use of calpol for 11 week old child - opinions please!

[ara]

OK - I gave our 11 week old DD some calpol last night -she is teething (we have baby bonjela for that) and has a nasty rattly cough which is really impeding her breathing and i spent hours trying to get her to sleep. Normally she sleeps from eight till eight with a feed around 4am.

I gave her the calpol last night at about 2.15am after trying everything i could think of - feeding her, rocking, soothing, sitting in a steamy room to clear her airways, humming nice tunes (maybe that was the problem!) etc etc. Nothing was working and she was clearly knackered but couldn't sleep. I was a bit when i gave her the calpol as she just conked out straight away.......I've just had a discussion with DP who suggeated giving her another dose just now as she's a bit tired and grotty (nothing out of the ordinary though).

I actually regret giving her it last night a bit as she really retched and it was a bit alarming that she just dropped off so suddenly - on the other hand she was obviously bothered and couldn't sleep.

My argument with DP just now was that I feel uncomfortable giving her medicine unless she really needs it - ie: after we have tried every other avenue to soothe and settle her. Instnct is saying that her immune system must be developing at this stage and that pumping her full of this stuff isn't a good idea.

Does anyone have any feedback about this?

Calpol doesn't make them sleep as such, it has no sedative ingredients nor does it affect the immune system. The pain refief and/or exhaustion might have helped relax her enough to sleep but topical pain relief such as the gel or granules might be sufficient to do same for teething pain.

Calpol is a pain killer. Paracetamol based. it's not likely to cause drowsiness, or impair someone's immune system AFAICS. Maybe she's pulled a muscle in her tummy from coughing and the calpol killed the pain and let her sleep?

I'd see the doctor and ask about calpol, they are generally fairly relaxed about such things. But I wouldn't give her any more until you have.

Completely agree with LIZS.

I felt the same as you when dd was that small but did use it as a last resort if all else failed, just like you. The way I looked at it was that if she was in pain and it helped to relieve the pain isn't that better than her being miserable and unhappy? There is nothing in calpol that would have made her sleepy it obviously relieved whatever pain she was in and meant she could finally sleep. So don't feel guilty. Not great to pump her full of it but you're hardly doing that! If it really bothers you then don't use it during the day and use it at night as a last resort if nothing else works. Wait until she's older and getting her molars and screaming every 2 hours each night for 2 months..you'll soon be reaching for the medised

DS1 used to gag / vomit if we gave him calpol straight so the HV suggested we added a little cooled boiled water to it to make it less gloopy.

anyway in principal I don't see anything wrong with giving baby calpol if they need it but the question of need can only be answered by you.

Sorry I can't be more help.

Thanks Lizs -that's what DP said, but he thought it should have taken about 20 mins to work -she flaked out almost immediately though. Perhaps it was coincidence and she was just exhausted...

It is safe from 2 months iirc, if you buy the right one. Do what you feel is right at the time. I relented when DP pointed out that if I had a headache I would take a painkiller. Use the minimum dose and just when you think she really needs some relief.

As for the crashing out last night - the calpol seems to have a really fast effect on them when they are so small so she probably felt better quite quickly then fell asleep through sheer exhaustion.

Hope she feels better soon

ooh lots of posts! thanks ladies, let me read on.....

you shouldn't really give calpol unless they have a temperature - they don't need cold remedies in the same way that adults do. Having said that most of the teething gel products don't work and if they really seem in pain (like when canines or molars come through) I would give but not at this stage. There are ashton and parsons homeopathic granules that I found really worked like a dream - you are supposed to open packet and sort of throw contents down their throat - really difficult so I just used to put them on a spoon - worked fine. HTH

Calpol is paracetamol - which as others have said is a pain killer (and questionable fever releiver). It will not affect her developing immune system.

However, the liver has a lifetime tolerance to paracetamol (apparently) so I wouldn't use it unless medically necessary.

But to add to my previous post 1 tiny dose that you have given her will have a minimal contribution to her lifetime tolerance. What I meant was I don't use it (in adults either- I prefer ibuprofen) without reason.

thank you all - we went to the docs yesterday morning and he just advised that she was quite rattly and told me physical things to watch out for (visible ribs when gasping fot breath etc) but didn't advise meds.

her temperature was normal when i checked it before i gave her the stuff so maybe she didn't need it......am not at all keen to give her anything like this unless completely necessary

pinkteddy - thanks for that I will try and get hold of some of those

Boots do camomile teething granules which I found did the trick (I also used a spoon) A&P didn't work for my 2 for some reason.

thanks mercy - that's helpful. does anyone have any useful tips for a blocked nose and bad cough? i think that's what's stopping her sleeping mainly.

There are various methods you can try

Raise the head end of the cot (couple of books etc)
Sprinkle some Karvol capsules or Olbas oil on a muslin and knot it round the cot bars (check the age group for Karvol/Olbas first, I can't remember what is)
Bowl of water in the room so the air doesn't get too dry
A snot remover (can't remember the correct name I'm afraid!)

Hopefully someone with younger children can double check the above suggestions. Hope dd feels better soon

raised bed head , humidified air, nasal aspirator and slaien fdrops for nose . Sounds like gp suspects RSV - a virus which causes the common cold but can trigger bronchiolitis in under 1's. It should pass but do keep an eye for the signs as you were totd.

merci once more ladies, very helpful. we thought of olbas oil in hot bath water (not to bathe in but just for her to breathe in before bed, so not too concentrated. i shall do some research about suitability for her age group just now.

mercy-is that the nasal aspirator lizs has mentioned?

yes that is aka a desnotter !

grand, that's what it shall be known as in our house too then!! do they come from the chemist or does the doctor have to prescribe?? prob silly question......

I think you can get the desnotter at places like Tesco, Mothercare etc.

Olbas etc. not suitable for under 3m I'm afraid.

You aren't going to do your baby any harm with the occasional use of calpol (provided you stick to the recommended amount) when she is in pain or has a fever. Sounds as though you tried all the usual stuff before resorting to it anyway. It won't damage her immune system or cause any long-term cumulative effect.

She probably conked out so quickly because she was exhausted, and once the pain was eased, she could relax and sleep. There are no sedative ingredients in it!