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Is this Ok? Drugging Kids For a "Little Peace and Quiet."
Most experts agree -- using cold and allergy medicine to sedate kids is wrong. But that doesn't stop parents.
If flying is a hassle, flying with kids is a nightmare. As seats get smaller and in-flight amenities fewer, more and more parents are dosing their kids with sleeping aids to make it though long flights hassle-free. According to a poll on the website lilsugar, a whooping 58% of parents think it's okay to use Benadryl, an allergy medicine or other medicinal sleep aids to help kids sleep on a plane.
"Benadryl is not intended as a sedative," warns pediatrician Dr. Cara Natterson. "It is an antihistamine meant to help treat allergic symptoms. It is not a convenience for parents to help with an "extended nap" on airplanes. Additionally," says Dr. Cara, "The FDA came out with a warning earlier this year to change the labeling on many cough and cold medications warning parents "should not give to children under age 4."
And the risks can be deadly. Just check out Casey Anthony, who's defense is inferring this may have been the fate of little Caylee.
What about us? While most of us are certainly NOT like Casey, haven't most of us been guilty of giving our children medicine they really didn't need just for the desired side-effect?
Well, the more you know...the more you can change, right?
What do you think?
If flying is a hassle, flying with kids is a nightmare. As seats get smaller and in-flight amenities fewer, more and more parents are dosing their kids with sleeping aids to make it though long flights hassle-free. According to a poll on the website lilsugar, a whooping 58% of parents think it's okay to use Benadryl, an allergy medicine or other medicinal sleep aids to help kids sleep on a plane.
"Benadryl is not intended as a sedative," warns pediatrician Dr. Cara Natterson. "It is an antihistamine meant to help treat allergic symptoms. It is not a convenience for parents to help with an "extended nap" on airplanes. Additionally," says Dr. Cara, "The FDA came out with a warning earlier this year to change the labeling on many cough and cold medications warning parents "should not give to children under age 4."
And the risks can be deadly. Just check out Casey Anthony, who's defense is inferring this may have been the fate of little Caylee.
What about us? While most of us are certainly NOT like Casey, haven't most of us been guilty of giving our children medicine they really didn't need just for the desired side-effect?
Well, the more you know...the more you can change, right?
What do you think?
Views: 16
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by robin Lynn gaffney on -
no
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Permalink Reply by Elizabeth Lett on -
Only if cleared by my pediatrician that it would help clear sinuses during flight.
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Permalink Reply by JenniDee on -
No way! I just lock them in the closet...Seriously, I'm kidding.. I think alot of parents over medicate their children not meaning to ,but every little sniffle and they break out the cough syrup. Children do not need any of those things for a simple cold. It's to dangerous to give them anything with out, first consulting your pediatrician. To medicate them just for a little peace and quite. Hire a sitter and take sometime for yourself . When you decide to have children, You no longer come first, they do!
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Permalink Reply by MsTeeBird on -
Oh my, as a parent advocate and a parent. I think this is ludicrous. Parents need to understand that children will be children. Must we be reminded of the little girl who was killed because her parents wanted it to be quiet. They kept giving her medication and she crawled into the room and laid on a pile of clothes and died. All because her parents, did not want to be bothered. Y have children? Instead of giving the child the attention they need and then showing them how to play independently they want to endanger their life. We, as parents, are suppose to nurture and protect our children, not put them in harms way. SHame on who ever thinks this is acceptable. Their are so many couples who would love to bring a child into the world. If you don't not want children "bothering" you, you should use birth control or be abstinent.
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Permalink Reply by Schlayn on -
I have never given my child unneeded medication. I dont give her anything for a cold unless a doctor says too. I know how I feel when on medicine and I would hate for her to feel that way.
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Permalink Reply by kdc521 on
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"haven't most of us been guilty of giving our children medicine they really didn't need just for the desired side-effect?"
I don't think so. (I'm very hesitant about giving my kids medicine when they DO need it.)
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Permalink Reply by katt on -
i don't know who or how some moms are thinking, but i think this idea of "od the kids" is a bunch of #1 pile of #2. there is no respectable mom gonna do tha to thier kid. i myself would be guiltridden to death if i did somthing like that to my daughter. if you have children then you are suppose to take the parent responsibiles too. i don't know how a parent could enjoy doing such to the kids for r&r tme thats what babysitters, daycares, schools, and friend sleepovers are for! if a parent can't relate to the kids like a parent, then maybe just maybe YOU SHOULDN'T be parents!
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Permalink Reply by Cyndi from Western NC on -
I wouldn't give my baby anything that my doctor didn't prescribe and I certainly wouldn't give him anything to make him sleep. If people didn't want to be responsible or deal with the many chaotic moments of having a child, they shouldn't have had kids.
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Permalink Reply by Maureen on -
i'm sorry if anyone disagrees but I don't think it's right to give your child any kind of medication that is not needed. When you decide to have a child, you are supposed to accept and understand you are taking the bad with the good. So what if he bothers the people on the plane. Most people understand that a 2 year old is going to act like a 2 year old no matter if they are on a plane or not. As for the others, chances are they just don't like kids period and you should just take their remarks or looks with a grain of salt. I will never put anything in my son's body that is not being used for the right reasons.
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Permalink Reply by TheLawyerMom on
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Maybe I've missed the point. Of course we're not going to dole out stupor-inducing medications to our children for grins. And who would hop aboard this forum and admit they are gratuitously drugging their kids, in any event?
But when and whether these medications are necessary are important issues, too. If we're going to talk about the evils of Benadryl, perhaps a discussion of ADD medications, and whether they are over-prescribed, is warranted too. Then again, I'm new to this forum. Maybe there's another thread for this hairy subject that I've missed.
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Permalink Reply by Cari on -
I cannot think of any reason other than illness to give a child medication, certainly not to sedate them. It does not take much to overmedicate adults and children alike. I travel frequently and yes, it is hard to travel with small childeren, but medicating them to quiet them is simply wrong not to mention extremely dangerous. I have had many sleepless nights, as most parents do, wishing my children (mostly when they were very young) would go to sleep, but our job as parents is to protect them, not do anything that could potentially harm them.
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