anyone else horrified by the journalist who sedates her kids on long journeys?

[Tanya86]

i was really shocked by this. I have done many a long train journey when my son was a baby and toddler. He would cry and be noisy and want to run up and down the carriage. It would still never enter my head to sedate him and believe me the journeys were very stressful! I would be terrified and be watching every breath he took and probably end up more stressed as a result.

Many people seem to sedate their kids but it's certainly not for me!

See here for MN thread on Medised back from the good'ole days of 2004, nothing has changed at all.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/sleep/39995-long-haul-travel-for-8month-baby

Some people do it, some people would never do it, some people are appalled that others do it, some people could't give a shit what others do. Same as it ever was.

No. Long train journeys are not the same as long-haul flights. It's Piriton, not crack.

God bless Mediced

Yep I've done it on flights, happy humans all round.

Therefore it wouldn't have been me behind you Polly

And no, I really don't think the paying public need to be subject to fractious OTT kids whilst they're trapped on public transport.

genuine question. I was told sedating my cat was incredibly dangerous on a flight. Are there no risks for children?

sats I think that is because of the cold in the hold. Kids don't travel in the hold mores the pity.

I was traveling with cat in the plane, and was warned not to do it by bet and airlines won't let you bring a sedated animal on either. But could be a misunderstanding

Satsuki Not sure actually, though my GP was fine for us to use it on a plane. Actually I have only used it whilst abroad, rather than actually on a plane.

Personally, I don't like the idea that in the event of an on-board emergency I wouldn't be able to rouse my DC (not that it knocks them out that much anyway) so we just entertain them on the plane as best we can and as they are experienced flyers at 2 and 4yrs they are pretty good, they are just used to it, never known any different.

I thought it was to do with pressure

Love the Toroto name by the way ;-)

I work in a hospital (am not a medic) and the doctors were universally aghast at the idea of this when we discussed it. Which would put me off.

People saying 'it's just anti-histamine' - they are still drugs! Would you give your small child antibiotics without asking a doctor?

It isn't a sedative inthe way anesthetic is, it just makes some people sleepy. if you have the kind of child that benefits from this, it means that they and everyone is more likely to cope with a long flight.

It isn't (or shouldn't) be for convenience or because you can't be bothered, it is a way of helping children cope with a long time in a small space, which may include night time.

Letting children who know better run around, kicking things, shouting etc whatever the transport is antisocial. I don't see why anyone has to accept that behaviour on public transport.

I have no idea who the journo is, she sounds lovely if comments on here are anything to go by

People saying 'it's just anti-histamine' - they are still drugs! Would you give your small child antibiotics without asking a doctor?

What?

Sedation is a legitimate use for antihistimine.

Antibiotics have to be prescribed, antihistimines don't

Tilder* The journo is a writer who brings out articles designed to shock and divide, her articles usually make for tiresome reading. Example are:

So she has done articles on smacking her children, up to age 14
How she would prefer to starve than let her DC go to a state school
Not being able to manage without her Au Pairs and live in housekeepers
Being skint on 100K
Needing to keep child benefit on 100K
Secretly reading her DHs emails

Tanya86, you have no cohesive criticism of me here at all. First you ask people if they're "horrified" other people sedate their children on long journeys. I say, no, that doesn't horrify me and I've done it.

Then you call me a hypocrite because I don't relish listening to other people's young kids on long journeys. Well who does? who enjoys that?

If my own parenting style aimed to spare others the worst of the irriation of listening to my toddlers whine , wriggle and shriek for 6 hours, then I'm hardly going to enjoy listening to somebody else's ruin a long journey for everybody else. I wouldn't say anything, but my heart sinks. That's not hypocritical. It is entirely consistent with my parenting surely?

I'd like to categorically state that every other thing on the Journos list is what I HAVEN'T done

Its antihystamine, not Rohypnol !! Cold remedy does the same to me ( conked out on the couch last night )

nobody enjoys listening to children cry but hell will freeze over before i sedate my kids to please other people.

Ok Tanya, thats your opinion, others differ.

Lovely. As you say yourself.

To be fair Tanya, in your OP you were talking about taking your DC on a long train journey, it really isn't the same as long haul travel.

On a train you can get up and move around, walk down to another carriage, stretch your legs, watch the world go by out of the window, you can walk down to the buffet car to get a snack, they can sit on their seat, your seat, you can change seats if others are free, you might have a table to play a game on, all sorts.

On a plane it really isn't the same, for example, the seatbelt sign comes on and you can't get up or even move child from their seat to your lap. On our last longhaul flight the seat belt sign was on for hours at a time due to severe turbulence. I didn't medicate my DC because they are very good flyers but I don't judge those that do, it isn't any of my business.

Also, I don't think most who do medicate do it to please other people, most do it because it is better for them and they feel it is better for their child. I don't think many do it for the sake of the person in the row in front!

My parents used to sedate me with the proper heaving duty stuff when flying to the Far East (60s).

Even better,they let some doctor they'd never met give me something on one particular flight I was reeking havoc on.

Worked a treat until they were delayed and they had to contend with my rubber legs in departures.

Can't even remember it.

Depends how desperate I was I guess as to whether I'd do it myself,the thing is with 3 I'd need them to be walking when disembarking.

I read the title of this thread and thought, 'I bet that feature was written by Shona Sibary' I have just won myself an imaginary £5

She is the mother/wife version of bitter, mad old Liz Jones, a DM troll who is paid a lot of money to generate website hits.

I met a man on a plane once (as our undrugged 18 mo ran around and exhausted us) who was standing by his sleeping kids. He freely and happily admitted to giving them antihistamine, particularly on flights to NZ - 18-plus hour flights, which he undertook by himself with his two young children to visit his rellies.

I was a bit horrified at the time but now think that it was probably kinder to the children to drug them to sleep on a flight that long. It's not for me but I totally get it.

tanya I have sedated my kids to please myself and them. HTH. I can count on one hand the times that I have done it, but by god we all needed it.

its piriton not crack Amen!