is this coz of silent reflux?

[Sars]

my 17mth old boy has been a terrible sleeper ever since birth. recently after being really fed up with his sleep issues i visted a pead. he told me that it could be that he is suffering from silent reflux and put him on zantac-3ml 3 times a day for a week. but it didn't help much. i have discontinued zantac but would like to know whether in a week's time would it show results or did i give up too soon. in case i have to continue giving him zantac how much should i be giving him?pls help.

[RISA]

Hi Sars

17mths is a long time to not get a decent night's sleep. No wonder you went back to your paed. I would guess that it wasn't just the sleep issue that made your paed consider reflux as the cause for his poor sleeping. Perhaps your son is a bit cranky after meals or doesn't like certain foods or is particularly whingy and clingy? If there are other factors pointing towards reflux, yes you do need to give the medication a couple of weeks to really know if it's helping. We aren't doctors at RISA so we cannot advise you on doses but if you don't think the dose is making a difference, ring the paed and discuss this so they can increase the dose if necessary. There are also other medications which may be more effective for some babies - again this needs to be discussed with your paed.

Sometimes diet can make a difference to reflux babies & toddlers so you could consider a paediatric dietician if you want to try that path.

Perhaps a visit to a child health sleep clinic or day stay place. Riverton, Tresillion etc (different names in each state) have a team of nurses, doctors and various specialists to help you cope with a baby/toddler who won't sleep. In many cases they can confirm reflux and help accordingly and refer you to the relevant specialists. If the sleep issues are a learned behaviour but the reflux is now no longer a problem, they can help give your baby the skills it needs to sleep through the night and resettle themselves.

You certainly should expect that by 17 months your little one should be sleeping comfortably through the night (and so should you!). Continued sleep disturbance can have a negative impact on your emotional state so keep trying to get the support you need to sort this out. Keep in touch with your paediatrician or your gp to try and get to the bottom of your son's sleep issues. We wish you all the best and hope he's sleeping soundly soon.

Kind regards

Julie
for RISA Inc