Is melatonin safe to give my three year old who stays up all night?

Question

My pediatriton told us to start giving our three year old melatonin at bed time cause she would stayup till 3 am and then be back up at 7 am ready to go not stopping all day not even to take a nap

before answering with stupid remarks about my parenting read some of the side effects that people have shared and all the facts cause i have had Pharmacysts tell me that its is bad and has bad side effects

Answer 1

No it's not a good idea. Melatonin is a hormone that acts as a neurotransmitter. It sends signal about circadian rhythm- natural body cycles of sleep and awakeness, but it also is tied up somehow with other hormones.
There is NO scientific evidence that it is safe for 3 year olds. It could end up screwing up your child's brain signals. We don't know enough about how it works, and it does NOT work well for everyone. Your pharmacist is right and your doctor is wrong.
Get a second opinion, or better yet, get your doc to send you to a clinic where the child can have a complete workup. Find out what the problem is before anyone starts prescribing meds for a toddler to fix the symptom.
I empathize with you- I had one child who was 3 !/2 before sleeping thru the night. He had a baby sibling who slept thru at 4 weeks old and he was still up five times a night. It makes a mom a little edgy to be so short on sleep.
I commend you for wanting more information- most sleep-deprived parents would just do what the doc said without thinking twice, just to get some zz's.
One natural thing you can do is give her warm milk at bedtime- it contains tryptophans which make you sleepy (the same stuff in turkey). If you must add flavor, use the smallest amount of cocoa because it does contain caffeine.
Have you considered cutting out all sugar and caffeine in her diet? She can get the natural needed sugars in fruit. She may be hypersensitive to these substances. You can try it while waiting for appointments. My friends' kids were so sensitive to chocolate that if anyone gave them some they's be acting out all day, wouldn't go to sleep and woke repeatedly all night. Once she banned choc, they were much more biddable.
Good luck, honey, and take turns with hubby getting rest. You need it to stay on top of a toddler.:)

Answer 2

Pediatricians especially, but doctors in general, seem to think that medicating is the greatest thing since sliced bread. It isn't surprising that in the US there has been a huge influx of children on Ridalin (much higher than the norm in the rest of the world). This is due to the huge increase in diagnosed ADHD. Note that I say "diagnosed." It is not the same thing as actually having ADHD.

I understand that you are probably tired with your child being awake. I would sooner try to make her bedroom safe and let her be awake when she wants to be awake. If she stays up late, so what? As long as she isn't having ill effects from it, why should you try to change it?

As long as she is safe in her room, let her stay up. She will learn to self-pacify herself and learn more about being independent. Medicating her, even with something relatively safe like melatonin, is just asking for trouble. It would be one thing if she was exhausted or cranky all day. If she isn't then leave her be if you can.

Answer 3

I have always driven people crazy because I have never needed much sleep. It's just the way some people are born. But, I can understand your concern with having a 3 year old up at 3am when you are sound asleep. If your doctor says it's ok then it probably is. Just don't be to concerned with your child's sleep rhythm it's just his/her sleep cycle. As your child grows older you'll start to notice he/she is smarter that other children of the same age. High IQ people have the commonality of a low sleep requirement.

Answer 4

I am guessing that you don't feel this is a good idea. Always go with your gut instinct.

I would probably try chamomile tea or even tablets(calms forte) before trying melatonin, but that's just my opinion.

I am a huge believer in the power or homeopathic remedies. I feel very safe giving them to my children as directed.

Just one mom to another, do what you feel is safe.

May I suggest tiring our that little one the old fashioned way, exercise and play till she can't keep her little eyes open.

Answer 5

Find another doctor. Melatonin is a mineral in the body that diminishes as we grow older. A 3-year-old shouldn't be having that problem.

Answer 6

Take him to your doc for a check up. Dan S described sleep hygeine including making the room for sleep only pretty well. I'd beg off on the drugs for a 14 y/o unless it gets real disruptive. Just an aside... If he stops getting tired during the day or starts getting real moody, take him to a psychiatrist. Childhood insomnia is common in bipolar disorder.

Answer 7

I think you need to seek a second opinion on this one. My doctor advised me as an adult to be very cautious about melatonin because it is a hormone and long term effects have not been studied.

Answer 8

I'm grand mother of three year's old,she comes to my house on the weekend i love her so much but she don't sleep what can i do?we all are tired specially my husband she only want pop pop.Helpppp!!!!!!!.

Answer 9

Nooooo! It can cause serious nightmares! Tried it, find a new doctor!!!! There definitely better ways to help. Best of luck!

Answer 10

no. milk instead.tell your kids the truth. tell them in advance what you do and why.Quit springing stuff on em.