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Message |
cjik
Welcome 2010!
Member since 2/06 8879 total posts
Name:
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Baby Orajel Can Cause Choking?
Does anyone know if there is any truth to this? I looked for urban legend stories, since this e-mail I received reads like a typical one, but couldn't find much.
Thanks!
The e-mail about orajel:
Dear all,
I hope everyone is enjoying their summer. Some of you already know,
but we wanted to make everyone aware of a terrifying experience that
we had over the weekend. Thank g-d, everything8 0s ok now but we
thought friends and family would want to be aware and would want to
advise others with babies…
Zane's been teething pretty badly for the past few days, and we
decided to give him Baby Orajel on Sunday afternoon. We've given it
to him a few times previously, when his first two teeth cut through,
and never had a problem. Scott and I were both sitting with Zane on
the floor in his room when I rubbed a dosage on his upper gum.
Seconds after I gave it to him, he made a face as if he were crying
but no noise came out. I picked Zane up and he immediately went limp
in my arms and his face turned blueish. He was not panicking or
gasping for air - he was lifeless. This lasted for approximately 15
seconds, but felt like an eternity. Words cannot con vey our
feelings during that time (or even now, ever) as we attempted to
revive our son. No parent should ever experience such a feeling and
no person should ever see something like this happen to a loved one.
Without a doubt it was the scariest moment of our lives. Ultimately,
Zane "came to" and began to cry hysterically. Thank g-d!!!!!!!!
We spent the evening at the hospital, where Zane underwent numerous
tests, all of which came back normal. We also spoke with Zane's
pediatrician, who stated that she advises against the use of this
product because its purpose is to numb and if it gets into an
infant's throat, it may stop them from breathing. Obviously, we
wanted to learn more about this product and why this happened so we
conducted some internet research. Interestingly, we came across some
postings of parents with similar experiences. Further, one website
listed a side effect as, "difficulty breathing and grey/blueish
face." Also, when we called Zane's daycare to let them know what
happened, the owner said that she's heard of this happening before.
It's surprising then that no such warning is on the bottle and that
more people do not discuss the negative and possible deadly
implications of the use of this product.
We don't want to imagine what could've happened if we had given this
to him at night, in his crib, as we (and many others) have done in
the past, and then walked away (although, of course we monitor him
throughout the night).
To reiterate, the reason we share the above with you is to strongly
advise you to throw away any Baby Orajel products you have at home
and please advise your friends and family of the same. Trust us,
it's not worth the possible side effects.
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Posted 7/21/08 7:38 PM  |
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JRG71
*****************
Member since 5/05 5025 total posts
Name:
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Re: Baby Orajel Can Cause Choking?
Its true.
The numbing effects of orajel on the gums can effect babies gag reflexes.
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| Posted 7/21/08 7:42 PM |
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EmmaNick
*
Member since 12/06 16001 total posts
Name:
*
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Re: Baby Orajel Can Cause Choking?
Well I have heard that it's "harmful if swallowed" although no one has really elaborated on that. I gave it to DD a couple times, then read that and the fact that it is not very effective and didn't use it again. I had a toothache a few weeks ago and only had the baby stuff on hand so used it on my tooth and I did swallow some and my throat was numb.
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| Posted 7/21/08 7:44 PM |
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justthe4ofus
I hate hypocrites!!!!!
Member since 5/05 6905 total posts
Name:
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Re: Baby Orajel Can Cause Choking?
Posted by JRG71
Its true.
The numbing effects of orajel on the gums can effect babies gag reflexes.
I have been told the same thing my friend and her husband who are both EMTs. So I rarely used it.
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| Posted 7/21/08 7:45 PM |
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JRG71
*****************
Member since 5/05 5025 total posts
Name:
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Re: Baby Orajel Can Cause Choking?
Posted by Jamie
Posted by JRG71
Its true.
The numbing effects of orajel on the gums can effect babies gag reflexes.
I have been told the same thing my friend and her husband who are both EMTs. So I rarely used it.
