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For free parenting resources please check out the Early Years Alliance's Family Corner.

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For free parenting resources please check out the Early Years Alliance's Family Corner.

Parenting

Common in the UK to give your kids Calpol to put them to sleep?

183 replies

Mille · 14/09/2007 10:31

Hi all,
I am a new member here. I am from Norway and live in Oslo but has spent half my life in the UK (London)

I have had this long disucssion with some friends here in Norway who claims they have UK friends who regulary give their kids Calpol even when they are not sick. This in order to get their kids off to sleep at night.

I refuse to believe this is common practice and i never came across anyone who did this when I lived in the UK (ok, few years ago now but still..... )

The reason for this argument of course is the case of Maddie and the fact that her parents seemed to give her Calpol to sleep better but this is not, by any means a normal thing to do - or is it?

(In Norway I think you would be reported to the child protection unit if you give your kids drugs when they are not sick!)

OP posts:

Report

Mille · 17/09/2007 09:20

Just because I am Norwegian does not mean I am a TROLL

Anyway, just wanted to say thanks to all those of you who bothered to answer my question. I sent the link to two of my friends and I think quite a few of the comments here made them realise I am right.

As somebody here pointed out I just asked a question, I had no idea this page had censorship as far as the Mc Cann case is concerned but I only mentioned it to explain the context to the argument.

My arugment was that it is NOT common to use Calpol and I felt I knew what I was talking about since I have lived half my life in London. And I was happy to see that I got some serious answers - thank you to all those!

Re mixed hair debate - yes I used to wrong language but I stand by what I said. I get very upset when people refer to it as problem hair that needs to be "tamed". That depends entirley on what you consider as beatufult and I think my daughters hair and other mixed race hair is beautiful as it is thank you very much.

anyway, just wanted to confirm I am not a troll, what a ridiculous claim to make!

Have a nice day all.

OP posts:

Peachy · 14/09/2007 17:57

Ting is though I don't use products on my kids hair either (and if you see my pirofile you'll see ds1 has remarkably curly hair which needs something- probably something like a Grade 2 atm with allt hese nits going round....) but I don't comment on other peoples choices of hair care

EricL · 14/09/2007 17:29

This place is NUTS i tell thee.

stleger · 14/09/2007 17:19

Not a good day at work! Off to start a thread on censorship and teenagers as a result... TGIF

kiskidee · 14/09/2007 15:51

i don't think mille is a troll either. I read her OP as someone hoping to find agreement that UK parents don't normally drug their babies to sleep or leave them asleep, home alone.

I think something was lost when she stated on the other thread to leave her child's hair 'natural'. I read it as meaning, 'unrelaxed'. Not uncombed, unwashed and unkempt.

In fact to leave afro hair uncombed results in rasta.

bluemonday · 14/09/2007 15:47

I don't think Mille is a troll at all - and in fact sympathise with her in some respects - I have a mixed-race child and do not like to use chemical products on her hair, as I do not like to use on mine. Mille is entitled to her opinion in that respect. I really do not think what Mille has said has been so terrible apart from stating as fact that in the UK we like to leave our kids alone, which is, of course, untrue. Again there are those who love to pounce and be offended.........

maisemor · 14/09/2007 15:29

Good day at work Stleger? Spare a thought for those of us who are still stuck here will you

Only 1 1/2 hours to go tick tock tick tock.

stleger · 14/09/2007 15:15

Wanders in from work...benandalex, according to Cork lore the sleepy medicine in Belfast is from a Falls Road chemist...

littlelapin · 14/09/2007 14:16

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Hurlyburly · 14/09/2007 14:03

Well the Calpol point was conceded later on in the discussion but the home alone one wasn't:

"Wow I wonder what world you guys live in. Not just in Norway but all over Europe the press has mostly focused on the fact that the parents left the kids alone, this is NOT common practice elsewhere but I know it is in the UK."

Hey you know what? If I believe that mille is a troll, which I do, by continuing to argue the point, I am continuing to feed the troll! How silly of me.

Btw I didn't mind the funny forrin speak, maisemor

maisemor · 14/09/2007 13:55

You mean in this sentence:

"I thought by posting a question here I would prove I was right. This is NOT common in the UK. Seems like I was right!"

Hurlyburly · 14/09/2007 13:51

So what was with all the patronising stuff then? "Common in the UK" to do this or that. I'll leave aside the reaction she provoked on the mixed race hair stuff. That was deliberately to provoke an argument, no?

Pamina · 14/09/2007 13:47

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

prettybird · 14/09/2007 13:47

OrmIran - if you look at the OP, it said "I refuse to believe this is common practice and i never came across anyone who did this when I lived in the UK (ok, few years ago now but still..... )" - so she was actually on here to get support for her beleif that it wasn't common and to defend UK parents to her friends.

Although I am not sure she will want to now given the reception she received

maisemor · 14/09/2007 13:47

"They are just bored"!

maisemor · 14/09/2007 13:46

Because it was a genuine question. She had had a discussion with her friends (in which she was defending the Brits), and she came on here to try and prove her friends wrong (that Brits do not give their children Calpol just to get some quiet time).

She was immediately attacked because she used the M word (which she used to explain why she was having this conversation with her friends (again in which she was defending the Brits).

She was backed up into a corner, provoked and started fighting back.

littlelapin · 14/09/2007 13:42

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Hurlyburly · 14/09/2007 13:41

What makes you think she isn't a troll maisemor? I thought trolls did just that, go on to wind people up? Was excited to have seen my very first troll in action.

maisemor · 14/09/2007 13:40

By the way I do apologise for the foreign language bit

littlelapin · 14/09/2007 13:38

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

maisemor · 14/09/2007 13:38

Maisemor puts her bottle away in her desk drawer and hopes her boss did not see it.

OrmIrian · 14/09/2007 13:36

Oh OK. Not yet though maisemor as I'm at work. But I've got to take all 3 kids swimming later so there's still pleeenty of time....

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Dinosaur · 14/09/2007 13:36

and a box to tick "no Calpol threads"?

Hurlyburly · 14/09/2007 13:36

Is it time to have a separate topic for calpol, do you think, fortune?

maisemor · 14/09/2007 13:35

You will have to actually cry if I am to give you a drink OrmIrian

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