Our 3 year old really struggles with sleep. She has never required lots of sleep, but from about 6 weeks would always sleep through the night. She even did well going to sleep and staying asleep for three months while she was in a cast for hip dysplasia (12 - 14 mos). Much has changed. She falls asleep fairly easily, but doesn't stay asleep. She is usually up at least once if not twice a night. I think she wants to be with someone. We will sometimes lie with her or let her in our bed as she seems afraid, and I would rather be "inconvenienced" than feel I am not meeting her needs to feel secure. I have also noticed she often squirms in her sleep and wakes up crying and or talking. If I let her hear my voice and say it's okay, go back to sleep, mommy's here - she goes right back to sleep (within seconds!).
I have heard about the termporary (week or two) use of melatonin (1g per night) to help children regulate their sleep cycles. I have also heard it's not approved in many other countries which scares me a bit. I plan to talk to my pediatrician before we use it. I also wanted to see if any of you had experience or a better understanding than I do about the supplement.
There are different brands of melatonin with different ingredients. I found one at a walmart whose only ingredient was vitamin E. It's what I used to help me sleep, and had no side effects... but I'm an adult.
I would just talk to my Dr. about it, like you're planning.
I personally have never tired it but I had a friend who used it with both her kids. The thing is they still have sleeping issues. Her Daughter is 4 and her son is almost 3. She says they are both up at all hours of the night even when she uses the melatonin. I was kinda worried about her giving that to her kids all the time even more so when they are still up all through out the night. So I looked it up on the computer and found that it is not recommended for children. So if I were you I would talk to your doc. and even if he does say it's ok I don't think it works on everyone.
I've heard good things about melatonin for adults, but have no idea how it would be for kids - definitely consult your pediatrician! But before I went to some kind of supplement, I would check out the book "Solve Your Child's Sleep Problems" by Richard Ferber. He's a sleep scientist & the book explains sleep patterns very well and what to do when things aren't working. It is a really great book with practical solutions. For instance it explains that it is very normal for all of us (at any age) to wake several times during the night and typically the problem with kids is helping them to go back to sleep by themselves rather than keeping them from waking. Just a thought. You might find that there are other ways to help your daughter without supplements. Good luck!
Kids go through stages in sleep just like in eating and other developments. It sounds like it might be that. Just keep doing what you're doing (taking her to her bed, lying with her till she feel safe and secure, talking calmly, etc). Chances are she's hit some developmental stage that can be affecting her sleep right now. That happens from time as kids grow. Just be patient; if she's still having trouble the next time you visit the doc, bring it up, but I wouldn't stress too much about it
First of all I have used it and it works like a charm. I want to let you know a couple things. My daughter had trouble sleeping for a while but soon came out of it. She has a favorite mama puppy and baby puppy she has to have in order to go to bed. We also have a music box which she knows how to turn it on and it helps her get back to sleep. I would suggest trying to find her a few things she is attached to in order to help her feel better about sleeping. The music box displays things on her ceiling and helps her to focus which makes them more tired. I too was letting my daughter come and lay with us, but stopped that pretty soon after it started. This is not healthy for either party. I actually bought a knob child safty thing so she cannot open her door from the inside. This helps her stay in and find other ways to sooth herself back to sleep. Sounds like she needs some help finding something which makes her comfy. Sorry I do not feel like this is what you were looking for, but seems to work great for us.
Also, I WOULD suggest melitoin to get her in a sleep pattern. It is completly safe to use. I bought some at Whole Foods (all natural) and it has saved us many times.....Put in a juice or bottle. I have NEVER felt like I was drugging her, just helping to get into a HEALTHY sleep pattern. Good Luck and let me know if you have any questions.
J.
Oh my gosh, you just explained my daudaughter! I'm sorry I cannot offer any advice, as we are going through the exact same thing, but I am waiting for a call back from her Dr. today about melatonin. I will let you know what I hear!
