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Daycare Center and Family Home Forum>Another Benadryl Death at Home Day Care
nannyde 06:48 AM 03-21-2019
https://www.news10.com/news/vt-news/...are/1861070825

RUTLAND, Vt. (NEWS10) - More details are being released about the circumstances surrounding a six-month-old found unresponsive at her Vermont daycare.

Recently released toxicology results show that she had ingested high concentrations of diphenhydramine, which is the active, sedating ingredient in over-the-counter antihistamines, such as Benadryl.

Marissa Colburn and Blake Briar said their baby girl, Harper Rose Briar, was 100 percent healthy the morning of January 24th, 2018 when she was dropped off at the state-certified in-home daycare. They never told the daycare provider to give her any medication nor were they asked for permission, so it came as a shock when they learned the results of the autopsy and toxicology.

Harper Rose was known to her family as "Perfect Princess". The little peanut was born 6 pounds, 17 inches long on July 24, 2018 at 1:46 p.m. Colburn's mother picked out her name. "She was a very happy baby, always smiling, she was just perfect. That's just the best way to describe her, perfect," said Colburn. She had just started crawling, holding her bottle on her own and got her first tooth. Her favorite food -- green beans -- in baby food form of course.

Briar was working and Colburn decided to go back to school full time for Social Work at Castleton University. Colburn was never fond of the idea of daycare and being apart from her baby, but she spent three months vetting daycare providers to make sure she chose the right one.

On the third day of daycare, Colburn was just leaving school on her way to pick up Harper when she got the news; via text message, no less. "I actually got a text message, it wasn't a call. She said: 'Baby sick. Ambulance here. Go to hospital.'," said Colburn. She added that the daycare provider never showed up at the hospital or reached out to check on Harper's well-being.

For the last two months, Colburn and Briar had no answers as to how their baby girl died. They had been waiting for the toxicolgy results to come in. On March 13, 2019, they would learn that their daughter had ingested more than one dose of Diphenhydramine, which is the active, sedating ingredient in antihistamines, such as Benadryl.

Days later, Stacey Vaillencourt, 53, was arrested and charged with Manslaughter and Cruelty to a Child. She pleaded not guilty and was released on $25,000.

"Blake and I both want for her, the person who was solely taking care of her at the time to be held responsible. There really was no need for it. There's no need to give a healthy, happy baby anything to sedate them. There really is no reason. We don't understand. I don't know if we'll ever understand. It's just awful," said Colburn.

Many unanswered questions remain. The family hoping that there is Justice for Harper. The family will also be pushing for "Harper's Law", to see stricter penalties for in-home daycares and mandatory cameras for surveillance.

"When you have a child that can't talk or stand up for themselves, you don't know what's going on and the person you think you can trust, they could be doing something you don't know about. Unfortunately for us, it makes us never want to use a day care again," said Colburn."

Another 50 something white provider. Licensed. I've seen this pattern for so many years.

Mandatory cameras? Um no If we are going to require cameras to protect kids then we need to require them when they are under the care of the mother, father, step parents etc. Daycare providers comprise one fourth of a percent of the total life altering injuries and death in children. Mothers either acting alone or with others comprise nearly three quarters of the deaths.

We wouldn't require mothers to be on camera because it would be a violation of their right to privacy. That's the same problem with requiring them in daycare. If she believed cameras should be there she could have found one that had them. She searched three months for a daycare. Find a daycare that provides the services you need.

Every time I see a Benadryl or sedative daycare death I always come down to the same thing. Crying. Crying and no space to have the crying child in an area where it doesn't affect the other kids and the provider can walk away and take a break. That requires SPACE. Space is a huge issue in child care and lack thereof dominoes it's way into these kinds of incidences. I'm not saying it's the ONLY cause but I truly believe it contributes to providers doing stupid things like doping to avoid crying.

I can also guarantee the other kids in the daycare had the same medication in them. I wish police would require a tox screen on EVERY daycare kid when there is a death in a daycare. That day.
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Blackcat31 06:52 AM 03-21-2019
Cat Herder posted about this yesterday in the current events thread... https://www.daycare.com/forum/showpo...&postcount=353

Absolutely horrible. Bad decisions all around.
Heartbreaking none the less.
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Blackcat31 06:54 AM 03-21-2019
Originally Posted by nannyde:

I can also guarantee the other kids in the daycare had the same medication in them. I wish police would require a tox screen on EVERY daycare kid when there is a death in a daycare. That day.
I dont think so. Not unless they had issues sleeping too. I think this is related to poor sleep habits of infants and the ability of providers (new and old for different reasons) to manage this relatively new issue.

