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While I was checking out a few recent threads in one of my favorite Facebook groups recently, a question came up that I thought would be interesting, because of course, it asked about sleep, so I started reading the comments.
A mom asked a seemingly straightforward question; “My 14 month old won’t sleep! She’s up half the night and I can’t get her to sleep! What do I do? What I read in the comments made my jaw hit the floor. Not just one, but multiple moms in the comments recommended she give her kid melatonin! I was pretty shocked. Would you be? Not only was this some random person with no verifiable medical training telling another exhausted, desperate, sleep deprived mom to give her toddler a pill to get her to sleep, but also no one was asking the real question about why her child wouldn’t sleep. While a pill might be a quick fix, is it safe to give to your child, and does it fix all of your child’s sleep issues? Melatonin is a hormone made naturally by our bodies by our brain’s pineal gland. Sometimes known as the “sleep hormone” and it tells our bodies that it’s time to sleep. It also helps us to regulate our body temperatures, our immune system and blood pressure. It’s available in a synthetic pill and liquid form and is almost always labeled “all natural”. It’s available over the counter here in the U.S but other countries require a prescription. When deciding to give your child medication to help with sleep issues, such as a supplement like melatonin, take a few minutes to consider the real cause of your child’s sleep problems and ask yourself a few questions: 1) How does your child normally fall asleep? Do your child need some sort of ‘prop’ such as rocking, being held, riding in a stroller, feeding, a pacifier, swinging, etc in order to fall asleep? For a baby or child to learn to fall asleep independently, you have to eliminate props and give your child the chance to develop their own way of falling asleep. 2) Does your child have a diagnosed medical condition? While melatonin can be helpful with certain medical issues, it’s best to talk with your child’s doctor before giving your child any medication. 3) Do you know how much to give? Whether it’s a pain reliever or any other medication, ask your child’s pediatrician if you’re not sure how much to give. 4) Do you know the side effects? There’s little science based evidence that says whether it’s good for kids or not. “According to Healthline.com, most studies {of the effects of melatonin use] show that melatonin is safe with little to no side effects, but the long-term effects of melatonin supplements in kids are largely unknown, and melatonin supplements are not approved for use in children by the FDA.” While melatonin can help your child fall asleep, it won’t help your child if they’re procrastinating at bedtime, waking up and crawling into your bed at night or fix your baby’s frequent night wakings. So why not get to the heart of the matter if your child isn’t sleeping at night? In many cases, sleep issues in children can be more behaviorally based vs an actual medical issue. If your child is struggling to get sleep and stay asleep all night, set up a free call with me and let’s discuss your situation. We’ll work together to pinpoint the reason WHY your child isn’t sleeping at night and we’ll put together a plan that works for your child, tell you EXACTLY how to get them sleeping through the night. Contact me at christine@sleepsolutionsbychristine.com to set up your free sleep support call.
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 Planning to sleep a little longer this Sunday morning?
It’s time to spring the clocks forward for the annual move to daylight savings time. Have no fear! I’ll tell you exactly what to do to adjust your baby or child’s schedule in 3 simple steps. 1. First, leave your clock alone Saturday night. Wake up Sunday morning at your usual time, have your coffee, then go around your house and change your clocks that didn’t change automatically. 2. Gradually move your child’s bedtime and nap times starting Sunday night. Children who no longer nap: If your child normally goes to bed at 7:00pm, put him/her to bed at 7:30pm on Sunday night. Do this for 3 nights, then on the 4th night put him to bed at 7:00pm or whatever is normal bedtime for your child. Toddlers (12 months and older)- Start with naps on Sunday and put your child down for their first nap 30 minutes later than normal on the first night of the time change. If your child usually naps at 9:30am, naptime on Sunday is now 10:00am. Do the same with the afternoon nap if there normally is one. For bedtime on Sunday, if your kiddo’s normal bedtime is 7:00pm, you would put him down at 7:30pm. Do this for 3 nights and then on the 4th night, put him to bed at 7:00pm. Within a week, you’re back to your child’s regular bedtime. Infants (6-12 months with a predictable bedtime)- If bedtime is normally 7:00pm, move bedtime 15 minutes earlier each night until you reach the normal time. On Sunday night, you would put baby down at 7:45pm, the second night 7:30pm, and so on. In four nights you should be back to 7:00pm. If their bedtime is not predictable (0-6 months old) simply jump to the new time Sunday night. 3. Make sure your child’s room is as dark as possible. Install blackout curtains if you don’t already have them. Your child may wake up too early with the sun rising so early now in the morning and may struggle to fall asleep while it is still light outside. Even with the extra hours of daylight, your child sleep needs the same amount of sleep. It may take children and babies a bit more time to fall asleep or not seem to be as tired as usual, which is normal. It usually takes about a week for children and babies to completely adjust to daylight savings time and some children may take up to 3 weeks to adjust. Be patient and consistent, and your child will be sleeping in no time! If you have any questions about how the time change will affect your child or about your child’s sleep, please send me an email at christine@sleepsolutionsbychristine.com |
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