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The team members here at the Baby Sleep Site® work hard to stay on top of the latest news and trends related to sleep – particularly baby and toddler sleep. It’s important to us that we’re always using current research, recommendations, and best practices in our work with families.
So when one of our sleep consultants passed a local news story about an emerging sleep trend along to the rest of us, we were eager to read it! Imagine our surprise, though, when we read the news headline: Parents Turn to ‘Sleeping Pills’ for Kids.
Parents Are Giving ‘Sleeping Pills’ To Their Babies and Toddlers
Turns out the ‘sleeping pills’ referred to in the story aren’t actual sleeping pills. The story is really about parents who give their young children melatonin at night, in an effort to help their babies and toddlers sleep.
For many families, melatonin makes a huge difference in their children’s sleep. That was true for Mindie Barnett, a mom who was interviewed for this news story. As she explained, it used to take her toddler up to 2 hours to fall asleep at bedtime; now, with the help of the melatonin drops, it takes just 10 minutes.
Big improvement, right? And all thanks to a natural, doctor-prescribed sleep aid. But Barnett isn’t alone; increasing numbers of parents are turning to melatonin to “cure” their children’s sleep problems. As Dr. Sanjeev Kothare, who was also interviewed for the story, points out,
“Families have heard from others, they’ve seen on the Internet, they’ve seen it on TV, that melatonin may be a useful product and an easy fix,” said Dr. Sanjeev Kothare of NYU Langone Medical Center.
But Is Melatonin Safe to Use as a Sleep Aid?
Does all of this sound too good to be true? That’s because it is. Yes, melatonin is effective in helping children fall asleep quickly, but is it safe for babies’ and toddlers’ growing little bodies? What about the long-term effects?
That’s where things get a bit alarming. There’s a lack of clinical research to indicate whether or not long-term use of melatonin is safe. However, since melatonin itself is a hormone, and since it regulates other systems in the body (particularly systems that control puberty-related changes), it seems safe to assume that giving melatonin to a child on a regular basis, over months or even years, would have some effect.
What’s more, many pediatricians fear that if children take melatonin supplements long-term, they may become dependent on them to fall asleep (psychologically dependent, and perhaps even physically dependent). In other words, kids may get “hooked” on melatonin, and need it in order to fall asleep.
While many doctors agree that melatonin can be excellent for the small percentage of children who suffer from serious sleep disorders (especially disorders that are caused by reduced melatonin levels), they quickly point out that healthy children really don’t need additional melatonin.
Why Are Parents Giving Melatonin to Healthy Children?
So why are parents giving healthy kids this supplement? Michael Breus, a clinical psychologist, shared his opinion in a recent Wall Street Journal article:
“Parents are using melatonin because they are stressed out,” said Michael Breus, a clinical psychologist and board-certified sleep specialist who knows parents that have given melatonin to their children for years at a stretch. “They come home late, eat dinner late, and they think they can just flick an on-off switch for their children to get to sleep.”
This is understandable, right? And I would add another reason to Dr. Breus’s: even those parents who do everything right (use a predictable daily schedule, have a strong bedtime routine, work to break sleep associations, etc.) sometimes really struggle with getting their babies to sleep well, and with getting their toddlers to go to bed at night. Sometimes, parents work and work at improving sleep, and it’s still hard. No wonder, then, that parents may feel tempted to turn to a “quick fix” like melatonin supplements.
Nicole’s Note:
“I can’t tell you how many times it’s happened that someone comes to me with a toddler sleep ‘problem’ which is not a problem at all. If your 2 1/2 year old is taking two hours to fall asleep, for example, many people don’t realize that many 2 1/2 year olds can now stay awake sometimes 6 hours. If she is napping 1-3pm, you’re looking at a possible 9pm bedtime, not 7pm! In addition, I have families ask me if melatonin will help with night-wakings and keep in mind it mostly helps with falling asleep initially at night, not for later in the night. It is not wise to be ‘re-dosing’ melatonin throughout the night.”
Skip Melatonin Supplements, and Teach Your Child to Sleep
As more and more parents turn to melatonin to help “cure” their children’s sleep problems, healthcare professionals are pushing back and urging parents not to use these “magic sleeping pills” as a cure-all.
