I was wondering if infant tylenol caused babies to go to sleep? My 5month old has been up MANY times a night crying in his sleep. I have a feeling that he is teething. After many sleepless nights, I gave him tylenol at 1am and he slept til 6am!
Since I am a first time mom, I do not know for sure if he is teething. I do not want to give him tylenol if its going to make him sleep. I want to give it to him if it is going to make the pain go away so he can sleep.
I've given it to my son many times during the day and he doesn't get sleepy. I think your 5 month old is just sleeping better because his pain has lessened, not b/c he's being made drowsy by the tylenol..
The most likely answer is that the Tylenol had the desired effect of giving your son pain relief so that he was finally able to sleep comfortably. Pair that with the fact that you said he'd had several restless nights and he probably FINALLY caught up on some much needed sleep! Obviously keep an eye on him, but don't deprive him of pain relief because it does it's job:)
The Tylenol isn't making him sleep, he's sleeping because he is no longer in pain. Tylenol does not make children drowsy, so it's perfectly safe to give them in the correct doses. It could definitely be teething, but you may want to have his ears checked as well. Ear infections can keep a baby up at night too and they aren't always accompanied by a fever. My daughter got her first tooth at 4 1/2 months old though, so teething is certainly not out of the realm of possibility.
I don't think there is anything in Tylenol to make him go to sleep. However, Tylenol could remove the pain, and it could also just cause your child's muscles to relax slightly, helping him sleep.
I think that the pain relief is what is allowing your child to sleep. If he's not been able to sleep and then finally can get some rest, he'll sleep as long as he can to make up for it. Babies like their sleep and they'll get it when they can. :) I agree with the other poster who mentioned ear aches. Make sure to get him seen if you don't see any other signs of teething.
Yes - it works and is a slight sedative for the infant. But don't overdo it.
I remember my oldest getting sleeping with infant Tylenol as well. It is so hard when you think they are in pain. Luckily this will pass, teething can be really painful, but soon your child will be done with this stage :)
R.
I don't have a child but I wanted to add this thought...I am doing research right now on acetaminophen (Tylenol) because my mother gets very drowsy every time she takes it. This did not used to happen to her...but it just seems to get worse every time she takes it now (which isn't often). It is plain acetaminophen, nothing else added. I am about to call the drugstore and she will be asking her dr. as well. Just a heads up that it seems to effect some people this way.
Acetaminophen, by itself, does not cause drowsiness.
I think the idea, in general, is that they are relieved of pain, and sleep much better as a result. You could say this is the case with any children's medicine or gripe water. I've had the same experience with my DS using all natural (no drugs) remedies. So I wouldn't say it's the drug, but more of the relief tied to it that lets them relax.
And 5mos is about the right time for that pain to start setting in, so you're on the right track!
No sedative properties in Tylenol. It sounds like you guessed right, relieved the pain, and he slept better because of it.
Tylenol does make little ones sleepy. I only gave it to my daughter at night (when teething) so that the pain would subside and she *could* sleep. The only time I give it to her during the day is if she's got a fever that I need to bring down...and in that case it's good for her to sleep or be sleepy and calm so that she can rest and get better. At five months, I would assume that your little one is teething. My daughter got her first tooth at 6 months and sometimes it takes a long time for them to pop out.
