Is Your Child Being Drugged In Daycare?

This month the parents of a Houston toddler were horrified to hear that their baby was given an overdose of medication while at his regular daycare. While the parents had given the daycare staff prescribed medicine to give to the child, one staff member administered far too much of the drug and the child was rushed to the hospital.

Unfortunately, daycare medicine mistakes and daycare drug overdoses are not rare events in Texas. While it is legal for day care staff members to administer drugs to children, there are strict rules and regulations that outline how this process takes place in order to prevent medication mistakes. If your child does not follow these rules, your child could end up getting too much medicine, not enough medicine, or the wrong medicine altogether.

Another frightening form of drug injuries and drug deaths at daycare takes place when daycare staffers drug children on purpose in order to make them easier to care for until their parents arrive to pick them up. In one case that led to a lawsuit just last year, a church daycare was found to be putting melatonin in their children’s candy before naptime. All in all four babies have died in recent years after daycare staffers gave the fussy children sleep or cough medication to keep them quiet.

What are some signs that your child is being given medication at daycare?

• Your child is unusually groggy when you pick him up from daycare.
• Your child is not interested in eating when he gets home from daycare.
• It is difficult to rouse your child.

What should you do if you believe your child may be receiving medication while at daycare? Have a talk with the daycare in which you stress that your child should not be given any drugs without your permission. Drop by the daycare at odd hours to check on your child. And also do research before choosing a daycare for your child.