Drugging the kids to sleep... - Page 2

[funkygranolamama]

we use teething and colic tabs pretty regularly, and calms once in awhile. i see nothing wrong with it. it's not like you're trying to knock them out or develop some kind of dependancy (that won't happen with homeopathics, anyway). if you're looking at tylenol in one hand and homeopathics in another, i'd always take the homeopathics.

[WannabeaFarmer]

Dp thought that this is what I was doing when he saw me give DD the Calms Forte for kids. For DD when she is teething the teething tabs would be enough to help her sleep(she would get two at a time when she was older,like 9-12mo). We do us the calms forte to help her sleep every once in awhile. We only use em when she has had a rough day, gets candy to late in the day when we are out somewhere for a visit, is sick...etc....things that might alter her mood to the point that it makes it hard for her to settle. Usually she settles within an hour. If she has one of those days where it may take her two+ hrs to get to sleep then we use em.
I dont see anything wrong with using them if it helps your baby settle in. We also use Arbonne unwind to help her settle too. That is a great herbal spray. She gets all excited and tells me how good she smells when I spray her..

[Gunter]

i have used newton's homeopathic fever-aid to help dd sleep when she has a fever. no shame in it. we used it on the plane, too flying from usa to australia.

[tribalmax]

Originally Posted by Sancta

The kids are 3 and 1.5

And, as I said, I don't use this nightly. Today was our third time and I bought it two months ago when ds was teething so badly he couldn't sleep. I used Hyland's teething tablets and then gave him the Calms Forte. I really don't like using meds, so Tylenol is a last resort for teething pain.

Today, as I said, they both have colds and have been napping on and off, so their sleep is all messed up. Both were wound up but still visibly tired at bedtime, so the CForte helped ease them into dreamland.

My concern is that I haven't used this stuff before and I feel a bit weird giving it to them, as though it's a drug, even though I know it's not....

I wouldn't worry about it at all. IMO it is a totally safe, natural way to help your little ones wind down when there are other things going on. Sleep is very important for everyone.

I don't see how this is any different than adults having a cup of chamomile tea, warm milk etc before bed.

[liki]

I have some of the calms 4 kids, and it only gives a dosage for age 2 and up. Is it okay to give to an 1.5 yr old anyway?

[nighten]

liki, I give my 18 month old 1/2 the recommended dosage. It's had absolutely no ill effects whatsoever here.

[moonlight mom]

I use it occassionally for my 2.5 year old son with no guilt. I have also used other homeopathic medicine for colds and teething.
Also try some cooled down chamomile tea before bed. It works the best for relaxing my ds after a long day.

[Loris]

yes it is safe!

Thank goodness you are using a homeopathic remedy!! They are totally safe and you can never overdose on it. It works with the immune system, whereas tylenol or other medications suppress the immune system and are terrably hard on the liver.

Homeopathic is the way to go - I use it for my kids as well and they do work!

[PreggieUBA2C]

I agree that homeopathic treatment is safe and, imo, necessary if your children are not sleeping. They are exhibiting a symptom of something that has gone amiss in their bodies, and giving them the remedy to help relieve the symptom while not hindering their immune systems' work in resolving the cause, is what a loving, responsible mum does (if she's aware, of course)!

If they are hungry, you give them food. Their hunger is the symptom of their bodies' need for nutrition, and you treat the symptom (sign) with nourishment. I don't see how that differs in your situation. If your child had a definite calcium deficiency, would you deny calcium-rich foods or even a supplement if it became necessary to correct what could then be a temporary issue?

It's impossible to overdose on homeopathics- quite possible to waste them, though, as a pp reported (and that sucks, btw; I felt a little twinge in my stomach reading about the $140 candy spree...).

OP, our boys fight sleep like nobody we've ever known (well... except me, maybe ) and we've gone through every system and recommended procedure/routine for helping them to sleep longer and better. NOTHING has ever worked and I've just had to come to terms with the fact that they have a similar constitution to me- they think of sleep as a 'waste of time' and their minds are very powerful over the signs their poor tired bodies give them. Like you, I give them homeopathics when they are not even sleeping their normal amount which is very little, because something else is going on. If they are having their normal not-enough-sleep, I don't give them anything, because I really just think they'll start having enough sleep when they are at an age when this short amount is adequate, and not before.

I'm exhausted too. I take kallium phosphoricum when I find it too hard to cope with the day after too little sleep; it really helps me.

[awinkler]

Originally Posted by Sancta

Does anyone here use Hyland's Calms Forte to help their kids sleep? I use it very rarely - in the past when ds was teething badly to help him sleep better, and now because the kids have colds and are napping so much during the day they're restless at night. It seems to work well, but whenever I drop the little "pill" into their mouths, I always feel guilty - like I'm sedating them or drugging them or something.

