MELATONIN Supplement Pros & Cons | Know the risks and side effects before giving melatonin to kids

MELATONIN Supplement Pros & Cons | Know the risks and side effects before giving melatonin to kids

You might want to read this before you consider jumping on the melatonin supplement bandwagon, there are pros and cons when using melatonin supplements for children, and we’re going to talk about bold sides.

MELATONIN Supplement Pros & Cons | Know the risks and side effects before giving melatonin to kids

As a disclaimer, it’s important that you learn all of the information that goes with melatonin and then you make your own decision because you know your child best and you are the best parent for your child.

Top 3 Pros of using melatonin:

1. when your child is jet lag
2. when you need to completely reset their circadian rhythm 
3. when you just need your child to fall asleep quickly

It should definitely be used as a short term solution. This is NOT a long term thing. 

What happens to the body when using melatonin:

When you use melatonin, adults and children, it triggers your body so that your body doesn’t need to make melatonin anymore. What happens is your body is now relying on the melatonin supplement to actually help your child produce melatonin in an artificial way. The longer your child is taking this melatonin supplement, the less your child’s body is going to be able to produce melatonin on their own.  What generally happens is that if you try to stop giving your child the melatonin, then their circadian rhythm is completely messed up again, which is probably why you’re giving it to them in the first place. So then you’re either going to have to go back to square one where your child isn’t sleeping, or you’re continuing to give a melatonin supplement forever, or you’ll have to retrain your child’s body on how to produce melatonin.

This is not medical advice, you have to check with your pediatrician. When checking with your pediatrician, speak about the dosage of how much melatonin to give your child, and when. 

Cons of using melatonin: 

1. Sometimes you can give your children too much. Even if the directions say to give your child at this age two gummies, it might be too much for your child. So when your child has too much melatonin, it has adverse effects. They may be having nightmares and they might not feel good. It’s called the melatonin hangover when you have too much melatonin or too much anything. On the side of caution, less is more; because if your child becomes reliant on a larger dose of melatonin, then you’re not going to be able to just cut them off from it.
2. Melatonin supplements are not FDA (Federal Drug Administration) approved. What that really means, in terms of melatonin supplements, is that every single brand can be made differently and it can have different doses, and one is not equal to the other. So, it’s really important to make sure that you’re comparing products and picking the one that is best suited for your child.
3. Some kids have mood swings when they’re on melatonin for too long.
4. They may have more headaches during the day.
5. There is not enough research yet on any long term medical concerns.

Look up the side effects and know what you’re putting in your child’s body, especially if your child doesn’t necessarily have a choice or say in what you’re putting in their body. They’re trusting you as they should. So, it’s really important that you do your job as a parent and make sure that you know exactly what is going on in your child’s body and what the possible side effects can be, and keep an eye out for those side effects.

Alternatives to melatonin:

1. Most important thing, especially with toddlers, is having schedules and routines.  The more your child knows what comes next and what to expect in their days, the more their body is going to adjust and they’re going to know exactly what is expected of them and exactly what is happening next. 
2. Getting outside to play as much as possible. The more vitamin D and sunshine that your child is exposed to, the more easily their body will be able to produce melatonin when darkness is triggering that production because darkness is telling your child’s body that it is night time, it is time to wind down and produce melatonin so they can get a good night of sleep.
3. Not allowing screen time 1-2 hours before bed. The blue light that we’re getting from those screens is activating your child’s brain and telling them that it is not even close to bedtime. 
4. Do some calm activities together before bed; play a board game, do a puzzle, read some books. Whatever you want to do with your child before bed, but you want them to get their energy out.

 If you need to start sleep training again, then head to https://www.slumberandbloom.com/free-evaluation and set up a free introductory call with me. I would love to see if I can help your family work through your sleep struggles, so make sure you set up a call and we will discuss everything that’s going on and how I can best help your family. 

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Missy Yandow

Pediatric Sleep Consultant

Potty Training Coach