We think this is wise advice. We believe that, with time and plenty of support and help, every baby and toddler can learn to sleep through the night, and to take long and restful naps. A small percentage of children may have a medical need for melatonin supplements, but the vast majority do not. For those children, using melatonin to “fix” their sleep problems is not only ineffective, it’s potentially dangerous.
Instead, we urge parents to take the time, and to do the work, to truly solve their children’s sleep problems. This often takes a comprehensive approach – one which takes the whole child into account. Let’s put it this way:
There are many gentle sleep training techniques that can bring a child’s body into harmony, resulting in healthy sleep. We must stop putting a band-aid on a problem, (in this case, a potentially dangerous band-aid). Instead, we need to address the entire child – nutrition, routine, relationships, medical history, family philosophy, temperament, and personal development. This is what we do at the Baby Sleep Site®, and it’s why I’m proud to serve clients here.
In our opinion, the bottom line is this: no supplement is a substitute for healthy sleeping habits.
Your turn, parents – what do you think about this trend? Would you give your baby or toddler ‘sleeping pills’ to improve sleep? We’re interested in hearing our readers’ opinions on this one!
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[email protected] says
All of these comments are antidotal and don’t add up to evidence based conclusions. If you read all these comments please balance your non-scientific conclusions by reading comments from parents who have taught their children to fall asleep by themselves. It may not be as easy as melatonin but it doesn’t require a drug store and lasts a lifetime.
Maggie says
My word! Im a bit shocked by the negative comments on here. I think it was a well-written article that simply gives parents things to consider.
As a mother of a tricky little sleeper I understand that sleep deprivation is just downright awful and I constantly worry about her health and development. Having used sleep consultants and sleep experts to no avail, unfortuntely, we’ve gotten to the point that we simply have learned that she does things on her own time and at her own pace. She’s still not a great sleeper, but we have seen a lot of progress and I feel that’s a step in the right direction. I focus on the things I have control over and what I am able to keep consistent for her – I.e. sleep setting, bedtime routine, set bedtime, always home for naps. I understand not all families have that luxury and flexibility, but fortunately I do.
It does seem like there isn’t adequate research around babies and melatonin so I don’t know if health professionals simply tend to error towards more of your text books answers around these things for reasons such as Liability, unknown risks, etc.
My question is whether or not there is anything known about just using melatonin on a situational
Basis? I’m not looking for any long-term usage but more for use just for the long travel time between leaving our house to when we can check into a hotel and get her down for a nap? I would of course do a trial run at home, in a safe setting, just to be sure she reacts well, before giving it to her for the first time 30,000 feet in the air! My biggest draw to considering melatonin is because I worry that her lack of sleep during those 7 hours of awake time (should mention that she doesn’t sleep in the car seat and won’t sleep on a plane) will only cause her to become overly tired and therefore compromise any quality sleep she might be able to get after that. I understand that the recommendation might still be, ‘no due to lack of adequate data’ but is there anything you can tell me that I should take into consideration about melatonin and an 11-month-old to help me make my decision?
Thanks for your help!
Neosha says
@Maggie – Thank you for reading and for sharing! Giving melatonin to your children to aid in better sleep can definitely be controversial and we always welcome healthy, productive discussion on our blog. 🙂 And, we definitely feel your pain about the not sleeping in the car seat or plane! Using melatonin situationally isn’t unheard of, no – whether it’s a good option for your little girl is another case. You’ll want to discuss this with her healthcare professional to ensure there’s no medical reason for her not to have melatonin before using it – testing, situationally or otherwise. If her pediatrician approves it and you’re comfortable with it, there’s no reason you can’t give it a try. Good luck, Maggie – we hope it all goes well!
Maggie says
Neosha- thank you for your response. I know you can’t make recommendations on supplements for babies or kids. However, is there anything that I should look for in the ingredients or labeling of melatonins that are on the market that I should absolutely avoid be aware of when selecting this for use should I decide to go that route. Thanks!
Janelle Reid says
@Maggie, thanks for your reply! Since we aren’t medical professionals, I would suggest mentioning it to your child’s doctor and getting their input since they know your family history and child. 🙂 I’m sorry I can’t give you a specific do or don’t!
Jacqui says
Sorry but Who ever wrote this is getting way too much sleep. I’m trying it tonight after months of sleep training as well as gentle techniques and no assosiations(except a sleeping bag and soft toy) 9 months out of no sleep and 9 months in of no sleep…
Debbye @ The Baby Sleep Site says
Hi @Jacqui – Thanks for writing, and we definitely understand how tough it can be with children that are not sleeping well! We hope that you find what works best for your family! Regarding melatonin, we just recommend that you to do your own research, and have a discussion with your doctor!
