Should Diphenhydramine Be Used as a Sleep Aid in Infants?

Approximately 20 to 40 percent of parents report frustration because their infants have poor sleeping habits. Even though this is a common problem, there are few studies that evaluate intervention strategies. One option includes using medication to help infants sleep; diphenhydramine (Benadryl), the most commonly used agent, has not been studied in children younger than two years. Even with the lack of science-based evidence, almost one half of the pediatricians surveyed recommend this as an option to the parents of infants with sleep problems. Merenstein and associates evaluated the use of diphenhydramine in infants with parent-reported nighttime awakening.

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