Would you give your child cough syrup to get them to sleep on a plane?

[dizzyjoo]

Benadryl is an anti-histimine not cough syrup, so that makes it fine right?


No I wouldn't. It's also possible for Benadryl to have an opposite effect and make the child go bonkers.

This!!! We gave our son some piriton to help him sleep on the way home from Orlando last year. It had the total opposite effect and he slept for about 3hrs of a 9hr overnight flight. Was awful and we felt like the worst parents in the world. Never again! Jxxx

 

[mummyruston]

No, I wouldn't. I would just give her a boob. Does the job!
xx

Exactly what I'd do...What would we do if someone drugged us to sleep in a plane beyond our will??

 

[medic76097]

We are guilty of this. Although, In my defense I am a trained and registered Paramedic, which I know makes it worse... lol But DHs DD is 4 and honestly can not travel at all. She has some form of Autism (Her mom swears this, but we have never seen or been able to find a Doc to confirm it) and has some minor issues with textures, which seems to get worse on long hauls when shes tired or cranky to begin with. We dont overdose her or even give her a regular dose. Most of the time its half of the dose for her weight and it just calms her enough to have her sleep when she needs to but shes not totally out of it.
We dont use cough meds, we use a child friendly gravol liquid. And not every time. Its a rough go sometimes as she and her mom live 22 hours away and we live somewhere there isnt an airport so we drive every other month to get her for a week... 22 hours there, 22 hours back. Yuck.
Judge away

 

[Natsku]

Wish I could but anti-histimines make Maria go hyper
I just sing her to sleep on the plane - she probably goes to sleep so she doesn't have to listen to me anymore!

 

[pinklightbulb]

I wouldn't but OH definitely would. I said no to him.

 

[Laura2919]

No I wouldn't. Why on earth would someone do that?

 

[tummymummy]

I never knew people did this :/ my mum and dad used to give me and my sister a herbal drop called luffa complex on xmas eve to knock us out lol xxxxxxxxxxx

 

[medic76097]

I do it because I refuse to be the parent hiding in the back of the plane with a screaming child. The reality is that we have to drive long distances or fly for hours to see family and DD gets too worked up without it sometimes. It makes it easier on her too. I'd rather her sleep then be screaming till she starts throwing up. And it has NOTHING to do with discipline or bad parenting. Some kids hate to travel. For the first year we traveled we ended up having to call the ambulance three times for her... She would cry so hard she would pass out or stop breathing for minutes at a time... And on one occasion she actually starved herself of oxygen crying so hard that she ha a seizure. I do it for the comfort of my step daughter as well as the ease of traveling. Again, judge away. I also believe in spanking. Lol. Maybe I'm a 'bad' parent to some of you but I can assure you that she will not end up pregnant in high school or in jail before she's 20.

 

[Eve]

No, I personally wouldn't do it.

 

[Eve]

Plus I've never been on a plane before lol... I think I would take some myself though They scare me!

 

[Sarahkka]

Yes, I have used antihistamines to help my child travel before. I used those over gravol once because he already had a cold and my doctor said that it would help with both his sinus congestion and decompressing his ears on the plane.
I also regularly give my boys infant gravol when they travel because they get motion sick - particularly on the long car drives through the mountains where we live. It makes a huge difference in their comfort. They don't always fall asleep from it, either.

As for the allergy worry - benedryl is an anthistamine. It suppresses the immune response to an allergen. It's one of the first things you should reach for if you think someone is having an allergic reaction. The chance of your body reacting to it is extremely low.

Medicines have their place. Do what you feel comfortable with, but don't condemn a parent for trying to help make their kid more comfortable during travel.

 

[louandivy]

No, but my mum did ask if I wanted to before our long haul trip to Vancouver - and she is by no means a bad parent, in fact she is a pediatric nurse! I personally wouldn't do it but as Sarahkka said, they are just trying to make their children more comfortable. Doesn't make them bad parents.

I get a killer earache when I take off and land in planes but luckily Ivy was fine, otherwise I def would have given her something to make her more comfy on the return flight. And there is a big difference between a short flight and long flight - don't judge until you've been on a 10+ hour flight with a hyper toddler!

 

[Ozzieshunni]

I will be going on a long haul flight with Alex who will almost be one in June. I wouldn't dream of giving him unnecessary medicine to knock him out. It's unethical, imo.

 

[louandivy]

Well, you may understand some parent's reasoning in 3 months time! I said I wouldn't do it myself but I still think its unfair to be so harsh on parents who do do it, in most cases they only have the best intentions. There are far worse practices to be getting worked up about.

 

[Ozzieshunni]

This was meant to be a debate, not a blame game

 

[louandivy]

How is posting a link to an article and then saying posting a wacko emoticon starting an intelligent debate?

 

[Wobbles]

Come on ladies ... There's been enough drama this last couple of days, lets not make more between us?

There are no rules on how a topic should be started off within this section.

 

[smelly07]

I havent taken my girls abroad so they have never been on a plane but i know personally i wouldnt give them medicine soley to 'knock them out' for the sake of a quiet flight and for my benefit. If i had to give it for a medical reason then thats different. x

 

[Ozzieshunni]

Smelly, I'm inclined to agree with you on the medical standpoint.

 

[Eternal]

No, I dont give them anything unless they need it, i.e. I dont give them calpol just because they are having injections, I only use it when they are in pain or have a temp etc.

Saying that we did take calpol with us when we took an internal flight last year. we didnt end up using it, but i took a puch incase i decided too. so I can understand the reasoning too. I dont think its right to do it, but if we went again I would consider it, my toddler is a nightmare and I am terrified of him kicking off. But I do strongly beleive on not giving them drugs they dont need.