My mom is an RN - It was the only thing she ever told me not to do - so I listened.
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| Posted 7/21/08 7:49 PM |
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whyteach
LIF Adult
Member since 8/06 2697 total posts
Name:
Christina
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Re: Baby Orajel Can Cause Choking?
wow im glad i read this
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| Posted 7/21/08 9:24 PM |
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octoberbride
Big sister to be!
Member since 11/05 2174 total posts
Name:
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Re: Baby Orajel Can Cause Choking?
Our ped told us not to use it for this exact reason.
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| Posted 7/21/08 9:33 PM |
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cjik
Welcome 2010!
Member since 2/06 8879 total posts
Name:
|
Re: Baby Orajel Can Cause Choking?
Huh. Thanks for the posts. I've been using it, but will stop now.
The email read like one of those urban legends to me, they all seem to have the same tone, so I thought it had to be a fake. All the same, I wanted to check and I'm glad I did.
Thanks!
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| Posted 7/21/08 9:56 PM |
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Re: Baby Orajel Can Cause Choking?
My ped also told me that it can numb the throat. She also said that it can be toxic.
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| Posted 7/21/08 9:57 PM |
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cjik
Welcome 2010!
Member since 2/06 8879 total posts
Name:
|
Re: Baby Orajel Can Cause Choking?
Bump for anyone who didn't see this yesterday.
Scary, I had no idea. Thankfully, nothing happened to DS when we were using it.
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| Posted 7/22/08 9:15 AM |
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2PreciousBlessings
The Perfect Pair
Member since 5/06 19861 total posts
Name:
Best Wife & Mommy
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Re: Baby Orajel Can Cause Choking?
Thanks for the info. Thank God I didn't have to use it so far.
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| Posted 7/22/08 9:16 AM |
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HillW9608
Hello Summer!
Member since 5/08 5916 total posts
Name:
Hill
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Re: Baby Orajel Can Cause Choking?
Wow how scary is that??? They wouldnt consider taking it off the market? IDK.. thats horrbile!
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| Posted 7/22/08 9:18 AM |
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cgdg61606
Little Brother Christopher
Member since 2/07 6815 total posts
Name:
Christine
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Re: Baby Orajel Can Cause Choking?
Thanks for posting!
I haven't used it yet, because I was afraid of Thomas having a reaction because the package says something about not to use if DC every had a reaction to benzopaine, but how would you know if you never used it! 
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| Posted 7/22/08 9:22 AM |
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MsMBV
:P
Member since 5/05 28602 total posts
Name:
Me
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Re: Baby Orajel Can Cause Choking?
Posted by JRG71
Its true.
The numbing effects of orajel on the gums can effect babies gag reflexes.
Indeed it can. My Ped never recommends it.
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| Posted 7/22/08 9:25 AM |
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pinkandblue
Our family is complete, maybe
Member since 9/05 32436 total posts
Name:
Stephanie
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Re: Baby Orajel Can Cause Choking?
I have heard that...I give my dd a tiny bit and it is the only thing that helped teething, she has had NO problems
eta - my ped said it was totally fine to use....it is so wierd how every ped is different...I think you have to do what you are comfortable with
Message edited 7/22/2008 9:28:33 AM.
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| Posted 7/22/08 9:26 AM |
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Lillykat
going along for the ride...
Member since 5/05 16253 total posts
Name:
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Re: Baby Orajel Can Cause Choking?
Posted by MsMBV
Posted by JRG71
Its true.
The numbing effects of orajel on the gums can effect babies gag reflexes.
Indeed it can. My Ped never recommends it.
ITA - my ped said the same about the baby orajel and didn't recommend using hylands either.
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| Posted 7/22/08 9:31 AM |
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KristinasMama
How did she turn 2 so quickly?
Member since 10/07 8257 total posts
Name:
Blessed Mama of Kristina Elena
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Re: Baby Orajel Can Cause Choking?
My bff's aunt is a nurse in the NICU, and she told me the same exact thing....
I will never use it.
