Sleep Solutions By Christine | Washington DC, Maryland, Northern Virginia
  • Services
    • Strategy Calls
    • Newborns (0-11 weeks)
    • Infants (3-18 months)
    • Toddlers (19 months - 11 years)
    • Adult Sleep Consulting | Sleep Solutions
    • Careers
  • About
  • Sleep Resources
    • Articles
    • Free Resources
  • Contact
  • Services
    • Strategy Calls
    • Newborns (0-11 weeks)
    • Infants (3-18 months)
    • Toddlers (19 months - 11 years)
    • Adult Sleep Consulting | Sleep Solutions
    • Careers
  • About
  • Sleep Resources
    • Articles
    • Free Resources
  • Contact

Sleep Solutions & Resources

Sleep Tips
Adult Sleep Tips
Baby Sleep Tips

Is a pill the answer to your child's sleepless nights?

4/8/2019

Comments

 
Picture
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. 

Click Here for All Posts

Comments

    Categories

    All
    Adult Sleep
    Appearances
    Autism
    Baby
    Baby Sleep
    Baby Transition
    Baltimore
    Breastfeeding
    Case Studies
    Child
    Children
    Child Sleep
    Clock
    Crib
    Crib To Bed
    Daycare Naps
    DC
    Enough
    Environment
    Feeding
    Help
    Ill
    Infant Sleep
    Los Angeles
    Maryland
    Mom Questions
    Mom Things
    Myth
    Nap
    Nightmare
    Nightmares
    Night Terror
    Night Terrors
    Nursing
    Parenting
    Regression
    Safe
    Sensory Issues
    Sick
    Single Parents
    Sleep
    Sleep Help
    Sleeping
    Sleep Solutions
    Sleep Things
    Sleep Training
    Teething
    Time
    Tips
    Toddler
    Transition
    Twins
    Vacation
    Virginia
    Wahington DC
    Washington

    RSS Feed

    sleep guide for parents to get kids to sleep
Picture

Interested in learning more about me or how I can help your child sleep all night?  ​

Contact me today and learn how I help families get the sleep they need. I work with clients internationally, as well as the Washington DC, Maryland, Delaware and Virginia. 
Contact Christine
Infant Mental Health Training
Professional Sleep Consultants
Home    Services    About Me    Sleep Resources    Contact
Phone : 443-343-2832
Email : christine@sleepsolutionsbychristine.com



© 2017-2018 Sleep Solutions by Christine | Waking Girl Web Design ​