"but was usually a poor sleeper and sometimes couldn’t sleep unless she was held"

Parents testified they didn't medicate their child. How many parents say that? How many are truthful?
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Ariana 06:58 AM 03-21-2019
Is it possible it was a dope and drop? I just read the article quickly but will go back and reread when I get a chance.
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Ariana 07:00 AM 03-21-2019
Originally Posted by Blackcat31:

Parents testified they didn't medicate their child. How many parents say that? How many are truthful?
It is terrifying because ANY parent can dope and drop and then blame the provider. Maybe she told them she would term so they gave her Benedryl.
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nannyde 07:22 AM 03-21-2019
Originally Posted by Blackcat31:
Cat Herder posted about this yesterday in the current events thread... https://www.daycareprevious daysorum...&postcount=353

Absolutely horrible. Bad decisions all around.
Heartbreaking none the less.
Woops didn't see that.

I believe the child was picked up after afternoon nap.
My suspicion is that she was given benadryl the first two days she was there too. she may have not cleared out the two previous days. Just a hunch
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nannyde 07:25 AM 03-21-2019
Originally Posted by Blackcat362:
I dont think so. Not unless they had issues sleeping too. I think this is related to poor sleep habits of infants and the ability of providers (new and old for different reasons) to manage this relatively new issue.

"but was usually a poor sleeper and sometimes couldn’t sleep unless she was held"

Parents testified they didn't medicate their child. How many parents say that? How many are truthful?
From some of the benadryl deaths I've studied the providers buy in quantity and give with liquid at lunch. Remember Sabine?

I think if the parents are willing, all the other kids should be tested. They can wait to run the tests after the deceased child's tests come back
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Blackcat31 07:26 AM 03-21-2019
Originally Posted by nannyde:
Woops didn't see that.

I believe the child was picked up after afternoon nap.
My suspicion is that she was given benadryl the first two days she was there too. she may have not cleared out the two previous days. Just a hunch
I wonder if Vermont providers are required to have permission forms on site each time or just a standard form that covers any time a provider chooses to dose a kid?

I've read some lax and some down right scary open ended med. permission forms and policies so I wonder.

I hate feeling jaded but I want to know how thoroughly the parents were interviewed questioned? I just can't help but feel like parents shouldn't automatically be innocent vs the way providers are always automatically guilty.
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Blackcat31 07:34 AM 03-21-2019
Originally Posted by nannyde:
From some of the benadryl deaths I've studied the providers buy in quantity and give with liquid at lunch. Remember Sabine?

I think if the parents are willing, all the other kids should be tested. They can wait to run the tests after the deceased child's tests come back
I wonder how much the child was actually given as some one recently told by my Dr to take Benadryl for undiagnosed allergic reactions I have to wonder....

I was told to carry a bottle (liquid form) with me at all times. When necessary drink some. How much? I was told it won't really hurt me but take approx double what a child's dose is. When asked how often I need to repeat dosing if symptoms don't reside...every 30 minutes.

That makes me uneasy now as the general attitude about Benadryl is that it's fairly harmless.

My DD's room mate left a big bottle of it in his room one day. His dog ate it. Small dog. Called the vet. Vet said he might be sleepy but it's probably harmless.

According to https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7073039

"A fatal outcome following a diphenhydramine overdose does not commonly occur"
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sharlan 08:11 AM 03-21-2019
Changed my post
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Ariana 08:31 AM 03-21-2019
I was on a mom forum once where someone said they were a nurse and recommended a parent give Bendryl for a long haul flight! I was mortified and told her so. She had no idea who this baby was, history etc.

I think Benedryl is definitely used by a lot of parents to get their kids to sleep.
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Josiegirl 09:29 AM 03-21-2019
Originally Posted by Blackcat31:
I wonder if Vermont providers are required to have permission forms on site each time or just a standard form that covers any time a provider chooses to dose a kid?

I've read some lax and some down right scary open ended med. permission forms and policies so I wonder.

I hate feeling jaded but I want to know how thoroughly the parents were interviewed questioned? I just can't help but feel like parents shouldn't automatically be innocent vs the way providers are always automatically guilty.
I'm pretty sure it's each time and it has to come in an original container from the parent themselves. We were also told we couldn't keep anything like children's Tylenol on hand, to administer, it all has to come from the parent.

So so sad.

Vermont also had a death in a dc a couple years ago, a so called free range dc where the class and staff had taken a walk to the brook. When they returned nobody noticed one child was missing until the parent showed up for pick up. The little boy drowned in the brook and nobody even noticed. How the he!! does a child get missed like that??? Especially with more than one staff member present? Too busy gabbing with each other or on the cell phones? Not counting heads 100 times a day like we're taught to do??

