Toddler Sleep Deprivation

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Permalink Reply by Ginny S on September 17, 2009 at 16:41

Hi Laurie

I feel for you and your situation. It can be awful.. Sleep deprivation is the worst. please don't do controlled crying as I firmly believe they wail in the night because they are in pain. My two did not sleep at all until they went on to restricted. diets. So:

please see other posts on Dr Shah, Eosinophilic conditions etc. I have a three and a half year old and 22 month old. They both actually have severe food intolerances/allergies. They have gut allergies, not detectable in the blood. Are you dairy and wheat free? These are the usual culprits and gut allergies cause severe reflux, diahroea/constipation, infections (particularly urine and ear/nose and throat problems) and stomach cramping that prevents sleep. Domperidone has dairy in it so is a real problem drug for lots of these kids. 50 per cent of kids with reflux actually have food intolerances/allergies. Dr Shah is the top person in the country. If you are not at Chelsea and Westminster GOSH clinic or Great Ormond Street then the paeds do not seem to know about these conditions. You can see Dr Shah (he is the consultant at Great Ormond STreet) privately there or at Viveka in St. John's Wood. My oldest is fine on a restricted diet. He did not sleep a wink until I cut out dairy, wheat, gluten and soy. He drinks rice milk. My daughter is worse and is on reflux meds (omeprazole and ranitidine) and now on anti-histamines (nalcrom and ketotifen). The anti histamines and restricted diet have sorted her out completely. She is off the same foods as my son and also beef and eggs. She has gone from off the chart on her height to the 60th percentile in three months and her weight has shot up too. She never ate, drank or slept for 19 months. It was hell. Dr Shah was a massive help and lots of people on this site have ended up seeing him and he seems to be able to help all these kids. He specialises in eosinophilic conditions, or a type of gut allergy to food and other things like pollen. The elimination diet would be your next avenue to explore. I have a friend with three children - 7, 6 and 2 year old. She has been to see Dr Shah and he has finally sorted them all out. they were just on reflux meds but are not any more and now they are just on a resticted diet, except her middle child who was the worost. She is on the anti histamines ut not on the reflux meds, which is amazing as she had been on omepraxole for over five years!

Hoep this helps. Think you needsome proper advice and you should go to best person if your daughter that aold. it is worth it. I just saw him once and he advisies my doctor at Chelsea and Westminister.

Good luck!

Ginny x

PS have you tied droppping domperidone? That is the worst drug as far as my kids conceerned. Stella screamed all the time on that (I had her on it for five months). It was truly awful. I thik it is like some sort of speed that speeds up their systems and makdes their stomachs cramp. Stleaa literally cried all night when she was on that. I would cut it out!

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