Drug Your Baby

[Anna]

Benadryl for kids is really scary. A daycare provider and her worker were just charged in my city for manslaughter because they gave some Benadryl to a baby and the baby died. They said they did it because the baby never stopped crying. Sad.

Benadryl is not for infants.

A child care provider should know that much.

If a baby will "never" stop crying, I'd suspect a serious problem. Something is wrong. Babies don't cry over nothing. Either they're hungry, cold, need to be changed, lonely, or in pain. What was the Benadryl supposed to do? Shut him up? The poor little thing.

Day care is scarey.

Anyone remember this story earlier this year?

Edited February 20, 2012 by Lil Red

[Jonle]

In case there was any confusion, Ashley doesn't get benadryl everyday, or everytime she's being an annoying five year-old. Just when her parents both of whom have to get up before six every morning need her to go to sleep so they can finnish the day's cleaning and maybe talk about something that doesn't involve buggers or mean eight yearolds.

[IcePrincessKRS]

You tell me.

http://www.medicalcorps.org/med-org/Meds/D...enhydramine.htm

Ok, now I'm kind of curious... what about Dimetapp? That makes you drowsy, too. I'm not advocating using that instead, I think there are far better ways of making your kids go to sleep, but I couldn't find it on that webpage, so I was wondering if its as harmful as Benadryl is.

[jasJis]

In any case you need to discuss it with your pediatrician. We gave benadryl when neccessary to our kids (neve to 'calm' them though it sometimes was a great side-effect). We were told how much and were given the proper stuff to measure (a needleless syringe to measure CC's). We never gave our kids any medicine without the Dr.'s consultaion. We were lucky enough we knew our Dr'.s, ,they were our Marriage Sponsers and go to our parish. We also had met one of his young patients that was given asprin that caused nerve damage and severely harmed the child. Don't give anything to a kid unless you discuss it with a Dr. or pharmacist you know well and trust.

[jasJis]

I don't want to sound like a saint or martyr, but kids not going to sleep is a behavioral problem that is not resolved with drugs. On one hand you have to put up with the inconvenience, on the other hand, you have to learn to teach your child to go to bed and stay in bed. It requires lots of efforts.

Sharon and I used to tag team staying up when necessary. We also tagged teamed dealing with the kids when at our wit's end. I went for days with only a few hours sleep. Sometimes you need friends and family to help.

A 5 year old should be capable of going to bed, though sometimes more effort is needed. Talk to other parents and see what worked for them. Different kids have different personalities. Check out parenting magazines for other ideas. There really is not sure fire way that works for all. One of the biggest thing that needs to be learned is parents need to be parents. If you don't learn now, it doesn'tget any easier. You've got to work real hard now so they're less likely to rember what you screw up.

[Anna]

When my eldest was a bubbly little toddler, we had trouble getting her to sleep sometimes.

We bought a small aquarium and put it in her room.

After bedtime prayers, she sprinkled a little food and watched them for a couple minutes. (It's very tranquilizing!)

Then, she would tell the fishies good night, turn out the aquarium light, and was content to go to sleep, just like her fishes.

[hyperdulia again]

Edited July 24, 2003 by hyperdulia again

[Kilroy the Ninja]

Our doctor actually prescribed Dimetapp for the little Ninja Crusader when was congested. We found that it actually kept him awake (which is one of the possible side effects). We stopped giving him that as soon as it looked even remotely possible that the conjestion was clearing up.

And then we slept and slept and slept....

[Carrie]

If you don't want to give Dimetapp for congestion, a good option is using a nebulizer. These are great for babies (or anyone actually) that gets congested alot. Or my mom's old favorite...sit with the baby in a steamed up bathroom for awhile. Works great.

[Guest catholic4ever]

I dunno. Its seems ok to me. It might seem a little harsh though. Man, babies can be quite the characters on a plane. Ahhh! may God Bless. Catholics Rock! I'm new to PM and this is amesome!

[Anna]

Catholic4ever,

You sound happy to be here.

Glad to have you aboard the bark of Peter with us!

Ahoy, matey!

