Dr. Komarovsky on sedatives for children
Every mother, especially when it comes to the mother of a restless baby, dreams of the child finally sleeping and letting everyone sleep. So, with the question of how reassuring to give a child, mothers come to the offices of children's doctors. Pediatrician Yevgeny Komarovsky, who himself hears such questions almost every day, decided to tell all concerned parents whether babies need sedatives and what medicines they can be given.
Who needs such drugs?
Modern mothers believe that the sedatives are very necessary for her child, who sleeps badlywakes up often naughty and shows signs of the very hyperactivity about which it has recently become so fashionable to talk every time you need to explain the baby’s anxiety. Yevgeny Komarovsky, pediatrician of the highest category, candidate of medical sciences and author of books and articles on children's health issues, is sure that The question itself asking to prescribe a sedative to a child sounds incorrect.
All over the world, doctors, obeying the requirements and recommendations of the World Health Organization, are not even aware of any sedatives for children. There are babies with mental illnesses and severe pathologies who need serous treatment with equally serious drugs. But these are neuroleptics, tranquilizers. To assign something to a child without psychic deviations to simply calm him down is an exclusively Russian “invention”.
Dr. Komarovsky is also a staunch follower of just such an approach. He is sure that a child who does not have severe psychiatric diagnoses, neither sleeping pills nor sedatives are needed. Moreover, they are dangerous if their use is not justified. But in Russian pharmacies there are a lot of funds that are sold without a prescription. But they are not related to the hypnotic and sedative (in the true sense of the word). Most often, these are homeopathic preparations with one tenth of a molecule of some active substance per liter of water with sugar.
It is clear that the child can not get calmer from the water with sugar. But this makes the doctor, who is overwhelmed by the parents with the question of prescribing sleeping pills, calmer, and the mother, who is now confident that she helps the child, giving him drops or pills, labeled as “for a child’s sleep” or “for the baby’s calmness”.
In most cases, says Yevgeny Komarovsky, when a mother believes that it’s time for a child to start taking a sedative, she is wrong - her baby doesn’t need anything like that. And if he does not sleep well, then he is not guilty of this, parents should take responsibility for disturbed sleep and whims and make the child sleep, sleep soundly and calmly and behave peacefully and without hysterics.
What to do?
First of all, according to Komarovsky, parents should take responsibility and understand that problems with sleep and behavior are problems of their own upbringing and organization of the daily routine. If a child is sitting, playing computer games, a tablet, if he is forced to eat and he moves a little, then with a high degree of probability he will need, in his mom's opinion, sedatives.
When a child moves a lot, he walks, takes part in any sports section, rides a bicycle, eats when he wants, and not when his mother thinks that it is time for him to have lunch or dinner, usually he has no problems falling asleep.
The issue of employment of the child - the first to be addressed. Next, you should make sure that all the conditions for a healthy sleep are created - the room is cool, the air is damp, the bed is comfortable, the child does not get bright new impressions before going to bed, does not run and does not play active games.
Do all parents go this way? Unfortunately not. It is more convenient for many to go to another doctor who will register a homeopathic "Tenoten», «Dormikind”, Sweet, but, alas, useless syrup“ Edas-306 ”or look at the Internet a couple of tips on how to give glycine to a newborn, how to make motherwort to a child, valerian, how to make soothing baths with herbal decoction before going to bed. Komarovsky says that you can give herbal remedies to a child. But is it necessary - the question is different, because the problem that caused the baby to have signs of hyperactivity or there were problems with night rest, and will remain unresolved.
Truly hypnotic and sedative drugs are sold exclusively by prescription, which can be obtained if the child has pathologies from the work of the central nervous system, as well as for mental ailments.
It should be noted that in society there was a practice to apply not only homeopathic but also nootropic drugs for children with a sedative purpose (“Phenibut», «Pantogam" other). Komarovsky believes that the effect of such a group of funds is not much greater than the effect of homeopathyand, more precisely, both of them are completely useless, they by and large do not cure anything.
What to replace?
Dr. Komarovsky recommends the parents of a restless child to forget the way to the pharmacy. Anxiety can be removed a lot of other ways, doing without pills and drops, because even herbal preparations are largely useless to a kid. Komarovsky refers to such means of evening bathing, but not in ordinary warm water, but in a cool bath, after which the child should immediately be given warm pajamas.
For children 3 years and older, such well-known recipes for quick sedation, like warm milk and honey, are well suited. In 2 years, honey is better not to give, you can provoke a strong allergic reaction in the baby.
If your child is well helped mother's massage, do it before bedtime. Sometimes a great sedative is a simple conversation with the baby, reading the evening tale.
There is always a reason for concern for the child - either he is uncomfortable (hot or cold), or wet and damp, or he is tormented by nightmares. From any position you can find a decent way out.
Buy a night light, so that the child was not scared in the dark, pick up a baby massage cream with a pleasant smell, turn on the baby pleasant music, better classical, quietly, unobtrusively.
If the child is already 3 years old, you can try aromatherapy techniques. Inhaling the vapors of essential oils is useful not only in terms of their beneficial effects on the nervous system, but also for the prevention and even treatment of respiratory diseases.
In addition, there are such excellent and absolutely no negative side effects methods like art therapypuppet therapy fairy tale therapy. The child psychologist or teacher will help to choose something that will be interesting and useful for the child, and also has a beneficial effect on the psychological state of his mother. You need to go to them, not to the pharmacy or to the doctor.
Show the child to the doctor with significant violations in his behavior and condition. Violation of night sleep (episodic), as well as increased curiosity, mobility and sociability to diseases have nothing to do.
Reviews
Reviews of mommies lately are increasingly encouraging both Komarovsky and any sensible person, since so many have begun to come to the conclusion that the “magic” pills that would make a healthy and calm kid out of a healthy and active kid simply do not exist. There is a way of life, temperament, character, mood in the end, but no pills.
That is why experienced mothers do not recommend solving the issue even in favor of valerian or broth of motherwort.
In the next video, Evgeny Olegovich will tell whether children with normal health need sleeping and sedatives at all, and will recommend the best way to soothe and improve the child - the right dad.
