Parenting with epilepsy

Being a parent can be exhausting and time consuming and it is possible to focus so much on your child that you forget to look after yourself. 

It is important to take care of yourself and to try and avoid anything that may trigger a seizure for you, such as:

• Not getting enough sleep.
• Forgetting to take your anti-seizure medication (ASM) at regular times.
• Becoming over-tired. It may help to share night feeds if you have a partner.

If your seizures happen suddenly and without warning, the following ideas may be helpful to keep your baby safe. These might not always be necessary, especially if there is someone else around to help you, but they could be helpful if you are with your baby on your own and have a seizure.

• Dressing and changing your baby on the floor means they would be less likely to fall if you had a seizure.
• Sponging your baby down on a changing mat on the floor is safer than bathing them in water.
• Carrying your baby in a padded carrycot rather than having them in your arms, may help to protect your baby if you fall.
• Using a wrist strap on your baby’s pram, or a brake that automatically activates, means that the pram will not roll away if you let it go.
• Feeding your baby in a low highchair may be safer as it is less likely to tip over than a higher one.
• Feeding your baby while you sit on the floor, surrounded by cushions and leaning against the wall, may help to keep your baby safer.  
• If seizures or epilepsy medication makes you feel confused or you have memory problems, try as much as possible to keep to a routine. Keep notes of when you fed your baby and how much. Label food and drink containers with date prepared. You can also seek guidance from your GP or neurologist if you have concerns about your memory.
• If possible, avoid carrying your baby on stairs or ask someone to help you with this. 

Depending on how your seizures affect you, epilepsy can come with safety risks. As your child grows and develops these risks may change as they become more mobile and independent.

You may want to think about how to keep your child safe at home. The following ideas may help:

• If your baby is crawling or has started to walk, you may want to think about fitting safety gates at the top and bottom of stairs, or at the entrance to areas that might be dangerous for your child such as the kitchen.
• If you live alone with your child, you may be able to ask a neighbour, family member, or friend to check on you both from time to time.
• Avoid leaving keys in the door lock and using bolts and chains and consider fitting a key safe on the outside of your home. This will mean that trusted adults or the emergency services can get in to help you if need be. 

If you are out and about with your young child, you may like to consider the following:

• Slings and child carriers may not be safe for your child if you fall when you have a seizure.
• It may be safer to use a padded pushchair and one with an automatic safety brake that would come on if you let go of the handle.
• If you are alone with your child, try to avoid dangers such as unfenced water (ponds or streams), railway lines, roads, and steep steps or drops.