Received Wednesday, July 16, 2008 - Perspective & Opinion
Am I the only nanny who has ever given a child chewable Dramamine on a long, hot summer afternoon? I got back from the park today and I was too tired to go on, but -the child- showed no signs of tiring. Is there something natural that you would recommend? Don't judge, I work 14 hour days sometimes.
50 comments:
I am truly hoping this post is a fake!
Is Dramamine a sedative? I know it's for motion sickness. CLearly this is a troll. At least I hope so
prediction:
every response will be sanctimonious, pc and judgmental.
truth:
this isn't as uncommon as you would think, but most people dont use dramamine!
I think it's fine if the parents told you to.
lmfao.
Did they? If not, I'd have to say the nay-no on this one, my friend.
I really hope that this post is a joke. If it isn't then you, OP , should really quit the nanny business. If you are too "tired" to care for your charge and have to drug him then you really are not cut out for the job. I work MANY 14 hour days with a 12 month old and yes I do get tired but I would never dream of drugging him. I force myself to have energy to play and take him on outings. Also if its too hot just bring the kid to an indoor play area or stay home in the ac. Kids are tiring -deal with it. If not change professions.
Is this our little friend from the other day that said she sends Jane FAKE posts all the time?
Well, I call bullshit on this one.
and to 4:38 this is common?? Yea people have done it but it is inexcusable. I have heard of people giving children cough medicine to make them drowsy so they can rest and not do their job and one woman even killed her charge by doing this. Anyone who gives a child dramamine, benedryl, alcohol or any"Drug" to get them to go to sleep so they can rest is a poor excuse of a caregiver or parent. ( This excludes giving a teething baby tylenol or a SICK child who needs something, of course!).
I call shennanigans!
I'm sorry, but why would any self-respecting Nanny write into a Blog asking what would be the best way to drug an over energetic child?
If this is for real, and I honestly have my doubts, you know the answer most reasonable people would give:
DON'T drug the child!
I think this post was submitted for no reason other than to cause controversy ... true or not.
umasslytherin, did you really post that?
I was told, yes told, by a parent to give their child a Dramamine if he gets out of control. Needless to say I did not nor did I last long working for that family. Dramamine is used for motion sickness but also can act as a poweful sedative. So powerful, it can slow breathing and heart rates down significantly and dangerously. This is not something I would do. Even if the child has never had an adverse reaction before, anyone can have a bad reaction to any medication at any time. Using Dramamine for anything other than it's intended purpose could land you in a heap of legal trouble. Not to mention the guilt you would feel should the child become ill of worse.
use benadryl instead the drowsy kind. It will slow the kid down
How about taking something (energy drink?) to pep yourself up instead of drugging the child, moron?
I love giving my kids benedryl!
Benedryl?
On the rare occasion I've had to give it to my son for his allergies, it did nothing but "excite" him, and he ran around like the energizer bunny!
Sometimes these medications do the opposite intended effect.
On some of them there may be a notation:
May cause excitability in children.
So, watch out! You may get worse than you bargained for.
I've only "drugged" kids by parental suggestion for long plane rides when the kids were very young and for times when kids had severe jet lag in other countries and couldn't fall to sleep on their own.
I really don't think it is a good idea to give a kid a drug to calm him down. I guess if the parents told you it was ok then go for it, but if they didn't, i would definitely stop! Try and make sure the kid eats healthy and don't give him a lot of sugar during the day - that might help. Or, if possible, have him play alone in his room for awhile when you really need a break.
I can't believe this is even a real subject?
Since it might be real... Starbucks starbucks starbucks! Please don't ever drug your child!there is no need!
sorry but a 14 hour day is too long. I don't agree with drugging children, but if we were going to get into that, we would have to talk about the millions of parents who drug their children because they are hyper (an actual symptom of being a child) or have ADD (made up to sell medication) and the new craze which is to turn any teenager with a NATURAL curiosity, normal moodswings, normal worries into a zombie by drugging them up with huge doses of all kinds of medications including anti epilleptic medication.
So don't come down on a nanny because she is aiding her child to sleep once in a blue moon. Go after the moms, dads and pharmacies who drug their children into zombies. Shells of their formers selves.
Shame on ALL OF YOU!
Ummm, yeah, I've never done that.
A year or so ago an at-home day care provider in my area was found giving her charges some sort of medicine every day before nap time....yeah, the parents were not too happy with that.
Madeline McCann's parents drugged her something fierce so they could go out and get their drink on. They were doctors and.... well supposedly they gave her too much and killed her and buried her somewhere in Spain.
And all so they could go out and party with their friends, leaving their defenseless children alone in their rooms on a family vacation. (They put the children to bed at 6PM).
First, Emily..you are wrong. Apples and ornages. You are talking two comepletely different subjects. Parents drugging their children with a doctors reccomendation versus a nanny drugging a child so she can rest!
While I happen to agree with you on the whole ADD subject, shame on you for not holding this nanny responsible for her heinous actions!
Second, leah, while I agree with your SPECULATION and feel that you are pretty damn close to the truth..there has been no PROOF what so ever that that is what has happened. You need to be careful making accussations like that! Innocent until proven guilty.
