wake up baby for antibiotics?

[JennyinCorfu]

Hello, Ruby 11 months has just been prescribed 7 days of Amoxil, 3 times a day (once every 8 hours). I should know all this by now.....but....do I HAVE to wake her to give it to her (already problematic, she hates the syringe)?
She sleeps 7.30pm - 7am.
Can I just give it 3 times in those 12 hours that she is awake? eg I just gave her 1st dose now, therefore in 8 hours time it would be 10pm then 6am......that would be 2 wake ups (bugger that).....instinct says give one dose at 7am, one at lunch and one at bedtime?
Thanks in advance, Jenny x

I've always done breakfast, lunch and bedtime with antibiotics for my kids.

No, has to be evenly spaced to ensure correct therapeutic level, otherwise you will create drug resistant bugs. Could you not dilute the AB dose in a bit of water/juice and give it in a bottle? Hopefully a pediatric nurse will be along with a better idea, my son have always loved syringes, also give it to him to play with in bath, not scared of them. Even spacing for 8 hourly AB's would be 06:00, 14:00, 22:00.

I was told it was only during waking hours and my motto is NEVER wake a sleepoing baby

We were always told to give at breakfast, lnch and before bed, i wouldn't wake a sleeping child, sleep is important for recovering from illness, i agree with queenebay 'never wake a sleeping baby' .

I would do breakfast, lunch and tea if it were me. I don't KNOW that though. I you're unsure why not phone NHS direct or your dr to ask?

When ds has been on antibiotics in hospital they have woken him - although they try to fit times in around his sleep pattern to minimise disturbance. But when we have gone home they have always said not to wake him just give during the day

I squeezed in 4 doses of antibiotics and my ds sleeps 7pm til 6am. It works best if doses are evenly spaced but you have to think about the whole picture. If your child doesn't mind being woken up and will go back off to sleep easily then try to do it 8 hourly, otherwise leave her be! It would be far worse for her recovery if she was sleep deprived and then had an aversion to syringes. My DS has syringes all the time but he had Penicillin V which was disgusting and he knows from the smell and colour it is horrible, but will happily take paracetamol or ibuprofen from the same syringes. If she hates syringes you could try a spoon, but rather messy sometimes if medicine tastes horrible. Otherwise, in neonatal units we give babies oral meds through a bottle teat. Being as she is 11 months she is probably bright enough and strong enough to refuse though! If she has a dummy, keep the dummy in and squirt the meds into one side of her cheek and pop the dummy in properly, she has no choice but to suck and swallow. sorry, I know you weren't asking for advice on administering medicine - just stick to giving meds when she is awake x

I'm a pharmacist, and always advise spacing out the dosing during waking hours (for adults as well as children). There are very few drugs where bang-on dosing is necessary.

I am peadiatric nurse and we always advise to leave at least 6hrs between doses so 7ish, 1ish and 7ish is absolutely fine. So don't bother wakng her if she is unwell sleep is just as important. If you were having to give it 4x daily 4hrs apart is also fine.

HTH

That's really great, thanks! I am in Greece, my hubby is Greek, he is ADAMANT about the every 8 hour thing but he can sod off now!
In any case, she was up at 4am with her sore ear so her doses WILL be evenly spaced today but won't wake her - let sleeping babies lie!
Great help, thanks a lot. x