It has been an ongoing joke around Facebook and Twitter, if your kid drives you crazy “just slip them some cough medicine” this can prove to be deadly. People who use sleep inducing drugs on children, resulting in death are charged with negligent homicide, but the loss of a child is a very tough penalty.

FAIRFIELD, CT – The death of a 4-month-old baby at an unregistered day care has been ruled a homicide after toxicology reports found high levels of Benadryl in the infant’s system. The death of Adam Seagull was initially ruled as SIDS, with new information police will pursue possible criminal charges against the day care that has been in operation for 11 years.

REYNOLDSBURG OH- Eight-month-old Haddix James Mulkey died by a lethal dose of Benadryl while in daycare. 43-year-old Lori Conley, was arrested last week on charges of child endangerment and murder in the infant’s death.

BROOKLYN, Conn.  An 8-month-old baby girl died from drinking a Benadryl laced bottle. Justine Barber and Kevin Hartshorn, have been charged in the death of their child. The couple admitted to giving their three children “specials,” Hartshorn told police that he contacted Barber on the night of the incident to tell her that the baby girl was “screaming and crying, turning purple” after drinking a bottle prepared by Barber with 50 mg of dissolved sleep aid in it.

Detroit Michigan- Elizabeth Long, a 34-year-old mother is responsible for the death of her son Lukas, after laying on the couch to take a nap he never woke from. She  reportedly told investigators that she gave her son some Benadryl in his bottle that morning, but lab results revealed Lukas had ten times the amount of the medication in his system than a normal dose would produce. After a lengthy trial she was found guilty of murder, and faces life in prison.

Texas-  4-month old Clara Marguerite Felton, died while at a day care center. A wrongful death suit has been filed by Perry and Lauren Felton, and names Spoiled Rotten Day Care and its owner, Marian Fraser, as defendants in the wrongful death case.  The infant failed to wake up from her nap after being administered an unauthorized dose of Benadryl. If your child seems to be continuously drowsy after picking them up from daycare, you may want to investigate the cause.

Connecticut-  Three infants died in separate home daycare settings in Fairfield,Stamford, and Sterling. Two of the daycare homes were unlicensed and operating illegally according to police and state officials.  The cases involve the deaths of a 4-month-old boy in Fairfield; a 4-month-old girl at the licensed Little Bears Daycare in Stamford, and an 8-month-old girl at a home daycare in Sterling that the state had tried to shut down last year. The cases were investigated and the child from Fairfield had toxic levels of Benadryl in his blood. In the Stamford case, the child died of a head injury and the death has been ruled a homicide.

Massachusetts- A woman was sentenced to life in prison after she was found guilty in the death of her 4-year-old daughter, whose blood had a lethal level of a hypertension drug used to sedate children with ADHD. Her husband, who was tried separately, was convicted of first-degree murder.

Research published by Journal of Pediatrics, found an average 160 annual cases where pharmaceutical drugs were maliciously used on children. Information from the National Poison Data System,found that children were most commonly receiving analgesics, stimulants/street drugs, sedatives, hypnotics, anti-psychotics and cough or cold medications. If your child is constantly crying refusing to sleep, there are alternatives to quieting them. Safe and effective anti gas drops, can help since colic is a leading cause of a fussy child. Music to calm infants, is available to purchase or free on You Tube. Soothing baby bath with lavender and Chamomile, has been found to help. For those who put Benadryl  in their children’s bottle in order to have some free time, you are taking a high risk that your child may never awaken, or have serious damage from the effects of a drug never intended for children. Cough and cold products for children under 2 years old  were removed from the market because of ongoing safety issues, multiple infant deaths and suffering from overdose was the main concern.

Psalm 127:3 Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward.