Would you do this????

MomToMany wrote: I'm hating my Parents magazine more & more each month. In the Dec. issue, on page 215, a parent asks if it's OK to medicate their 2 year old child before taking him on an airplane flight, specifically "something to make him drowsy". The "doctor" recommends Benadryl or Dramamine (a motion sickness medication).

I can't believe some parents would actually do that! Am I the only one who thinks that's just WRONG??

And in one of the previous issues, some doctor said it was OK to let your child wear their diaper all day, without a single change.

Boy, that really makes me mad !!!

I feel really sorry for those children. They can't help it that their parents are idiots .

Gatalita replied: WTF!!!!

Dang... Going a day w/o changing a child's diaper is called NEGLECT If child serveses (DCS) where to hear about a parent doing that they would be arrested for neglect so fast that they couldn't see straight.

Then DRUGING YOUR CHILD!!!! OMG!!!! WTF ARE THEY THINKING!!!!!!!! That makes me SO.... irrate. Please give me the address of the magaizine so I can write them my 2 cents worth. That is so... messed up!

Kirstenmumof3 replied: When I flew with Emily and Spencer they were 2 and 5mths old. I happened to see my family doctor a few weeks before we were going to fly and he suggested I give them both Tylenol an hour before we got on the plane. He said this would help with the pressure from the take off and landing. I know myself my ears really bother me when I fly, so I usually take something myself. So this I do agree with.

However I don't agree with letting a child sit in a diaper all day. Even when my children were sick and not wetting there diapers, I still change it. That's just wrong!

maestra replied: Our ped told me that we could give benadryl to Jaci before flying, the last time that we flew. But I don't believe in giving children medication unless they need it, so I just nursed her on take off and on landing. She did fine.

Ok, leaving your child to sit in the same diaper all day is gross, and would give Jaci a serious rash.

Jamison'smama replied: My physician also recommended Benedryl before flying--not so much to make it easier on us but to relax her and it would help with fluid in the ears. I didn't need to do it but not sure if I have a huge problem with it. Flying has been hard on Jamison at times and we have flown probably 15 times so far--maybe she would have been less upset...not really sure. Benedryl is about the safest medication a child can take and if it helps their mental health then maybe......hmmmm

ediep replied: my cousin did the benedryl for her twin girls last time they flew from Cali to NY, I thought it was wierd then and I don't like the idea of medicating a baby unless it is really necessary. I have heared of it, but I don't think I would do it.

same diaper all day......gross, poor baby!!

kit_kats_mom replied: I don't agree with everything I read in Parents magazine either, but just a little bit in defense of the article about the diaper. I'm just afraid that the way you worded it in your post has led some others to read it as the magazine was reccomending it as a normal practice.

The article was titled "What if my kid did that?". The kinds of things that we all worry about as moms. Some of the other examples were; What if she...ate the dog food, drank the bathwater, swallowed chewing gum, refused to eat veggies, swallowed a bottle of kiddie vitamins. They had peds and doctors respond. In the "what if my baby sat in a wet diaper all day long" instance, the doctor said that nothing worse would happen than a diaper rash and then gave instructions on how to care for said rash.

They weren't advising parents to leave their children in diapers all day long any more than they were advising parents feed their kids entire bottles of vitamins or dog food.

On the benedryl thing, I asked my ped about it when we were planning a trip to BC when K was 8 mos old. I chose to not medicate her unless she made herself totally insane with tantrums. She was better than I could have ever hoped for so I didn't have to bother. I did however give my cat benedryl on the advise of my vet when I took her on a long car trip for a move. LOL

MomToMany replied: I'm sorry I got so upset, Cary. But I read that article too, and it made me wonder how many people will still think that's OK to do, and then they will do it more often. I guess knowing what's all in a disposable diaper, and thinking about a child sitting in that all day just upsets me.

As for the Benadryl, it upset me because so many kids have died from parents/babysitters overdosing children on that stuff (or similar stuff) so they would stop crying/being fussy. I would never think of even trying that on my kids.

