Mom is having a bad day and needs a break….grab the Benadryl.
There has been a lot of talk lately about moms drugging kids. Yup, drugging kids. The hype is all about those parents who give their kids medication (mostly sedatives) for a break. I will say I have never given my kids medication for a ‘break’. When my kids were younger and I felt the need for a little break coming on I would sometimes pick up the phone, call grandma, and let her entertain my kids for a while on the phone….but never used drugs.
Thinking back when my son was a baby and went on his first plane ride our pediatrician recommended giving him Benadryl for the trip. I did (at the time thinking all pediatricians knew everything), and it totally backfired. He was wired! So I guess I drugged my son once.
I do think sometimes things are blown way out of proportion. I know moms who have said this before….you know, ‘I will just give them some Tylenol and they will go to sleep’. Most of the time I think these moms are joking, but yes, a few I think were actually doing this….but I don’t know if I would go to the extent of calling the child abuse hotline on them?
According to the Journal of Pediatrics that is exactly what it is, child abuse.
I think there are extreme cases of everything, but should we go and call every mom who says this a child abuser?
I do think people and even doctors are very drug happy these days. It seems people just don’t really take the side effects seriously. Have you ever read those side effects? Death, cancer, seriously! I know, people say ‘there are side effects to everything, even Tylenol, they are just covering themselves legally and have to put this”.
But do you really want to take this chance? Take a chance like this when it is not really necessary? It is one thing if it is a necessary problem, but come on I think the majority of people taking these medications can deal without them. I am one of those who uses the honey and the saline mist unless absolutely necessary, but I will also say that I honestly don’t think that most of these moms are child abusers. Of course some are extreme but I do think the majority of these moms are just drug ignorant. Maybe if the doctors were not so easy to give drugs, the parents wouldn’t be so easy to give their kids drugs?
What do you think? Are these moms child abusers? Have you ever needed a break and went for the medicine cabinet?
{ 16 comments }
I could personally never do this to my kids. I hate having to give them medicine when they are sick let alone just to calm them down. And like you it probably would backfire on me as well
Well, I can weigh in from a legal perspective. I used be a prosecutor in child abuse and neglect court.
a mom would have to make it an ongoing habit or at least do it several times or exceed the recommended dosage before I think it would truly rise to the level of child abuse.
I think it’s reactionary and dangerous to throw that term around loosely. There are moms who leave their kids for 4 and 5 hours per day with no supervision while they prostitute themselves. That is neglect.
There are moms who, in a fit of depression or rage, put their babies in pots of boiling water. That is abuse.
There are dads who beat their kids about the head with pieces of lumber. That is abuse.
There are moms who so distracted with their drug habits that they don’t know better than to feed their infant hot dogs, or soda, or popcorn. That is neglect.
All true stories from my caseload.
Sometimes, there is a fine line on what constitutes abuse or neglect. But a parent who, every now and then, gives their kid Benadryl to help them sleep on a long airline flight, and is otherwise an involved and engaged parent? That’s not abuse. We’ve got way bigger social problems to be worrying about than that.
.-= gigi´s last blog ..Friday Flip-Offs- 7-30 Edition =-.
I think gigi has a point. A really good point – there are kids out there that have it worse than a few over medicating parents. I don’t believe it should constitute having their children taken away, BUT that doesn’t negate from the fact that its wrong.
I never give my children medicine unless they have a fever. That’s it. No cough medicine, no runny nose medicine, no Benadryl or Dimetapp for my almost 10 or almost 3 year old. Tylenol and Motrin only in my house. Nor do I take them to the doctor for everything. My 9 year old hasn’t been for a sick visit since she had strep throat when she was 7 and my baby hasn’t been in almost a year. Some mom’s think I’m the crazy one!
My cousin is like you described above. Every time her almost 1 year old is fussy she gives him over the counter medicine. Every time he or his 3 year old brother have the littlest thing wrong (runny nose, cough, just plain grumpy…) she shoves medicine down their throat, posts it on Facebook, and takes them to the doctor. She has actually posted on Facebook that she gives them medicine to sleep… so she can sleep… it’s sad really, but I’m not calling child protective services over it.
.-= Momma Drama´s last blog ..The Versatile Blogger =-.
I remember hearing about this when my oldest was younger. I only give my kids medicine when they are sick. Often when I give it to them I would joke about them sleeping well but NO medicinee has ever made any of my children sleepy. I think if parents really need a break the need to ask for help.
Benadryl also makes bratchild wired. Me? It knocks out for days.