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| Posted 7/22/08 10:06 AM |
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funtime
LIF Infant
Member since 10/06 373 total posts
Name:
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Re: Baby Orajel Can Cause Choking?
Posted by cjik
Does anyone know if there is any truth to this? I looked for urban legend stories, since this e-mail I received reads like a typical one, but couldn't find much.
Thanks!
The e-mail about orajel:
Dear all,
I hope everyone is enjoying their summer. Some of you already know,
but we wanted to make everyone aware of a terrifying experience that
we had over the weekend. Thank g-d, everything8 0s ok now but we
thought friends and family would want to be aware and would want to
advise others with babies…
Zane's been teething pretty badly for the past few days, and we
decided to give him Baby Orajel on Sunday afternoon. We've given it
to him a few times previously, when his first two teeth cut through,
and never had a problem. Scott and I were both sitting with Zane on
the floor in his room when I rubbed a dosage on his upper gum.
Seconds after I gave it to him, he made a face as if he were crying
but no noise came out. I picked Zane up and he immediately went limp
in my arms and his face turned blueish. He was not panicking or
gasping for air - he was lifeless. This lasted for approximately 15
seconds, but felt like an eternity. Words cannot con vey our
feelings during that time (or even now, ever) as we attempted to
revive our son. No parent should ever experience such a feeling and
no person should ever see something like this happen to a loved one.
Without a doubt it was the scariest moment of our lives. Ultimately,
Zane "came to" and began to cry hysterically. Thank g-d!!!!!!!!
We spent the evening at the hospital, where Zane underwent numerous
tests, all of which came back normal. We also spoke with Zane's
pediatrician, who stated that she advises against the use of this
product because its purpose is to numb and if it gets into an
infant's throat, it may stop them from breathing. Obviously, we
wanted to learn more about this product and why this happened so we
conducted some internet research. Interestingly, we came across some
postings of parents with similar experiences. Further, one website
listed a side effect as, "difficulty breathing and grey/blueish
face." Also, when we called Zane's daycare to let them know what
happened, the owner said that she's heard of this happening before.
It's surprising then that no such warning is on the bottle and that
more people do not discuss the negative and possible deadly
implications of the use of this product.
We don't want to imagine what could've happened if we had given this
to him at night, in his crib, as we (and many others) have done in
the past, and then walked away (although, of course we monitor him
throughout the night).
To reiterate, the reason we share the above with you is to strongly
advise you to throw away any Baby Orajel products you have at home
and please advise your friends and family of the same. Trust us,
it's not worth the possible side effects.
This is completely true...these are good friends of ours, and we were with them that day...Zane's ok though!
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| Posted 7/22/08 10:21 AM |
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Re: Baby Orajel Can Cause Choking?
I never used it for my DS because of this and was nervous. Then I spoke to my mom who works for the company that puts it out and she brought up my concerns at one her meetings and she said they didn't have any problems with the product.
For DD I have used it but only the swabs which I feel I have better control over and since it is a pre-meausred amount I know I am not using to much. I could the this being a choking hazard if you put to much on though.
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| Posted 7/22/08 12:04 PM |
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GoldenRod
10 years on LIF!
Member since 11/06 26792 total posts
Name:
Shawn
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Re: Baby Orajel Can Cause Choking?
Published medical journal story on this:
http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/pagerender.fcgi?artid=1862717&pageindex=1
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| Posted 7/22/08 12:45 PM |
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2BEANS
wow time is going fast.
Member since 9/07 16106 total posts
Name:
Tina
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Re: Baby Orajel Can Cause Choking?
Posted by Jamie
Posted by JRG71
Its true.
The numbing effects of orajel on the gums can effect babies gag reflexes.
I have been told the same thing my friend and her husband who are both EMTs. So I rarely used it.
I remember someone posting that they spoke with EMT and they told them this.. i havent used baby orajel on my dd since reading that post. Ive only given my dd something to chew on or tylenol for her teething.
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| Posted 7/22/08 12:48 PM |
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