– Hope that you are all sleeping soon!
Reggie says
I found a lot of the information in here to be sensationalism and speculation at best. We used melatonin for our daughter for about 2 years during her toddler stage. This was per her doctor. She did not nap at all and would not sleep at night. She would be up for days at a time. Now she is almost 7 hasn’t had any for years and sleeps just fine. No issues at all.
Our son is coming up on 19 months and is facing the same problem, won’t nap and has problems sleeping at night. I am going to talk to his doctor, the same doctor, about using the same treatment for him that we did for our daughter.
This is not because we are lazy or want to flick a switch, this is because these kids are not sleeping and that is not good for their health and development.
Biased reports are the bane of scientific progress, the masses are feeble sheep waiting to be lead for the most part. This is the kind of agreeable drivel that persuades them against reason.
Debbye @ The Baby Sleep Site says
Hi @Reggie – Thank you for visiting us and thank you for sharing your experience with us. We are sorry that you did not find our article helpful. We try to share the facts as we find them with our readers, and again apologize if you did not find this helpful. We try to remain neutral on these topics as well, and recommend that if you’re going to give your child melotonin, to please do your due diligence and research, and also speak with your doctor. We would also recommend mentioning to your doctor the latest research into seizures and melatonin.
We are happy to hear that you found something that melatonin worked so well with your daughter, and hope that you find the same results with your son! At 19 months, we see a lot of sleep issues crop up – it is a common age for sleep regressions – so we’d also recommend looking at your son’s schedule and see if you can make some adjustments there, and perhaps take a peek at this article about the very common and sometimes very tough, 18 month sleep regression:
https://www.babysleepsite.com/baby-sleep-patterns/why-18-month-sleep-regression-can-be-hardest/
We wish you all the best!
Stopher says
Our daughter just turned 2 a couple months ago and hardly naps and takes 2 hours to fall asleep on a normal night. She also can be up for days. Since the actual day she was born (healthy) she did not nap. One day old in the hospital would not fall asleep. She may take up to 5 naps a month if we are lucky. She just goes and goes and goes. We tried melatonin one night after doing some research and within 5 min she was out and slept all night. We’ve given it to her about 5 times in the last two months and every time she’s out like a light. Once she falls asleep she’s fine, but getting her there is very tough. Schedules don’t work, running it out of her doesn’t work, she has a good diet and is always happy just won’t sleep. She’s actually crying in her bed as we speak at 8:44 and we put her down at her normal time at 7 with NO nap today. We just don’t know what to do but obviously don’t want to harm her. But yes, not sleeping does in fact harm them…. what is a parent to do
Sam says
My 18 month old son has always been a terrible sleeper, from the day he was born we were lucky to get 3 hours a night. I was told when he was 10 months old that he had sleep accosiation disorder and being on me was his way of going to sleep and when he woke and I wasn’t there he would need me. I am a mother of 3 and I also work, so 3 hours sleep starts to take its toll after a while, I have tried everything, we have even been to sleep school and nothing worked at all, he had an appointment at the paediatrician on Wednesday and she has put him on a dose of melatonin every night for a while to see if it makes a difference. Last night was his first night and I gave him 1mg at 7.30 he was asleep by 8.30 and woke at 6.15am. I was so pleased. I don’t see it as I am giving my son a sleeping pill, I see it as I am helping him to get a restful night sleep.
Debbye @ The Baby Sleep Site says
Hi Sam! Thank you for visiting us, and thank you for sharing your story! We are so pleased that you have found something that worked for you! We hope that it continues to go as well as last night did!
Alicia says
What brand are you giving him and where do i get this? Same problem over here!! 10 months old will not sleep unless on me today she stayed up all day it was unreal!! ?
Don says
First you say it is effective but may have side effects but closer to the end of article and before advertising books for sale you said it is not effective and potentially dangerous even though you admitted there are no trials done. Very contradicting article if I must say. By the end of the article I felt I was being sold a book rather than someone giving me truthful answers. Thanks anyway.
Debbye @ The Baby Sleep Site says
Hello @Don – Thank you for writing to us! We apologize that the article seemed contradictory, and that you feel that we were pushing a book on you rather than being informative. That is certainly not our goal! In this article, and every article, we strive to stay neutral, and to report what we have found. It is true that many families do use/are using melatonin to help with their child’s sleep, and also true that since there are not enough long term studies, it may not be a safe way to help sleep issues. We recommend working on sleep without medications first, and definitely speak with your child’s doctor – especially if sleep problems persist.
We also apologize if you felt like we were only interested in selling you an Ebook. We love it when our free information and articles are helpful for families, and find that many are able to find solutions to their sleep issues with our articles and free info.
We do offer Ebooks, membership subscriptions and one on one consultations, for those that may have trickier sleep issues, but would never want for a family to purchase something that they do not want or need!
We hope that you keep reading, and that you can find some great value in our blog articles!!
Tasha Corbin says
I agree with Kate. My daughter is now 13 but I went through 5+ years of my daughter not falling asleep til 2am or later. When I found melatonin it was our life saver. I only had to use it Long enough to get her in a routine and for the last several years she may use it once a month if that. She recognizes when it’s needed and it changed her life and mine too. As soon as a consistent routine was established she no longer needed it. She focused better in school, mornings got smoother and I actually was no longer as sleep deprived.
Danielle says
Thank you so much for sharing your story with us, Tasha! I’m so glad to hear you found something that worked so well for your family.
Kate says
Clearly many of you have not had years and I mean years of restless nights because your poor sweet child has struggled to get to sleep and then wake 2-5 or more times during the night. Not to mention then having to wake them to get ready for school and expect them to be ready to learn. My daughter went through this crappy “routine” for years while I tried to get her into healthy sleep schedule. Finally her pediatrician seggested melatonin. It has saved all of our lives! She is now 9 and I am teaching her mindfulness, which she uses to help her more the the melatonin, but she also recognizes the nights when she needs one. She always asks now but it is usually only 1-2 nights a week. She has always gotten enough sun, a regular schedule, and healthy diet. So, parents who are struggling talk to you pediatrician and know your child. Their needs are more important then the judgement of others.
Deb says
My daughter was giving my 10 1/2 month old grandbaby malinton she said she would scream to go to sleep now my grandbaby lives with me and I won’t give it to her all she needs is her minnie mouse, blanket and her thumb and her crib she don’t fuss at all goes right to sleep. I see that she is tired about 6 to 8 by pulling at her ears. My daughter wants to sleep all the time during the day and then stay up all night she don’t work either. I work full time plus over time. She sleeps all night till about 5 am. So I think it is just these young mom’s not wanting to care for the child like we did when they where babies.
Jessica Diller says
@Deb, thank you for commenting! Knowing that every child is different, I am glad to hear that you have found something that works for your grandbaby!
Amber says
I think judging all mom’s based in your personal experience with your daughter and grandchild is wrong. Maybe your daughter was using it to put her child to sleep for selfish reasons, but that does not mean ALL mom’s are using it for that purpose. I’m a pediatric nurse, and have 2 living children. My oldest never had issues with sleep other than the usual newborn awake every 2/3 hours. She began sleeping through the night at about 5 months but then began waking again at 6 months. I did my own research and spoke with her Dr and learned babies sleep patterns change around 6 months due to brain development. She then began to sleep through the night again around 8 months, and will unless she is sick. She is 3 now. My youngest is 7 months old now and has never slept through the night. I don’t know why, but she never has. I have not given any sleep meds to her, but if this continues i will speak with her Dr. Children not sleeping through the night is definitely not normal, especially when I am an informed parent and doing everything the right way to establish healthy sleeping patterns. Don’t be so quick to judge others based on your own experiences.
Lucy says
My son is 32 months old and 9 months ago he started waking up about 6 to 7 times per night and didn’t want to go back to sleep. It usually took him about 1 or 2 hours to fall asleep even in the evening, meaning he was up until 10-11pm every night. I was struggling to function during the day or to work. It’s been months of trying and nothing was helping. Now we got the melatonin from the doctor. I started giving him 1mg 30min before sleep , he fell asleep stright away but was waking up at 5 am. I went up with the dose to 1,5mg he’s sleeping the whole night until 7am and I finally can go to work and function like a normal person. I am really thankful for this. I will start to reduce the dose though so he doesn’t get used to it.