Is Melatonin the magic pill that will help your newborn sleep at night? Unfortunately, along with other sleep aid myths, melatonin is not the fairy dust that will help your little one drift off to “la-la land”.
Popular sleep aid myths
- Special bath salts
- “Night-night” baby food”
- Bedtime lights
- Special CDs
- Blankets
We have all heard it all before. In fact, any exhausted parent has probably tried most of these aids to try and get their baby to sleep.
What Melatonin is and what it isn’t
While some studies show that Melatonin can be helpful with autistic children or children with ADHD, most babies and children do not need Melatonin; they need to be taught good, independent sleep skills (which, unfortunately does not have a magic formula. It takes hard work).
The effects of Melatonin
Here is the scary part; because Melatonin is contained naturally in some foods, the US Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 allows it to be sold as a dietary supplement which does not need to be approved by the Food and Drug administration.
This means that although Melatonin could possibly affect growth, sexual development and puberty as well as cause side effects like headaches, drowsiness and stomach aches it is not tested because it is seen as a “natural” “homeopathic” type medicine.
A sleep solution?
What is really alarming these days, is the number of clients we work with that are giving their children sedative medication or a Melatonin supplement.
Do we really want to give our newborns, babies and children a supplement, of which side effects cannot be proven? No, Melatonin is definitely not a long term solution for your child’s sleep problems.
About the Author: Good Night is a child and baby sleep consultancy that specialises in helping parents with children who struggle to sleep soundly. For more information, visit: www.goodnightbaby.co.za
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