"Should I Give My Child Melatonin to Help Her Sleep?"

I’ve heard this more times than I can count, “Should I give my child melatonin to help her sleep?” In short, no. Melatonin is not a magic pill. There are instances where melatonin is necessary, but that is at your pediatrician’s discretion. 

 

Before I get into the reason why you should not administer melatonin to your child, I want to mention that melatonin can be good for those who have difficulty producing melatonin naturally. Some common uses of melatonin include: insomnia, jet lag and sleep disorders. Melatonin can also be helpful for kids with ADHD, Autism and neurological conditions that interfere with sleep. Aside from the aforementioned conditions, melatonin should not be given to children without approval from a doctor.

Some facts about melatonin: 

• Melatonin is naturally produced and regulates the natural circadian rhythm.

• Melatonin is produced in waves, at certain times and tells our body that it is time to sleep.

• In synthetic form, melatonin is not regulated by the FDA and is not controlled in same way as other drugs.

• Melatonin is not a magic sleeping pill.

• Too much melatonin is bad for you, as a melatonin pill contains 25-30x more melatonin than the amount that is naturally produced in our bodies.

• Side effects of too much melatonin include: daytime drowsiness, dizziness and headaches. More side effects include bed wetting, nausea, stomach pains and excessive sweating.

• Unnecessary doses of melatonin may affect development and/or interfere with other hormones.

 

And now for some facts about sleep: 

• You can improve your healthy child’s sleep without a pill. 

• Change the way you react to your child’s nighttime wakeups. 

• Poor sleep affects your child’s mood and ability to pay attention and learn. 

• 75% of school age children don’t get enough sleep.

Getting to the root of your child’s sleep problem is the key to improving sleep. There could be a medical concern or it could be a behavioral issue. Regardless of where the issue stems from, it is so important to seek out professional advice before jumping on the melatonin band wagon. I see so many Facebook posts by moms who encourage other moms to give their kid melatonin (or benadryl) to help their toddler sleep through the night. Please stop asking Facebook groups how to help your baby sleep. Ask a professional. 

 

If you have spoken to your child’s pediatrician and you have determined that it may be time to change your child’s sleep habits, please reach out to me. I am here to help you. 

 

If your baby is over 4 months old, one-on-one sleep support would be a perfect fit. With my personal support, you would have a written sleep plan, supporting documents, email and sleep log support and 1-4 weeks of one-on-one help to perfect your child’s sleep. 

 

If you’re pregnant or if you have a newborn, check out my prenatal/newborn sleep guide. I offer 38 pages of step by step instructions on how to teach your baby healthy sleep habits from the start, so you don’t have to get to a point of needing sleep training. This guide is not sleep training. It involves lots of snuggling and cuddling your baby, while practicing healthy independent sleep habits when the baby accepts it. This guide is broken down by month to make it easy to navigate and follow.

 

 

Don’t wait for your child’s sleep to “fix itself,” because most of the time, it doesn’t.

 

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Sweet Dreams,

 

Missy Yandow