Training baby to sleep with benadril cough syrup

[mushi]

i have this unique solution offered by my pediatrician today.i.e. Training baby to sleep with benadril cough syrup.

well, i have not had a single night's rest ever since my baby was born - 6 months old now - first he used to wake up every 2-3 hours at night but since the last one month he gets up every HOUR at night, suckles on my breast and goes back to sleep.....

like all good mothers i tried 'letting him sleep by himself' initially which did not work as he had a terrible gas problem. i think he still does as he twitches and turns in his sleep before letting out a big cry to be picked up.

...now i am very tempted with this offer which means i give him benadril for one week with reducing dosage each day and put him in his cot to help him sleep by himself AND i am not supposed to go running to him when he cries at night....i am still not OK with the second part....how can i just let him cry like that? what if he is actually uncomfortable and needs to burp or just to be held?

.....my doc assures it will defi work in 7 days only......i am in a real dilema....one side is blissful sleep for this deprived mother and that means abundant energy to cope with my kids during the day.....on the other end watching my baby cry.....PLS HELP....and anyone tried this benadril route??

 

[carang]

sounds a little risky to me... 6 months is still very, very, very young! i wouldn't want to medicate a baby unless ABSOLUTELY necessary!

do you have a helper? why don't you take turns with taking care of the baby so you get a decent amount of sleep at one go.

i KNOW how you feel! my girl was an excellent sleeper until 6 months. then it went downhill fast. between her and her older brother, we didn't have a decent night's sleep for over 9 months! now, finally, we are back to decent nights, most of the time... there's still the odd night/week that we suffer, but for the most part, they are sleeping well now.

they are now 1yr8m and 3yr8m!

 

[tstmum]

I know what it's like to be sleep deprived, but personally I would not medicate a baby so young to get them to sleep. With my first I eventually resorted to "controlled crying" at about 9 months and, while heart wrenching at times, it worked after only a few nights.

I recall a news story recently that cough medicines have been withdrawn from sale or are not recommended (sorry, can't remember the exact details) for children under 2. It was either a UK or US news story.

 

[carang]

in the US....it's because people were abusing them. using them for reasons other than what they were made for and also because people were overmedicating their children...

 

[MommyTo3]

Personally I would change doctors, I find this completely irresponsible. I am not a saint, use Benadryl for what it's made for and also when battling jet lag once in a while but by giving your child Benadryl, you're not teaching him how to sleep. PP is right, cold medicine are very controversal in the US. Last year (while we still lived there) all medication for under 2 was pulled off the shelves, now it's for under 4: http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iIEfm2CE9PL72XmlQGIhaB9fmlTAD93LT2D00. Mind you, Benadryl is not a cold medicine, it's an antihistimine, whoever it does help for clearing noses and airways (for which I've used it as per doc's advice).

Anyway, first of all 6 months is still young, although waking up every hour is not necessary. If your baby eats well and is clean he should be able to go much longer. Also if he just nibbles, he's apparently not hungry in the first place. I would leave him and see what happens. Also look at his bed time and day time sleeping patters. Sleep begets sleep, his bed time may be too late, so he may overtired and overtired children have more trouble putting themselves to sleep and stay asleep. When my children were 4 resp. 2 1/2 months old they were going to bed at 6 pm. It makes a huge difference. Also lack of naps can influence sleep badly. When children grow older, they need an earlier bed time because they're more active. Try to put your child down at 6 or 7 for a couple of nights in a row, and see if it makes a difference. It does for us.

Medicating your baby is not a solution for his sleep problems. Next to that, every doctor should know that Benadryl can also have the opposite effect ... hyperactivity ... not something you're looking for.

I truly understand you need sleep, but again, you're not helping him by giving him Benadryl. I suggest reading a good sleep book. I personally love Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child by Dr. M. Weissbluth. He was our pediatrician in the States, he's pretty famous and has done a ton of research. His book has made me understand so much better how sleep works (no, I don't get commission).

 

[joyofliving]

When I had to fly with my baby, I asked the Paedratician and also the GP whether it was ok to give Benadryl to the baby during flight to help them sleep. They both strongly rejected the idea saying babies below the age of 1 year should not be given any medication (Especially antihistamine like Benadryl) unless medically required.
I did some research myself on the Internet and as it turns out there are divergent views whether Benadryl does help babies sleep better. Some research shows that it sometimes has the opposite effect and makes the baby overactive. Over dosage can prove to be extremely dangerous.
I would not follow your Paedratician?s advise. I agree with Cara, ask your helper or husband to help you out. Let them take care of the baby for a few hours while you catch on some sleep.

 

[MommyTo3]

I also sent you a pm.

 

[carang]

if he's just nibbling... have you tried a pacifier?

our 20 month old used to nibble...it kept me awake all night our first night home from the hospital... i promptly bought a soother and she has slept with it ever since. it is the ONLY time she uses it now and often she spits it out during sleep...

might want to give it a try.

ps. i also agree with switching doctors! sounds almost like malpractice to me.

 

[rebekah]

I am curious who the doctor is...not asking you to reveal... just curious for curiosity's sake...it sounds quite irresponsible to me.

 

[spockey]

My son has the reverse effect with any sort of medication like Benadryl... We've not used it for sleeping as we've been lucky but have had to use it as medication once. Whether it's Benadryl or Dimetapp or Demazin... it does the TOTAL opposite! He stays awake longer.

To be honest, I'd switch GP/PD. The doctor should have known that sometimes the medication does the opposite with some bubs... we were warned before using it!