If you’ve considered giving your kiddos melatonin gummies to solve bedtime battles and night wakings you are not alone. Unfortunately, it doesn’t eliminate night wakings and is a band-aid fix. Melatonin is also not recommended for most kids.
What You Need to Know About Melatonin
Once a baby is about 3-4 months old, their brains start to produce melatonin and their internal body clock starts to develop. Melatonin is a hormone produced by the pineal gland in the brain that helps our body initiate a sleepy state. It does not keep us asleep all night.
How Does the Body Know When to Produce Melatonin?
Our bodies like to sleep in a cave – think cool, dark, and quiet. Theoretically, once the sun goes down and it’s dark, our brain knows to produce melatonin. The opposite happens when the sun rises. Our brains produce cortisol and tell us it’s time to wake up.
Ever since the invention of the light bulb, we’ve been exposed to light a heck of a lot longer into the evening. This can really mess up our internal body clock and decrease the production of melatonin. But don’t worry, there’s a sleep hygiene list below to help keep that melatonin production in check.
Is Melatonin Safe for Kids?
The US FDA has not approved the use of melatonin for children who suffer from sleep issues. Some kids who have taken melatonin have reported mild side effects like headaches, bedwetting, and drowsiness. Many experts believe melatonin can impact hormonal development in kids, but more research needs to be conducted.
Melatonin has been recommended for some kids who have ADHD or Autism. Always speak to your pediatrician before using melatonin for your child.
Benefits of Sleep Training vs Melatonin Use
Using melatonin to get your kiddo to fall asleep quickly at bedtime may eliminate some of the initial struggles, but it doesn’t fix the problem. Once the melatonin wears off, your child will likely still experience night wakings. Melatonin use doesn’t teach your child to fall asleep independently and confidently so that they can easily link sleep cycles throughout the night.
Teaching your child to be a great sleeper starts with proper sleep hygiene, clear expectations, and firm boundaries.
If your child is experiencing night wakings or having a hard time falling asleep at night, I encourage you to check their sleep hygiene.
Sleep Hygiene Checklist
Consistent 30-minute bedtime routine
Calm, relaxing, and quiet sleep environment
Blacked out room
No blue light in the room
No screen time 1-2 hours before bed
The room is 68-72 degrees
Lower lights a couple of hours before bedtime
When to Do Something About Your Kiddos Sleep Issues?
Is your current bedtime routine taking an hour or more? Does your kiddo come out of their room multiple times throughout the night? If your child is not getting quality sleep for 10-12 hours at night, it’s time to make some changes. Sleep is essential for a child’s development – it’s when all the magic happens:
What’s Happening When Your Child Sleeps
All sorts of amazing things happen to your child’s brain and body when they sleep. It’s not just about the necessary 10-12 hours of nighttime sleep. It’s also about the consolidated, uninterrupted amount of sleep. If your child is waking up multiple times at night, it’s impacting their health. Here are a few of the things that happen when your kiddo is sleeping.
Growth hormones are produced
Their brain processes information they learned that day
Cell recovery happens
Immune system boosts
Emotions regulate
School performance improves
Improves memory, attention and processing skills
Better able to manage depression and anxiety
Run through the sleep hygiene checklist and make any necessary changes. If that doesn’t fix your sleep struggles, I can help. Book a discovery call and we’ll talk about a plan.