I apologize if I upset anyone. It just really bothered me to read that stuff.

kit_kats_mom replied: Mollie, I wasn't upset. I just thought I'd clarify for those who had not read the article. I can see where it would get you riled up. No biggie!

coasterqueen replied: I for one do not like Parents magazine as well as the other..what it is??? Oh yeah I think it's Parenting magazine. I just don't even read those things anymore. They are worthless IMO and I'd rather get my information somewhere a bit more reputable than from a writer who doesn't research the article to the fullest.....for instance all their breastfeeding articles. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

Anyways I think it's absolutely obsurd to give a child medication before flying. If you can't nurse them, give them a bottle to suck on to help with their ears and well....I guess that's one of the reasons I haven't flown with Kylie. Until I'm sure she can handle it...well we either don't go by plane or I go alone. I wouldn't give her medication so she could relax or not throw fits..that's just obsurd to me. It says to me I shouldn't be putting her in that situation anyways and if it's a case where I'm not sure how she'll handle it...well then we go by train or car or I don't take her with me. Thankfully Dh has agreed totally with me on this. This was one of the reasons he didn't want to go see his mother recently. He didn't think Kylie could handle the flight..so we didn't go.

Those magazines are not good for anything but to start a fire IMO . I think Mothering Magazine is a far better one IMO .

MomToMany replied:
Yep, I'm cancelling my subscription and going to get Mothering instead.

Gatalita replied: I'm sending Parenting Magazine a letter via. email. I hope for them to send me something back.

If everybody can ban together and send them letters expressing our dislike and how stupid it is to drug and keep infants in 1 diaper a whole day! One voice isn't enough... Many voices are. I *REALLY* want something done about it b/c there are some ppl out there that are stupid enough to believe it. Considering how Parenting Magazine is supposed to be "reliable source of information."

Jamison'smama replied: I am a subscriber to Mothering Magazine--well I think my subscription just ran out and I do think the articles fit more with my philosophy. As for the flying, I would love not to fly with Jamison but my family is more than 13 hours away by car. A 13 hour car ride would be much harder on my child than a 3 hour plane ride. I haven't medicated Jama before a flight but I jump through every other hoop to entertain her--- Once nursing ended, it sure made it harder to fly with her--nursing on airlplanes is a God-send.

kit_kats_mom replied: I don't read them for their breastfeeding advise...I come here for that LOL. I agree that they dont' always get that right but I understand that they are trying to apeal to the greatest number of women and that includes non breastfeeders.

I just enjoy them as some light reading. They generally have some pretty good crafty ideas that I can do with K.

I want to subscribe to Mothering but I need to wait until my other subscriptions have ended. I've got Child, Parents and Parenting all coming right now. LOL I barely have time to read any of them.

kit_kats_mom replied:
ITA! I swear Katherine was on my boob for both 8 hour flights to Canada.


Also guys, I don't work for Parents mag...nor am I a paid spokesperson. I'm just a mom who's degree is in Library and Information Studies and I hate to see a magazine bashed for being a) misinterperted or not meshing with someones ideas. I see stuff all the time that I don't agree with, in all kinds of media outlets but seriously, it appeals to someone so i'm not going to get my panties in a bunch about it.

MomToJade&Jordan replied: When I flew home in May of 2003 someone told me that you could give Jade some benedryl to help her nerves and her ears. I asked my doctor about it and he said he doesn't believe in druging up kids and I totally agreed with him. She was about 8 months old and her grandparents still hadn't seen her yet. As you all know she was born in Hawaii and I had not been home for over 2 years. Basically I needed to go home. The doctor recommened if I had to give her anything to help with ear pressure then give her some tylenol. I brought it along just in case and actually had to give it to her before we got on the plane because she was cutting teeth and it was upsetting her. I think that was the only time I gave it to her. I don't remember. She did spend most of that flight home nursing which was hard, but so worth it. If I could have gotten in a car and drove home I would of, but of course I live on an island in the middle of the ocean. We are going to have to get on a plane when we leave here. Jade will be at least 3 at that point and I will just make sure she has something to drink or something to eat for the air pressure. I don't even take benedryl because I don't like how it totally knocks me out. I'm not going to give it to Jade.

Nicole replied: WTF would someone do that for?