This stuff IS safe, right? Anyone else use this occasionally? It's okay, right? Or am I just a bad mom? :

Some people think that homeopathic remedies are no more effective than a placebo, so from that point of view, the calms forte is akin to a sugar pill. (http://nccam.nih.gov/health/homeopathy/, http://www.quackwatch.org/01Quackery...ics/homeo.html, http://arstechnica.com/articles/cult...homeopathy.ars)

[eilonwy]

Once, out of sheer desperation, I gave BeanBean something to help him sleep when he wasn't sick. I can't remember what it was, but he had what's called a paradoxical reaction-- he was WIRED, and bounced off the walls. I took it as a sign that I was doing the wrong thing and never tried it again. I haven't since, with any of the kids.

[pdxmomazon]

Originally Posted by PreggieUBA2C

I'm exhausted too. I take kallium phosphoricum when I find it too hard to cope with the day after too little sleep; it really helps me.

My homeopath (an ND), doesn't use combined remedies. Although Hylands and other mixed remedies can be helpful to some people some of the time, the power of homeopathy is in it's ability to respond very specifically to an individual's constitution. My daughter's teething remedy is based on lots of things, including her constitutional remedy. It's not the same as our friend's teething remedy though So, if your kiddo has persistent sleeplessness, lots of teething pain, etc, it may well be worth your time and money to seek a more individualized response. Homeopathy is soooo completely different than western medicine, it's cool to learn about it: http://www.holisticonline.com/Homeop...principles.htm

[Redifer]

I've used the Herbs For Kids Valerian Super Calm for my oldest DD, 3 years, when she had a wicked tummy bug two weeks ago. She was so uncomfortable and couldn't sleep; but she was exhausted and NEEDED the sleep to get better.

For the younger, 3 months, I've only given her a Hylands Teething Tablet once when she was SO overtired she couldn't 'settle down' and was just crying in hysterics from being so overstimulated. We were moving, and it was such a long day for her, she had completely lost control. Nothing worked; eating, rocking, shushing, dancing, loud music, white noise.. .the list goes on. Finally, I gave her a teething tab and within 5 minutes she had quieted down, was peacefully looking around the room, and shortly after drifted off to sleep.



I see nothing wrong with it. A lack of sleep can be SO harmful on a little immune system, nervous system, even digestive system. Sleep is an important factor in maintaining a healthy body; so when they're sick or just overstimulated to the point that they CAN'T sleep, I see nothing wrong with using a homeopathic or herbal remedy in order to help them get that much-needed rest.

[JenMidwife]

I don't have a problem with it.

Personally, I think it's cruel to withhold something that might help kids that's not harmful (eg if my daughter has a fever & isn't bothered by it, I don't give her anything, but if she is bothered by it I give her the correct dose of Tylenol- I would be really angry if I was feeling miserable & something that would really help me feel comfortable was withheld).

[JenMidwife]

Originally Posted by eilonwy

Once, out of sheer desperation, I gave BeanBean something to help him sleep when he wasn't sick. I can't remember what it was, but he had what's called a paradoxical reaction-- he was WIRED, and bounced off the walls.

I know that can happen w/ Benadryl (Diphenhydramine). Something like 90% of people become drowsy w/ it, but 10% become hyper

[cameliabrowne]

Homeopathy

I wouldn't hesitate to use a homeopathic sleep remedy. Homeopathy is in a completely different league to pharmaceutical drugs and can be used without fear of overdosing or departure from natural parenting. It's use in natural parenting is completely appropriate.

[akbirdy]

I use the teething tabs on my DS and they work like a charm. I'm actually really surprised to hear that some people are bothered by them... but I was raised in a family that when we got sick, we went to our ND and got a homeopathic remedy. If you learn how they are made its like a drop in a bucket of water, then a drop of that into a bucket of water, ect ect ect.... I think like the more diluted the better?

Anyways, no you can't od on them. I as a child got into my mothers stash and ate them all, (yum sugar pills).

[eilonwy]

Originally Posted by JenMidwife

I know that can happen w/ Benadryl (Diphenhydramine). Something like 90% of people become drowsy w/ it, but 10% become hyper

Yeah-- except that I know it wasn't Benadryl, because that's what happens with *me*. I would never have given it to him hoping he would sleep. I'm thinking it might have been robitussin or tylenol...

[tribalmax]

It was probably the cough suppressant in the robitussin.

That can be a BIG time stimulant...

[Family4Christ]

Some people think that homeopathic remedies are no more effective than a placebo, so from that point of view, the calms forte is akin to a sugar pill. (http://nccam.nih.gov/health/homeopathy/, http://www.quackwatch.org/01Quackery...ics/homeo.html, http://arstechnica.com/articles/cult...homeopathy.ars)

This shocks me. I've seen what homeopathy can do for me throughout my pregnancy and It's the first medicine I turn to for everything now.

True, if the remedy doesn't work, it wasn't the right one (which I'm assuming is the case with the info on the links above)--BTDT--but, it sure is powerful when it is. I'm so glad that we have the ability to use homeopathy!