Come on ladies..get it together!
I too think this if a fake post, but incase it isn't, get yourself some Red Bull, stop drugging your charge, and start looking for a new job that doesn't involve childcare.
I love drugs so why not share with them your kids? Its nice to share. Maybe they will love them too
fake post...trouble maker...sick and evil caregiver? Anyway you take this post, it doesn't deserve a reasoned or rational response.
Did I post what?
That if the parent says it's ok to do it? I was being sarcastic: meaning, that I don't believe the parent told the nanny to do that!
Sheesh.
But I do let my daughter watch Spinal Tap. It's a great film.
Teaches her rock history.
If any nanny gave my child any medacine or drug without my permission or knowledge you ass would be mine. You are talking child endangerment and jial time sweetheart. BTW-I think this post is totally fake, just warning ya'll.
Okay if it is okay for this nanny to give the child something once in a blue moon as per the parents, an actual drug is not a good idea. I have had a doctor who told me to try "melatonin" to help one of my children sleep at night due to being nearly an insomniac. It is not a drug, it is herbal and has no side effects. Just my two cents.
I give my dog dramamine when we are in hotels so she doesn't bark when people go by. It is a motion sickness drug that is over the counter but it causes major drowsiness. I wouldn't give it to a kid without permission but if a parent wanted to occasionaly calm a hyper child with it I guess I wouldn't just. I would be more apt to use it in a situation where a the kids behavior was crucial, such as on an airplane. But other than that.... prolly not.
sorry, 10:45 was supposed to say judge not just.
You idiots. Why do you think the food and drug administration had to step in and take children's cough and cold medicine off the shelf? It didn't do anything but make the children drowsy and suburban mothers and nannies everywhere trolled around town and pushed fancy prams with hidden bulb syringes and sticky, well worn bottles of my favorite sedative.
Yep, we couldn't control ourselves with the ability to make our kiddies go nighty night so big bros took it away. Oh, wait- don't we call that the nanny state?
Do you know how dangerous it is to give a child medication if they don't need it!? I know people supposedly do it "all the time", on long trips ect, but how awful would you, the nanny, feel if this poor child got sick because of something you gave them!?
Drugging children is NOT the answer. If you feel that you need a break, may I suggest having some quiet time with the kid? Put on a movie and snuggle up on the couch, read some books, play a quiet game, but NEVER NEVER give the child any sort of drugs. I used to work in the ER and I would see kids who got really sick because they were given medication that was Over the Counter when they didn't need it. If you can't handle the work load than find a new job.
OP, this is sick and I absolutely WILL judge. Plenty of parents work 24 hours shifts with their own kids and don't pump them up with mind altering substances for their own convenience. I hope someone you talked about this with calls the cops on you if they see you doping up your charge and I hope the parents see this and press charges. If you can't handle an energetic NORMAL child, switch careers. Sick sick sick.
Melatonin doesn't work that well. It makes most people I know who've taken it wake up after a three hours. Do you really want a child to wake up after three hours of sleep?
Just so there's no confusion (although I know this only really matters to me) I wasn't the emily that posted earlier on this thread.
On the topic of the post: doesn't excessive heat make taking sedatives a bit more dangerous, even for children?
And to the OP: Nannies should never, ever give children medication without the expressed consent of the parents. Period. No exceptions.
I had the mom of my charges tell me to do this if they were too much for me - and she's a nurse!
A 14 hour day is too long?
Don't ever have kids.
They're yours for 24 hours, 7 days a week.
This post has got to be fake.
I've babysat for people who drugged the kids to get them to sleep.
Bizarre.
They start begging for "the purple stuff."
I agree with NYNanny, you should not be in this business unless the parents SPECIFICALLY told you to do that. You are drugging a child for no reason other than that child has energy!
Gotta love the hysterics on here of Cali Mom nad Manhattan Mamma. You two are the resident ghouls who love to blow things out of proportion.
While I don't agree with giving the child any medication over the counter or otherwise unless under a doctor's advice, Dramamine is hardly a mind-altering drug. Let's stop with the dramatic posts as it only discredits any opinion you may offer.
CM and MMamma, this is especially for you.
:::throws bullsh*t flag:::
op, if this IS true, you need to find a new line of work!
IF you are too tired to take care of him just put him in his crib, he'll cry but at least he'll be safe and fall asleep eventually.
Is he on a schedule? that would help a lot.
Try getting him on a schedule so you would have a nap time to look forward to for him and yourself.
GET READY...JESUS IS COMING SOON
1:40
Are you the one who said that you submit fake posts all the time?
Or you always come on and say "oh, no big deal" to a post that obviously IS! What is wrong with you? I hope you are not a nanny.
Good lord, watch that language!
wow, that one even shocked me!! Who uses language like that??
Yes Melatonin is not the answer, but it is a help and if they are waking up after 3 hours then it is not working for that particular person. It is not meant to be a long term effect. Anyway think what you want. I don't care, blah blah blah.
Hmmmm. I think Anonymous posters are going to start being "shut down" .... Buh-bye!
Imagine the mindset of someone that abhors a blog so much and yet returns day after day, hour after hour to post on said blog.
Spooky.
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