A whole different type of totally preventable death.
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Mom2Two 12:38 PM 03-21-2019
Originally Posted by Blackcat31:
I wonder how much the child was actually given as some one recently told by my Dr to take Benadryl for undiagnosed allergic reactions I have to wonder....

I was told to carry a bottle (liquid form) with me at all times. When necessary drink some. How much? I was told it won't really hurt me but take approx double what a child's dose is. When asked how often I need to repeat dosing if symptoms don't reside...every 30 minutes.

That makes me uneasy now as the general attitude about Benadryl is that it's fairly harmless.

My DD's room mate left a big bottle of it in his room one day. His dog ate it. Small dog. Called the vet. Vet said he might be sleepy but it's probably harmless.

According to https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7073039

"A fatal outcome following a diphenhydramine overdose does not commonly occur"
Yes, we've been told by our board certified pediatric allergistS (yes multiple) that it's nigh impossible to OD on benedryl or Zyrtec. ????

But I'm getting OT for the main problem with the original post. Personally, I won't give meds even with a note from parents. Just. don't. ask. Parent your own child.
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springv 01:01 PM 03-21-2019
In Alabama, we have to have a medication form filled out and on file for child re en if they take meds and even in the summer for sunscreen. If our state childcare consultant comes and it has when needed on it, they consider it a blanket form and will count off
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hwichlaz 04:55 PM 03-21-2019
I think the article is innacurate. It's more likely that the benedryl made her too sleepy to wake herself up during an apnea episode, or too sleepy to adjust her position and prevent asphyxia
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nannyde 04:24 AM 03-22-2019
A Provider gives it: https://www.foxnews.com/health/babys...benadryl-death 15 years

A Mom gives it: https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nat...190739759.html One year probation
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Rockgirl 06:01 AM 03-22-2019
Originally Posted by hwichlaz:
I think the article is innacurate. It's more likely that the benedryl made her too sleepy to wake herself up during an apnea episode, or too sleepy to adjust her position and prevent asphyxia
Good point.
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nannyde 07:22 AM 03-22-2019
Originally Posted by hwichlaz:
I think the article is innacurate. It's more likely that the benedryl made her too sleepy to wake herself up during an apnea episode, or too sleepy to adjust her position and prevent asphyxia
But those may be two reasons why it is not given to children under four.

The only Benadryl indication for two to four is cream and that's with Dr's orders. Their isn't a safe dosage range for infants because it's not supposed to be given to infants.
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Rockgirl 07:36 AM 03-22-2019
Originally Posted by nannyde:
But those may be two reasons why it is not given to children under four.

The only Benadryl indication for two to four is cream and that's with Dr's orders. Their isn't a safe dosage range for infants because it's not supposed to be given to infants.
Exactly. So many people assume they can just give an infant a smaller dose of cough/cold/allergy meds if they’re congested or coughing. Actually the only safe way to treat them is to keep their nasal passages as clear as possible and use a humidifier (as per my children’s dr when they were little).
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rosieteddy 07:52 AM 03-22-2019
I provided childcare was licensed am white and worked until I turned 63 and never would have medicated any child so they would sleep.I never even gave Tylenol.If child needed medication the parent was called.I did give amoxicillin when properly prescribed with a signed note.I think over 50 and white was kind of an insult.I know that is not how it was meant ,hopefully.For all we know any age,gender or nationality could be giving meds to make children go to sleep.Even parents before drop off .Ito have heard parents had been given the advice when traveling on long flights.This child as many are was to young and its never an appropriate sleep aide.
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mommyneedsadayoff 08:06 AM 03-22-2019
I think medicating kids is super common, both at home and in daycares. In the article above, it said that one in five parents admit to using Benadryl on their young child. It sounds like doctors support that in a lot of cases. It kind of reminds me of the Tylenol craze. Every little ailments was treated with a shot of Tylenol(teething especially). And then we had all these overdoses and seem to realise the effect it has on the organs, so now people are more hesitant to give Tylenol.
Melatonin appears to be the newest trend in sleep aids. Especially in children with autism, melatonin was highly recommended as a sleep aid. I would imagine it's gotten some misuse in children who don't technically need it. I'm not sure if it has side effects, but there is no reason to medicate a healthy child, natural or not. Medicating a sick child should be well thought out in terms of side effects, let alone a healthy one.
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Rockgirl 08:27 AM 03-22-2019
Some give Benadryl to children before trips to help prevent motion sickness....not strictly to make them sleep. Of course it should only be when necessary, and the proper dosage.
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Tags:benadryl, benydryl, death at daycare
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