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Someone told me to try this on my big kids (3 and 5) to get them back on schedule - they are still sooo off from the holidays. They want to stay up all night and sleep late in the mornings. The few days we had school this week were horrible - I was basically putting their clothes on them while they were still asleep and they ate in the car.
She said you get chewable and the kids pass out in 30 minutes. I had to give them benedryl once when they both got a zillion mosquito bites in the county and the bendryl hyped them up more than I could have ever imagined. I thought that was supposed to knock kids out (it still does to me!) so I am leery of the herbs.
Any experience out there?
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No experience with it, but I wouldn't give anything like that to my kids without checking with my pediatrician first.
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This is what I found on it:
Natural Sleep Melatonin
5 mg, 60 capsules
Item Catalog Number: 277
Melatonin releases from the pineal gland, reaching its peak at night to help maintain tissues in a youthful state of health. Secretion of melatonin declines significantly with age, as the pineal gland becomes calcified.37,38
Melatonin keeps our circadian cycle in tune as it communicates with the body’s cells.39,40 Not only does this hormone work to maintain cell health, it appears to regulate a system of self-repair and regeneration.41,42 When this hard-working hormone is diminished, our biological functions are impaired.43,44
Many people use melatonin to help improve sleep. Some research has found that melatonin increases the speed of falling asleep and adds to the quality of sleep in about 60% of people who use it.45-47
Natural Sleep Melatonin is Life Extension’s premier sleep-enhancing melatonin formula. Natural Sleep Melatonin duplicates the body’s own secretion of melatonin which occurs naturally in youth. It contains pharmaceutical grade melatonin, along with synergistic sleep-enhancing nutrient cofactors.
It sounds like what she is giving her children however, like Aliadam suggested, I would definitely check with your pediatrician first. This sounds like somethin adults should be taking, not children, but maybe they do have a child's dosage recommendation.
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I agree. These are still drugs, albeit natural ones. First of all, dosages are not standardized or regulated enough, nor are origins and strengths. Check w/your doctor. Many are coming around more and more to herbal remedies, but they can carry as many or more side effects than synthetic drugs. Especially with children, whose minds and bodies are still growing and neurons are still connecting, I wouldn't mess around.
Even Hylands, who does the popular teething tablets, will not recommend dosages for children with certain items in their line, as they are not tested and approved for them (I've contacted them a few times for this reason). Doctors will recommend Hylands where appropriate, and many parents swear by some of their products. I would be careful with anything that knocks my children out. Why? And, does it cause morning grogginess, like a hangover?
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My pediatrician recommended this for my dd. It worked wonders, however, my dd is 13 (12 at the time). The label says not to give it to children under 12. I would definitely check with the pediatrician first.
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I found this article which may help you too:
is the article!
I will higlight here what I thought may help you directly:
In the new study, sleep habits of 32 children aged 2 to 18 years who attended a pediatric sleep center because of chronic sleep initiation and maintenance problems were reviewed. Bedtime, awakening time, number of awakenings during the night, and resistance to sleeping were documented, as well as the frequency, duration, and amount of melatonin taken. Melatonin was routinely given one hour before bedtime and the average amount given was about 2 mg per night. The average duration of melatonin treatment was approximately two months.
More than 90% of the children taking melatonin showed an improvement in falling or staying asleep. Only three of the children experienced no benefit with melatonin supplementation. However, the parents of these three children were unwilling to increase the amount of melatonin, so it is unclear whether they would have improved by taking higher amounts. Parents reported that their children fell asleep faster soon after starting melatonin treatment, but it took 1 to 2 weeks until sleep patterns completely normalized. The average amount of time needed to fall asleep decreased from 90 minutes to 25 minutes and the average number of nighttime awakenings per week dropped from 19 to 1. No adverse side effects with melatonin therapy were observed.
The authors also found that the effective amount of melatonin differed between age groups. Children between the ages of 2 to 6 required an average of 1.4 mg per night of melatonin, compared with 2 mg per night in children between the ages of 7 and 11, and almost 3 mg per night in those in the 12- to 18-year-old group. Despite the increased amount of melatonin used with increased age, reductions in time to sleep onset and nighttime awakenings were similar among all age groups
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Originally Posted by aliadam
No experience with it, but I wouldn't give anything like that to my kids without checking with my pediatrician first.
ITA!
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We do use Melatonin in our household. My son (8) has ADHD and is on medication for it. Therefore, it is harder for him to fall asleep at night and I really don't want to put him on a sleep medication prescription if I don't have to. He can be up till 2:00am and then want to sleep in of course. He takes upto 5mg a night. I sometimes give it to my 3 and 4 year old also because they seem to be nightowls as well, but not on ADHD meds., and usually give them upto 2mg. I don't usually give it to them everynight though. I give it more on the nights I know that they will have to get up to go to daycare so our mornings are happy instead of rushed and whiny. They now are in a routine of usually getting up earlier and going to bed earlier too, which I prefer.
I have tried the melatonin myself when I have had difficulty sleeping and I love the stuff. My mom also uses it on a regular basis. It seems like you sleep so much better and feel much more rested in the morning. I definately can tell a difference in my kids when they have had it. They seem much more energetic in the morning. I would say that the melatonin only makes you more relaxed and sleepy, not necessarily "knocks you out".
I would check with your pediatrician just to be sure and make sure you feel better about it. This is what my sons pediatrician has recommended with the ADHD meds. It is good stuff and natural. Like I said, I don't want prescription sleep meds for my son if I don't have to.
Good luck. I'll be interested to see if anyone else has used it also.
Kim