Sleeping Pills for Toddlers

Here's a crazy thought - have you thought about asking his mom what the pills are? I mean, of course a 3.5 year old is going to be the best, most reliable source of information, but in the spirit of co-parenting, you might give open-communication a try. Mom might surprise you and say the pills are vitamins or benadryl for allergies or antibiotics for a recent infection .... or any number of things that aren't necessarily nefarious.

Or maybe she'll confess to slipping him appetite suppressants, which would be the only explanation for him only eating a few bites at your house.

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dont' wait until after this weekend, you need to show whats in his blood the second you get him or it won't prove anything...she could say you gave them to him when you got him...DOCUMENT everything...don't talk on the phone anymore with her, only use email and keep a file with all emails in it. Good luck.

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Wow. Ok. Do you know what kind of pills? Toddlers don't need sleeping pills. You need to get him to a doc asap

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Please get your son to a doctor. I've worked with children for years and no part of this sounds "normal". Keep everything very low-key, however, so your son doesn't sense your anxiety.

It would also be good to ask his mother "Oh,by the way, Son said he takes a vitamin or something before bed. What is it?" Acting casual (not confrontational) about this might get you the information you are wanting, which you can then take to a doctor, or if need be, other authorities.

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It's not normal and I don't think it's legal.

I hope you are able to help your son.

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J., it really depends on what she is giving them.

Melatonin is a natural sleep aid, harmless and non-addictive.
Some over the counter allergy medicines will make a child sleepy and should be administered in proper doses and only when needed to alleviate real allergy symptoms.
I don't know of any prescription sleeping pills that are approved for toddlers.

Keep us posted please.
God Bless

Yikes, if you have an attorney call first thing in the morning and get their opinion on what steps you should take.

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Oohhhhh, this is bad....

Call CPS on her.

Hopefully she is not giving them adult.... drugs.
It does not matter, she is drugging them.
Unless she is using some kind of homeopathic thing.

Tell your son, don't take it.
Put it aside, then bring it home and show you, if he can....?????

Document everything.

TAKE your son to the Doctor, ASAP.
Otherwise, the drugs will leave his system by next week.

AND the thing is, she is doing this on her own WITHOUT ASKING YOU FIRST.

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My first reaction was "Say what?!?" ... and then I thought about it. I'm not saying any of the following are true, but they're all possibilities:

- Rx sleep aids (many different disorders have different pills for daytime and night time). These aren't 'sleeping pills' in the classical sense, but they do have the same effect. As an example, a girlfriend of mine who is as adhd as I am takes trazidone to sleep, and adderall during the day. She gets decent sleep every night... whereas I end up with constant insomnia cycles (I often go to bed between 4am and 6am when I need to turn around and get up at 8am. For many disorders a side effect of EITHER the disorder OR their medication is insomnia. The solution is a 2 med regimen. 1 for waking hours, and 1 shortly before bedtime.

- Rx or OTC single dose pills / aka extended release (many times pills are given at night instead of first thing in the morning so that uncomfy side effects are slept through but the kids get the benefit of them sans side effects the next day).

- Vitamins (many people give or take vitamins at night so that they have longer to absorb before being peed out ... since 70-90% of vitamins are just flushed down the toilet... taking them at night ups the absorption percentage)

- Fast run antibiotics (like zithromax) only needs to be taken for 5 days. If your son was prescribed zithromax (for bronchitis, ear infection, etc.) he may very well have taken a pill every night this week. If the whole family was sick, everyone may have been dosing.

- Worming meds. Often cause upset stomachs (like many Rx's) and are therefore given at night. Again, if 1 person has worms, usually everyone in the house takes them. A few days in a row 1 week, wait a week a few more days in a row.

- Teething. Tylenol before bed happened off and on while my son was a toddler. Cutting molars KILLED his ability to sleep, but bang, just a low dose of tylenol before bed and he was able to sleep comfortably.

- Allergy meds. Since they often make kids *super* drowsy, a great time to give a regularly taken (or sporadic) allergy med is right before bed.

- Oral steroids. For asthmatics and others with severe breathing problems (structural, like asthma, or short term like illness) steroids can be taken either at the end of the day or the beginning.

All of this is assuming, of course, that your toddler is actually recounting things accurately.

Now I'm not saying that his mum ISN'T drugging him with some CPS worthy pill... merely that there are SEVERAL plausible reasons that any or all three children may be taking pills at night.

