with my two when teething and helped them sleep through the night too.

Theclosetpagan · 09/09/2007 20:47

...am going to get off this thread NOW before it gets too judgemental.

Tiggerish · 09/09/2007 20:48

Neighboursfan - your approach seems similar to mine, so no, YANBU imo! We often give dd medised in similar situations. She is generally a good sleeper so when she does have bad nights there is usually a reason for them. She can't tell us what is wrong so we have to make a judgement call.

She is going through a really bad patch at the moment and we ignored it for a few days, "helped her through" with medised for a couple more and then discovered she has a nasty viral infection in her mouth which is causing quite severe pain .

imo they don't have to have a fever to need calpol/medised just as we don't need one to take paracetamol.

pistachio · 09/09/2007 20:48

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster
Neighboursfan · 09/09/2007 20:48

Yes I've got those - but he's started to refuse it - last time I tried to put some on his tongue I got bitten.

OP posts:
newgirl · 09/09/2007 20:49

if child is teething i think it is fine

i imagine that it is more uncomfortable at night - the day can offer some distraction from niggles

id be careful about feeding milk in the night at that time - i did that with my dd and she soon really liked it - we had to do controlled crying one night to get past it again

JackieNo · 09/09/2007 20:49

YOu might find this thread interesting, Neighboursfan.