To give my child medised because I need some sleep!

[Neighboursfan]

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?

You could try Lavendar oil on the mattress, not next to the skin.

The powders are very good and although they are natural I swear they help babies sleep.

Do you use a dummy? They also help with a bit of bonjela on the teat.

Is the room ventilated, do you have too many covers on. I am putting DD (8m) to bed in vests at the moment and just using a fleece blanket on top as our house is v.warm upstairs.

theclosetpagan - both calpol and medised contain paracetamol. Mediced also contains diphenhydramine which is an antihistamine which makes you drowsy.

It is like Night Nurse for kids.

If I were you neighboursfan, I'd pop a piriton yourself and leave your baby drug-free. That way you'll go straight back to sleep again after he wakes you

i do think YABU. I have Spent since Thursday awake with my ds screaming (10 months)and really poorly with a cold, a fever (temp of over 40 on a few occasions) and possible tonsilitis. He has had calpol for the first 24 hours. Now he on antibiotics and i am alternating between nurofen and calpol to keep his temp down. You can't just sedate a child cos he is teething cos you are tired.

You are giving your child something to help him sleep, when you don't think he is in pain, so you can sleep? YOU ARE BEING IRRESPONSIBLE.

Yes I know I'm stuck in a rut big time with giving him milk at night. It never seems to be a regular thing though so I'm hoping he'll not become reliant on it. I don't have ANY other means of calming him when he wakes - he wakes screaming. Even if I calmed him down without milk, the moment I put him back in his cot he's screaming again. It's so much easier just to give him some milk. I only do medised if he wakes for a second time.

try a dummy

That's all righ then.

He has learnt if he cries again he gets medicine.

right

OK guys you're convincing me. I'll drug myself up tonight and not ds.

Make sure you aren't so drugged you can't hear if he needs you.

I hope you're not suggesting that he likes medised?!! He most certainly does not. I think if he know I was going to give it to him there's no way he'd wake.

Not a problem - dh is a light sleeper too so he always hears him. He's also a snorer - another reason for my lack of sleep grrr.

Absolutely NOT!!! Unless he is in pain and needs pain relief.

Twice a night is a piece of cake and you would get used to it within a few weeks - being a parent is hard sometimes and you can't just drug your children to make it easier for yourself fgs.

Neighboursfan My Ds wouldn't take medicine one night and he had a fever. The stuff was going all over the place I didn't see the point, if he was in pain, to hurt him or pin him down to get him to take the medicine. So I put him in the corner until he agreed. I felt so weird doing it but happy that I didn't need to force him. Not a problem since. Not looking forward to winter colds & flu. Lucky to have a lovely Mum and sister that will come take over so I can have a nap or a dayoff.

I wasn't suggesting your child liked medicine!! Just that kids soon learn that when they wake and they get something to do it again. I hardly think you should be getting stroppy about your mistaken presumption when you want to drug your child to sleep!!

WOOPS! Mean ABSOLUTELY you ARE being unreasonable. Stop. It. Now.

LOL NAB3 sorry. Get stroppy when I've had no sleep, just ask dh.

Talking of which... I'm going to bed. I cannot understand how you guys stay up so late! Please don't write anything horrid. I've seen the error of my ways!

We all know that tiredness with a young child is a killer but drugging them solves nothing and is dangerous. Could you sleep in another room and get your DH to do the night shift so you get a full nights sleep?

Babies wake in the night - it's what they do. It won't last forever - before you know it, he'll be a teenager and you will be desperately trying to get him out of bed! I don't think you would have posted if you were happy with giving him medised - so stop doing it now.

TheClosetPagan - paracetamol and a sedative (which is what is in Medised) are serious drugs!

Paracetamol is banned in the USA, just to give you an idea of its status as a drug.

Seeker you are absolutely right. I don't feel happy doing it. So I'll keep it for emergencies. >.

Paracetamol is banned in the US? Gosh. How come it's the only drug pregnant women are allowed to take?

As long as the G&T isn't for the baby!

Don't know the reasons why - I suspect it might be something to do with how horrific the effects are if someone takes an overdose. i.e. the drug won't kill you immediately, but it completely destroys your liver