Pax Christi. <><

[jasJis]

BARTOW - A judge said he tried to set emotions aside in pondering what sentence to impose on a former day care operator who gave an infant a fatal overdose of Benadryl.

But he said could not ignore new information presented at a hearing Friday - that the baby had a pulse when emergency medical workers arrived and might have had a chance if they knew about the Benadryl.

Circuit Judge Johnsonville brat Prince listened to tearful prosecution and defense witnesses. He watched a four-minute video about the short life of Grace Fields. He listened to theories from both sides about why defendant Paula Burcham administered the medication to Grace and why she concealed that to emergency workers called to her Lakeland home when the infant stopped breathing on Dec. 18, 2001.

But in the end, Prince said the fact that Grace had a pulse at one point at the scene and again in the emergency room at Lakeland Regional Medical Center was the motivating factor in giving Burcham the maximum sentence of eight years in prison, followed by seven years of probation.

Prosecutor Cass Castillo had sought the maximum sentence, saying Burcham's concealment of giving the infant the drug was an ``extremely'' aggravating factor.

An antidote for diphenhydramine, an ingredient in the over-the-county medicine Benadryl, would have increased chances of the baby surviving, Polk County Medical Examiner Stephen Nelson testified.

``I find my function as a judge is to rise above emotion,'' Prince said in a wavering voice. ``I feel it is very important that a child with a pulse was not given a chance because the information was not provided.''

Burcham, 53, admitted in a deposition in June 2002 that she put Benadryl in the baby's breast milk because the infant was restless and appeared to have a respiratory problem. Directions on the drug warn not to give the medication to children younger than 6 without consulting a doctor.

A grand jury indicted Burcham in September 2002 for manslaughter and aggravated child abuse, which combined carried a possible sentence up to 45 years in prison.

Under a negotiated plea agreement, Burcham pleaded no contest in May to the manslaughter charge and the state dropped the child abuse charge. The plea called for a maximum prison sentence of eight years.

Tracy Fields, Grace's mother, held the infant's tiny black shoe as she addressed the media following the sentencing.

``All I want is to have my baby back and that's not going to happen,'' she said. ``This is a no-win situation. I know [burcham's] family is devastated. But Grace deserved to live, and she denied her that over and over again.''

Burcham was too emotional to testify, her attorney, David Carmichael, told Prince. But as she stood for sentencing she said, ``I'm sorry for everything.''

It was first thought Grace died from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. But toxicology reports received weeks later showed her body contained more than three times the amount of diphenhydramine needed to sedate an adult, Nelson testified.

Lakeland Detective David Albaras testified that Burcham denied giving the infant Benadryl when he told her the drug could have caused Grace's death. A week later, Burcham attempted suicide by taking an overdose of antidepressant drugs, Carmichael said.

In a suicide note, she didn't mention the Benadryl. She said she worried she killed the baby by putting it on its stomach.

Parents and former recipients of Burcham's babysitting service, which she operated for 17 years, praised her. Some parents said they would not hesitate now in putting their children under her care.

Her daughter, Lisa Cowart, said her mother shows remorse every day of her life. ``Her kids were her life,'' she said. ``That was her calling.''

Fields approved the plea negotiation but said Friday she felt Burcham should have received a much stiffer sentence. She said Grace was perfectly healthy when she left her at Burcham's home that morning. ``I want an opportunity to tell Grace's story,'' she told Prince.

Fields, who has three other children who were cared for by Burcham, said the death ruined an entire family and led to the divorce of her and her husband, David Fields. ``I feel that grief has consumed my entire body and soul,'' she said.

Defenses attorney Carmichael said: ``I think I was surprised at the judge's emotion. But the sentence was perfectly within the guidelines that we had negotiated for. He made a well-reasoned, cogent and lawful decision.''

[Dave]

For all the talk about punishment and stuff in this thread, all my mom had to do was start talking through her teeth, and then you knew you better watch out!

[VanHooty]

Middle names also seem to be common for punishment. When I was kid, "Andy" was the typical name. I was in trouble when someone said "Andrew James Van Hout."