Would you give melatonin every night in this situation

amother

OP ↓

Sat, Sep 28 2024, 3:54 pm

My 2 and a half year old doesn’t sleep enough. He takes a short nap at his morah sometimes as short as 15 minutes. At night I start the bedtime process around 6:45 and he just doesn’t sleep. He gets out of bed plays around I put him back into bed over and over for hours. My mental health is not good it’s never been good, I was in the phych ward a few weeks ago for suicidality. my shalom Bayis is equally as bad. I feel having him sleep like a normal kid at 7 would help so much but I feel so bad to give melatonin every night. Also how do you get him off it eventually?

amother

Daisy ↓

Sat, Sep 28 2024, 4:01 pm

I would give a half a mg but not more. Then he needs darkness. It doesnt work well with light.

Wishing you a רפואת הנפש

amother

↑ Daisy ↓

Sat, Sep 28 2024, 4:03 pm

Also tell morah no nap. That makes a huge difference. My now 3 yo was the same way. ANY nap and she was up till 10. (Long or late nap even later)

amother

↑ OP ↓

Sat, Sep 28 2024, 4:11 pm

amother Daisy wrote:

Also tell morah no nap. That makes a huge difference. My now 3 yo was the same way. ANY nap and she was up till 10. (Long or late nap even later)

The morah said he’s falling apart without a nap, I feel bad to do that too!

amother

↑ Daisy ↓

Sat, Sep 28 2024, 4:12 pm

amother OP wrote:

The morah said he’s falling apart without a nap, I feel bad to do that too!

Try adjusting his bedtime. 7 is likely too early if he napped.

amother

↑ OP

Sat, Sep 28 2024, 4:15 pm

amother Daisy wrote:

Try adjusting his bedtime. 7 is likely too early if he napped.

True s that too, putting him to sleep 7:30, or 8:00 8:30 didn’t help and I was told he’s probably overtired at that point he needs to go to sleep earlier.
I don’t understand why Hashem gave me a kid who doesn’t sleep with everything I have going on

amother

↑ Daisy ↓

Sat, Sep 28 2024, 4:25 pm

amother OP wrote:

I think being miserable by morah is worth him having a normal bedtime. Ive been there. Its hard.

amother

Arcticblue

Sat, Sep 28 2024, 5:31 pm

He's miserable in the morning because he's not sleeping enough at night. It's a cycle. If she keeps him up in the day you might see it's easy to get him to sleep at night. It's hard in the beginning but they get used to not napping. For those first few days I use chocolate Wink

amother

Apricot

Sat, Sep 28 2024, 6:12 pm

amother Daisy wrote:

I think being miserable by morah is worth him having a normal bedtime. Ive been there. Its hard.

I work in a gan. We had a kid whose mother asked us to not nap him. We tried it for two days. He was miserable and clearly exhausted.
Its not so simple to just have him be miserable in gan. We gave the kid a shorter nap after that. It was not possible otherwise.

amother

Floralwhite

Sat, Sep 28 2024, 7:56 pm

Dark room, last 2 hours before bed need to be not stimulating. I would try adding magnesium before trying melatonin.

amother

Plum

Sat, Sep 28 2024, 8:22 pm

Yes I would use melatonin. Get the .3 mg tablets it’s enough. Give at 6:45 and then read books. Maybe get a cd player with stories.

amother

Bronze

Sat, Sep 28 2024, 8:27 pm

You were just hospitalized. Yourfamily is in crisis right now. Take any short cut available to you right now, including melatonin and worry about weaning him off when you're in a better place.

justforfun87

Sat, Sep 28 2024, 8:30 pm

I wouldn't give at that age as 7pm is maybe too early for some 2 year old. Mine sometimes isn't closer until 9pm. I wouldn't start a dependency to the meds so young.

amother

Purple

Sat, Sep 28 2024, 8:32 pm

Yes. Give the melty melatonin 0.3mg. Even half of that is prob enough.
My 3 yr old wasn’t sleeping because he would keep himself awake. For months, he was a terror because he just wouldn’t settle down at night. It didn’t make a difference when we tried putting him to bed at 6 or 7 or 8… he’d be up til 12 or later and still not settle down no matter what type of routine we tried. Some kids need a boost.
Once we started the 0.3 mg, it’s been a huge difference. We gave nightly in the beginning and slowly started giving half or none at all and my kid now actually goes to sleep and settles down at night.

theoneandonly

Sat, Sep 28 2024, 8:40 pm

amother Bronze wrote:

You were just hospitalized. Yourfamily is in crisis right now. Take any short cut available to you right now, including melatonin and worry about weaning him off when you're in a better place.

THIS 100%.
Please don't listen to the posters telling you not to.
It can literally be pikuach nefesh for your if you are suicidal.

amother

Daphne

Sat, Sep 28 2024, 8:41 pm

Melatonin is not a sleeping pill. It is a hormone. Good sleep hygiene can include exposure to light and a good bedtime routine but melatonin isn’t going to solve the problem and may create others.

I would suggest that you get yourself a good support system. Whether he is sleeping or not it sounds like you need that. Refuah shlemah.

amother

Brickred ↓

Sat, Sep 28 2024, 9:27 pm

I give .25 mg of melatonin to my 3 year old. According to my pediatrician, lack of sleep is a lot worse than a bit of melatonin.I myself took melochew from when I was around 10 when it came out on the kosher market, before that I’d stay up till 12 am. Now that I’m a mother and constantly sleep deprived I don’t need it often, and when I do 1 mg is enough.

oneofakind

Sat, Sep 28 2024, 9:30 pm

You need some help at night. If you are fragile, you should not be dealing with this alone.

Kesiva ViChasima Tova

amother

Snowdrop ↓

Sat, Sep 28 2024, 9:34 pm

amother Bronze wrote:

You were just hospitalized. Yourfamily is in crisis right now. Take any short cut available to you right now, including melatonin and worry about weaning him off when you're in a better place.

Yes!!! I think some posters are forgetting the context!
You need him sleeping so that you can get your life in order and be the mother and be the parents he needs. I’m pretty sure the damage done to a two year old by his mother being chas veshalom again in the hospital or the further deterioration of his parents shalom bails is much much worse than (worst case) becoming dependent on melatonin.

amother

Clematis

Sat, Sep 28 2024, 9:39 pm

I use the .3 mg they work well for my 4 and 5 yr old and really keep my mental health in order. BH they exist. I thank Hashem. Melatonin is not as bad as not sleeping or stressed out mom or mom yelling at kid too many times get to bed.