The blog world thinks it’s really funny to joke about dosing kids to get them to sleep. I knew a mom that really did it. Nightly. I thought she was an awful parent and I think it’s a pretty sad joke. Benadryl in particular is habit forming, causes stomach upset and doesn’t teach anyone how to cast off into dreamland the right way.
I’m shocked that anyone would be so flippant on their blog as to claim they medicate their kids when they’re not really sick. Child abuse is probably a strong phrase, but it’s a definite “mom fail”.
.-= Joey @ Big Teeth & Clouds´s last blog ..Trying my patience =-.
I’ve never heard anything like this before! People giving their kids Benadryl because they are driving them nuts?!?! Man, just turn on the TV and catch a break!
I think it’s an alarming and dangerous trend. Mostly, the parents that feel they need to give their children benadryl to “sleep better” or “calm down”. I’ve actually heard of a case where this was done in a daycare and an infant died. Obviously, those caretakers were prosectued, but, it points to the fact that these medicines are not without risk especially when being used so nonchalantly.
I also think pediatricians (myself included) need to do a better job at educating parents about these medications and not being so nonchalant ourselves. I think this trend is the result of an era when (some) pediatricians routinely recommended giving children benadryl for long flights…It’s backfiring b/c I think it sends the message that it’s okay to do this even when not medically necessary. I think responsible, caring parents would not take this info. and run but then there are the others that feel like it gives them the license to drug their children whenever they want them to calm down. Not Good.
.-= Melissa (Confessions of a Dr.Mom)´s last blog ..Potty Training TipsKeeping It Low Key =-.
I certainly hope neither of my parents ever did that to me, but I doubt it. All the stories I’ve heard of my behavior as a child seemed very placated and laid-back. Except, of course, for those typical toddler moments of craziness.
But this isn’t the first time I’ve heard of this happening. My dad actually accidentally gave me too much of a dose giving me Tylenol once when I was in about third or fourth grade and I thought that my teacher was Ms. Corley – my first grade teacher. If you can do it on accident trying to help your child you can certainly overdose your child trying to help yourself. People should really think before they do some things.
.-= Lauren´s last blog ..Managing The Blogs You Follow =-.
I have to admit that I’m guilty of occasionally joking about this, saying “oh, give ‘em some benedryl!” Maybe not so funny, though. I’ve never done it- I’ve did give my oldest benedryl when he needed it- but it turns him into a wild animal.
.-= Shell´s last blog ..Pour Your Heart Out- A Glass of Identity =-.
I think it is abuse, and I haven’t done it – and I have joked about it before too…I wonder how many people actually do this….it’s awful!
Swati
.-= Swati´s last blog ..How to Ask For a Raise at Work =-.
If your child isn’t feverish or having pain of the sort that would require a pain reliever, then knock it off already with the medications.
To deliberatly dose a child so mommy can have five minutes of peace is just plain wrong, in my opinion.
.-= Kathy´s last blog ..Annoying Crap =-.
I’m in New Zealand, so we haven’t heard whatever story this relates to in the media… is it an outbreak of parents dosing up kids??
I’ve actually had my doctor suggest and prescribe medicines (we call it Phenergan here) to aid with sleep, when the child in question was in a poor sleep pattern. the doc recommended giving it for no more than five nights, in order to help establish a better sleep pattern… of course as luck would have it MY KIDS get totally wired on the stuff, so forget that one, but I think we should be very careful about judging people.
I like what Gigi said; she has seen real child abuse and neglect. So have, in my former job as a youth worker.
Maybe instead of jumping all over these mothers and throwing up our hands in horror as if they are lepers, we could remember that people living in glasshouses should throw stones, and there aint not ONE of us is perfect. Not one of us is always right. Not one of us never makes mistakes or takes the easy option. Why? We are HUMAN, people!!
.-= Simone´s last blog ..A Rather Fancy Party =-.
I don’t know about it being abuse, but I could never drug my kids to give myself a break or for any other reason other than sickness. It’s never even crossed my mind to do such a thing. It just seems wrong to me.
.-= Niki´s last blog ..Pretty Dresses =-.
You know what’s ironic? I wish I DIDN”T have to give my kids their daily meds. (asthma, food allergies, eczema, thyroid)
Life is a funny thing….
I cringe anytime I hear someone suggest this (whether really or just as a joke). We shouldn’t be in the habit of taking drugs when they aren’t necessary, so we should be training our children that that is okay, either.
.-= Ronnica´s last blog ..Miss Smiley =-.