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You are doing the right thing to have him checked out. But please don't freak out yet, it could just be vitamins (they make most people feel sick when taken as pills.) And three year olds can be very picky eaters.
Is there a reason you suspect they are sleeping pills, did he say they were?
Follow up and keep us posted!!!

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It really depends on what medication he is on and what he's on it fo. I wouldn't be surprised if my 4 yr old were to refer to zyrtec as sleepy medicine because he takes at night because it does knock him out. He also does have an actual sleep disorder and takes clonidine for it. You won't know what she's giving him or for what reasons unless you talk yo her.
That said don't be a butthead like my ex and just ASSume the worst without speaking to mom or pediatrician first. My oldest is on aderall and about a month after he got a very nasty stomach bug his dad decided to tell him it was from his medication and he shouldnt take without bothering to consult with the dr. Going behind her back is wrong and you really should ask her about it first! Both of my kids take medicine at night for different purposes. For all you know it could be as simple as fluoride that's usually given at night and can cause stomach aches.

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It really depends what she is giving him. If she is giving him a prescription medication that is not prescribed for him--that is illegal and dangerous. But she may be giving him something over the counter that is age appropriate (such as benedryl, meletonin or homeopathic calming tablets). Benedryl is safe for toddlers (my doctor said it is fine to give my 2 year old if needed). It is also commonly used as a sleep aid in many adult medications (the "PM" formula). Still, I would question why she might be giving it to a toddler on a daily basis (if that is the case) unless she was advised to do it by the doctor.

I'd ask her non confrontationally what medications she has been giving your son recently. You can probably pass it off by saying your son said he had medicine that made his tummy hurt and you wanted to know what it was (both parents need to know if a child has a sensitivity to any medication). If you don't get a good answer you could try checking with the doctor if you son has been on any new medications (like an antibiotic or something). You can also just take him for a check up when he is with you. If you are still not satisfied with the information then it is time to call CPS. They will interview both parents, the child and probably the pediatrician.

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You might also want to have a hair test done on him. The hair test is more accurate and can't be faked. Hopefully she hasn't cut his hair real short. When the do a hair test they pull out the hair so they have a root end. Since hair grows at a predicable rate they have an ending (the root) and the beginning, the hair is sectioned and tested.
I would tell CPS what is going on. Giving kids pills to sleep and wake up is horrible. To really get a story on it look up the bios of Judy Garland--Liz Taylor--Mickey Rooney--all were child actors in the 1930's the directors drugged these kids so badly they never recovered. Judy Garland died from a drug overdose she just couldn't kick the drugs.
In my opinion this woman is a monster!!!!!!!

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I can't agree with AngiOPlasty more...information from a 3 year old is, typcially, unrealiable. Talk to his Mom immediately! As for a weekend blood test, a drug is unlikely to be in his system beyond 24 hours after taking it.

If you truly suspect that drugs are being administered to your son without medical necessity, then, yes, consider taking grave action. However, to contact Child Services at this point (on only the word of a 3 year old) could ruin many lives -- most importantly the child's life. This can be life-changingly traumatic...especially if it turns out to be a silly mistake.

PS...I don't know any 3 year old able to take pills that are not in chewable form. And I'm pretty sure sleeping pills do not come in chewable form. Perhaps Melatonin does, but that's a harmless aid and a Doctor may have suggested it.

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I think you're doing the right thing in getting the child checked out. I'm pretty sure it is not legal. May want to contact your local child services.

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If that's true, NOT cool! I'd take him to the doc as soon as possible. That's really not good for him at all. Poor kid.

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If it is something funky she is giving them, you may want to have him tested sooner than later. Many compounds are metabolized rather quickly and after this weekend may be too late.

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I agree with the other moms that have posted. Do some further investigating first to see what she is giving your child. Do you question the mother's character-would she give your child a sleeping pill? If you approached her would she tell you the truth? You know your relationship better than any of us do. Vitamins could make a child's stomach hurt so it is possible your child is confusing that, but if it is truly a sleeping pill then you need to call CPS immediately! Even high doses of benedryl or cough medicine for a child can be very dangerous. Good luck and God Bless!
A.

I would ask what she is giving him. I agree it could be an allergy med. Before involving CPS you really should know all you can. Good luck!

good idea to go get the bloodwork done. yikes this is scary-sounding. could be somthing as simple as a calcium vitamin at night (like I give my 3-yr old). But if your son doesn't eat a lot when he's with you, there could be something else going on. Or maybe the food you serve is different and he just doesn't like it. I think your idea to take your son to the dr is a great idea. Get him checked out with his weight and all that stuff too.