Hi Dena--
I have two sons with major sleep issues so unfortunately I know a lot about this. Melatonin works well for children who have trouble going to sleep because it is the hormone that the body releases when it gets dark at night. That is why lowering lights, etc. at bedtime and no TV and things like that are helpful with sleep issues. However, your daughter is falling asleep just fine. Melatonin might help her stay asleep because it will in essence make her so tired that she sleeps, but it could very well mess her up as well. I know others say it is natural and safe, but that's not exactly true. It is natural. The body does naturally get rid of melatonin in bright day light, so the extra burns itself up in bright daylight. It also works on the brain and therefore has the possibility of messing up other hormones. Melatonin should never be used for more then a two week stretch. Typically if a child is falling asleep fine but waking up it is an adrenal issue, not a pituitary issue which is what melatonin addresses. Adrenal glands are our fight or flight gland, and it sounds like she is waking up scared. Treating the adrenals requires a whole different set of treatments--and melatonin will not help this. We have done everything naturally at our house--for adrenal issues I recommend getting an herbal supplement at the natural food store. I believe it is herbs for kids that makes both chamomile calm and valerian super calm--the one with valerian would probably work better. You could also try Rescue Sleep or Rescue Remedy by Bach Flower Remedies. your pediatrician will not know very much about this and probably will not be able to guide you one way or the other with very much knowledge on herbs and alternative remedies. If any of this resonates with you I can recommend a good alternative doctor who can help.
If you have any more questions I'm happy to help!
Good luck!!
J.
I've personally experienced as well as my kids have experienced (plus lots of others) improved sleep using the Nikken sleep system. It combines magnetics, infrared and negative ions. However, for toddlers many just use the pet bed (magnetics and infrared).
I've seen several children who were ADD/ADHD or autistic show great improvements in behavior because they were well rested. Just because your kids are staying in their beds, it doesn't mean that they are sleeping well. I was a huge skeptic until it helped me with my chronic busy head insomnia.
The pet beds have definitely extended the quality of life on my 15 and 16 year old dogs too.
Email me with your email and I'll be happy to send you more info. nikken.com/sleepcenter/ explains the technologies.
Good luck. If you go the supplement route, definitely talk with your dr especially with a child. I've found that most traditional MDs are not as knowledgeable on supplements/herbal remedies as a naturopath. Just not part of their traditional training. Keeping a dark room is important for melatonin production. An air filter that produces some white noise is also comforting. Teaching good sleep "hygiene" now will pay off for years to come.
Take care.
S.
melatonin has been a night saver for us and the kids. Their mood, attitude has dramatically improved by having them take melatonin. They are getting more sleep, staying asleep, and the sleep pattern has gotten back to normal. I love it!!
Do you know what is causing your daughter to worry at night? It almost sounds like she is having bad dreams.
As per my husbands rules my kids are not allowed in the bed. It is how he grew up. I was never allowed in my parents bed, but they let us sleep on the floor in their room and that is if we even had the courage to walk upstairs to their room-haha.
However my oldest daughter wakes up with nightmares. The other night she said one of the snakes in her book came out and got on her bed. So now before she goes to bed she and daddy go through a ritual of "scarring" away the snakes and bugs. When they do this we usually don't have a problem. When she does get out of bed we just walk her back to bed, sometimes I think she just needs to know everything is okay. We have never had a problem with it. So maybe you can try finding out what is causing her worry and make some method to put that fear at ease.
Hi Dena,
My son from day one did not sleep through the night ( he was up 4 times minimum)! At 3 1/2 I brought him to be tested by my naturopath and he was so deficient in melatonian. From what I know, the body can build melatonian back up. He has been on it for several months and last he was tested we reduced his dosage because he is building it up. As a sleep deprived person myself (I passed this condition on to him) I must say, melatonian makes us a much happier well rested family!
I hope that helps!
L.
We started using Melatonin for our 10 yr old, and the 3mg didn't work so we had to up the dosage. I would definitely consult with your physician on the correct doseage. The Dr said it's all natural and your body needs melatonin, but wow, 3 is pretty small. I'm sure you've already tried the lavendar nightime lotion, etc.
I would definitley ask your Doctor. Since we have upped the dosage to 4.5 mg it's been wonderful,and very successful, my daughter would be awake all hours of the night,sometime until 4am and then she would not sleep in, so she was averaging 4 hrs of sleep if we were lucky this past sumemr, and would be scared even if she did come into our bed, kids need sleep, if they don't get it, it can really cause bad effects. This is the first time my daughter actually asks to go to bed! It's been a lifesaver, but we also found out our daughter has anxiety, and many children do with sleeping issues, so we have also been working with a therapist to help with that. I would definitely speak to your doctor.
Good luck and the Melatonin has been a great help to us, but I would be cautious using it.
OH one onther thing, the Dr also said to get one of those sleep sound machines, like you can get a brookstone, he said not to listen to music, we had bought some of the relaxing music for her to listen to, but he highly recommended this machine and it's helped a ton too, Tranquil Moments® Sleep Sound Therapy System, you can buy online or at brookstone, just something else to try!
