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I am so happy to have found this forum! How would you respond to a parent who tells you she basically drugs her child to sleep? The child gets up in the middle of the night, she lets him play or watch movies,then when she's exhausted she gives him cough medicine to get him to sleep. A part of me doesn't want to interfere (I have made suggestions in the past to her), but I cringe every time she tells me she gave him medicine to sleep. He also has stopped napping at home (he's 2 and he naps just fine for me). His parents are young and getting ready for a new baby, so I'm sure there will be more issues down the road...thank you!
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Funny thing, she told me this am she's only been giving him meds because his throat hurts and he's been waking in the middle of the night. For what, 6 months? He needs some tough bedtime love, not drugs.Comment
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How old and what med?Comment
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I thought cough meds for kids under age 6 were pulled from the shelves?
If she is medicating him with cough meds, I think you should report this.
It is HIGHLY dangerous and not right at all for her to do that.Comment
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I would report her. I knew a woman (used to work with her) who had 2 kids, totally undisciplined and joked about how she gave them Benadryl in their drinks at dinner and then waited for them to 'fall asleep standing up' so bedtime was early and easy. My other coworker reported her and she was charged with endangering the welfare of a child. One of the kids was on 4tsp of Benadryl/night and was around 4 years old. SCARY.Comment
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The child is two. Dcm is a nurse, go figure. She's told me she's given him melatonin, robatussin, Advil, etc. she told me today she's been giving it to him because his throat hurts him & he wakes up in the middle of the night & won't go back to sleep. She is taking him to the doctors today, and I hope she tells the dr. about this. I avoid giving my own kids medicine unless absolutely necessary, so maybe that's why I'm so bothered, besides it being dangerous. But I've read on other forums where people have no problem giving their kids medicine, even when advised not to, especially to get them to sleep during long flights. I know she'll deny giving him stuff to make him sleep, though.Comment
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I would not be concerned if a mother is giving a child melatonin to try to get them to sleep.
I would also not be concerned if a mother is giving their child pain relievers as directed. The child very well might be waking at night due to sore throat/discomfort/pain and I'd like much prefer a parent do their best (within reason obviously) to support their child through that rather than dish out any sort of "tough love" ignoring a very legitimate issue.
There is nothing inherently dangerous about either.
The duration of the issue is what would get to me and I'm glad shes bringing him in today to hopefully honestly sort out whether this is a health problem vs a behavioral one.
Frankly, it sounds like textbook acid reflux disease. Most two year olds when out will stay out until morning. If he was struggling to fall asleep as opposed to waking in the middle of the night then I'd probably approach it from another angle initially, but what she's telling you doesn't add up to a child trying to be difficult, at least to me.
I would NEVER just assume behavioral until potential physical/mental heath problems were ruled out, especially under circumstances like these.Comment
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