Would you give melatonin every night in this situation

amother

↑ Whitesmoke ↓

Sun, Sep 29 2024, 1:32 am

amother Brickred wrote:

Whats your reasoning behind this? Sleep deprivation causes real and obvious harm both immediately visible and on child development. What research or even anecdotal evidence do you have that shows melatonin supplements are harmful?

This child isn't sleep deprived. There is nothing wrong with the child. The only problem with child is that it is being put to sleep too early for moms good.
Melatonin is as natural as weed which I don't give my child either.
I believe it is unlawful to drug children with any substances (benadryl Tylenol motrin including) without a very valid medical reason

amother

↑ Whitesmoke ↓

Sun, Sep 29 2024, 1:35 am

amother Raspberry wrote:

He’s in a bad cycle of falling asleep too late and then being too tired to function without a nap, which keeps him up late. Melatonin could break the cycle. Don’t be scared to try it and see how it goes.

Many toddlers need a nap still especiallyin beginningofyear. There is no mention of him him being in bad cycle. Just not one that works completely for mom

amother

↑ Snowdrop

Sun, Sep 29 2024, 1:49 am

amother Snapdragon wrote:

Give him melatonin. You're taking care of him and his sleep needs and you're taking care of his mother which is equally important. You don't have to feel guilty.

He's growing and changing. You'll try taking him off of it when you feel the need. It doesn't usually create a dependency. You'll deal with it when you're in a better place.

Melatonin is safe. Many many kids are on it and do just fine and go off of it just fine. If it helps him sleep and helps your family function better than it's a good thing. You don't have to feel guilty.

Maybe it's not ideal. Life's not always ideal. We can only do the best we can with the tools we have. Right now Melatonin is one of the tools you have. It's a safe tool and you don't have to feel guilty for using it.

This!!
Please ignore all those judgy moms out there! Your child would benefit so much more from a mom who is home and not back in the hospital and from a home that doesn’t have further deteriorating shalom bayis, than not being on melatonin. The choice isn’t even a choice, it’s obvious! Please do what you need to do for your child’s sake and for yours.

↑ seeker

Sun, Sep 29 2024, 3:04 am

I don't know if this holds true for everyone, but in my experience the kid who didn't really need melatonin it really didn't work at all. I'm not even sure it helped her fall asleep faster, but in any case her sleep was poor quality - she'd wake up in middle of the night, or say she had bad dreams, or I don't remember what but it was a very different experience than the pure 100% relief of the child who simply couldn't sleep without it and then could sleep with it. Trying a little bit could be a good way to answer the question of whether or not it's a good idea.

I also know people who swear by it for short-term helping a child get into a good pattern and then stopping. They didn't become dependent on it, they just got a break from the crazy so they could reset. For example, jetlag or the transition from summer to school year schedule. So anyway maybe 6:45 is currently too early for this child's bedtime, but if they get into a cycle of going to sleep earlier and then waking up earlier so they're getting their correct amount of sleep but at a time that works better for the family, I think that's an equivalent situation.

Long term use I believe lacks data, but short term I think has been done enough to feel fairly confident that it isn't likely to cause harm.

Not that I'm pushing drugs on a baby, I just think it's not a terrible idea and could be worth a try if OP thinks that's the step she's up to. It would probably be more ideal to have some kind of nice magic bubby to teach the little one how to fall asleep, or some blessedly patient fun teenager tell him stories until he conks out, but not everyone has that kind of resource in their life.

amother

Dodgerblue

Sun, Sep 29 2024, 4:19 am

OP give it, a small dose and take them off it once fully in schedule if possible.
Make it clear to his morahs that he shouldn't sleep more than 15 mins at the max and that's only if needed.
Once he is in a better sleeping pattern it could be he won't need the day nap in school.
My kids 1-5 yr ols are sleeping at 6.45/7 till 7 am and sometimes I have to drag them out of bed, the younger ones will still havea morning nap. I know they need sleep more than others but if your child is falling asleep during the day it means they can definitely go to sleep early-ish like 7.
It does take time to break patterns, my daughter that took hrs to sleep well found sitting in the room by the door definitely helped until they were in a better pattern. It was difficult but after definitely worth it.
I hope it gets better for you op!

amother

↑ Brickred ↓

Sun, Sep 29 2024, 9:53 am

amother Whitesmoke wrote:

You don’t know whether the kid is getting enough sleep or not, she didn’t say when he falls asleep without it. My toddler will stay up until 10 o’clock some nights, and he has to wake up at 8. He goes into crib around 8, if by 9 o’clock he’s still up and about I give .25 mg. Otherwise I have to drag a cranky overtired kid out of the house the next morning.

amother

Buttercup

Sun, Sep 29 2024, 10:12 am

The posters who wouldn’t use melatonin unless it was a last resort can’t understand why a parent would “drug” a healthy child and the posters who use it freely and see no issue with it can’t understand why she she wouldn’t.

Melatonin is controversial.
My personal opinion, because it’s unclear if it’s ramifications, is why give that to a child unless everything else was tried.

OP, you clearly need a support system!! Your sanity shouldn’t be dependent on your toddler’s sleep; that’s too unpredictable and fragile for you to have the peace of mind you need while you heal.

so my suggestion would be that you need someone else to take over the putting to sleep and the nights; meaning, you “clock out “ at x time, whenever you feel you need to, and the other responsible and trusted adult “clocks in” and assumes responsibility- so if your dc doesn’t sleep, it won’t stress you out and be on your head.

amother

↑ Lily

Sun, Sep 29 2024, 10:14 am

amother Whitesmoke wrote:

It's not "as natural as weed" because it's not brain altering and it's not addictive.

amother

Tuberose

Sun, Sep 29 2024, 11:19 am

Op, there are other supplements that can help kids relax to fall asleep without using melatonin. I'd be wary of melatonin as Some kids do have an adverse reaction causing them to wake in middle of the night.
Some helpful supplements that I'm familiar with Are
Magnesium
HerbPharm Fast Asleep
Serotrex
Bioray Sleepy
Perhaps try these before giving melatonin.

amother

↑ Whitesmoke

Sun, Sep 29 2024, 10:42 pm

amother Lily wrote:

It's not "as natural as weed" because it's not brain altering and it's not addictive.

KNOCKING someone out into a deep sleep is definitely brain altering.
Too many testimony are showing people can't fall asleep without it=it's addictive and body becomes dependent on it

amother

↑ Brickred

Sun, Sep 29 2024, 10:51 pm

amother Whitesmoke wrote:

KNOCKING someone out into a deep sleep is definitely brain altering.
Too many testimony are showing people can't fall asleep without it=it's addictive and body becomes dependent on it

Melatonin doesn’t knock you out, fat from it. It makes you feel tired about a half hour after you take it, tired like a normal person who’s body produces enough melatonin on its in. If you close your eyes, you fall asleep within a few minutes. If you fight it, which is super easy to do, you don’t feel sucked in or knocked out or whatever, and after a few minutes the tiredness passes.
Of course people are dependent on it; if they would be able to fall asleep naturally why would they take it in the first place? 🙄