Toddlers: 12 - 24 Months
Options
Melatonin for 15 month old that doesnt sleep
Our pedi recommended giving DD one tablet of melatonin to help her sleep. I've never heard of this. I am typically against giving DD anything that is unnecessary. But she has some major sleep regression and hasnt slept well for 2 weeks now.
Any experiences with melatonin?
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Melatonin for 15 month old that doesnt sleep
I took it when I was a child to get some sleep. But this was middle school-ish.
I've never heard of it being given to a toddler. I probably would almost prefer to give her some benadryl.
i would be hesitant to use it on a child. When i used it, it would knock my azz out better than tylenol PM and i also had the vivid dreams.
is the not sleeping a new thing? have you changed anything about your night time routine?
yes. lots of pediatricians use this to help kids sleep. It's naturally excreted by the pineal gland and helps to regulate sleep. More is excreted at night when it's dark (there is also a peak at about 2pm).
Although it is used in kids all.the.time, there actually aren't any long term studies on this medication. It is unknown how additional doses of melatonin interact with a child's developing endocrine system.
So, while the pedi's I work with tell me that it is safer than Benadryl, there is nothing to back this up.
In the end, I would use whatever works and try to use it as little as possible.
I have no experience with Melatonin, but I've never heard of drugs being used as sleep aides for babies/children. Could she be cutting molars? Maybe a new fear of the dark? Have you tried a nightlight in her room? That really helped dd. Have you changed anything about the bedtime routine?
My DD slept great from 5.5 months through about 16.5 months. All of the sudden she was waking up 1-3 times a night. I kept thinking it would pass, but it went on for a month before -- suddenly -- she began to sleep well again.
For us, changing the sleep routine helped. I don't know why, either, because it was the exact same routine we'd been using since she was 5.5 months old. But I changed things up a bit and she's been STTN most nights for about two weeks now.
::: What I changed probably wouldn't apply to most people, but DD still gets two bottles a day (one in the a.m. and one in the p.m.). She always took that nighttime bottle right before bed. I just started giving it to her while I read her books, then we do teeth, then more books, then bed. Somehow, this did the trick for us. :::
Have you read any sleep books? Try Sleep Easy Solution or Healthy Sleep Habits Happy Child.
DD goes through sleep regression after she's been sick. We have to "re-train" once she's better.
Kids often times regress a bit when they start daycare. She might miss you during the day, so she wants to stay up to have more mommy time. I'd try sleeping with her a bit to see if it gets any better.