Would you give melo on occasion? Why or why not?

amother

Tue, Aug 04 2020, 7:06 pm

My 3 yo got into a pretty bad habit of fighting off naps & then oftentimes conking out late afternoon like 3-4 pm for a 2-3 hour nap. Waking her doesn’t work & regardless she will not go to sleep till like 11 or 12 Can't Believe It

Then, regardless of when she fell asleep she’ll be up by like 8 am and it’s a vicious cycle of her being tired and not napping till late.

I’m contemplating giving her a small dose of melatonin and push back her bedtime so we can beh crawl out of this cycle.

I know there’s a lot of controversy on giving kids melatonin, but curious to hear on this type of situation.
Tia!

amother

Ivory

Tue, Aug 04 2020, 7:39 pm

I would definitely give for short term for resetting circadian rhythm.

octopus

Tue, Aug 04 2020, 7:39 pm

I have very strong feelings on this. But I would get the OK from my pediatrician before doing that. Or you can have 3 days in a row taking your kid to the park in the late afternoon and see if that helps. You will definitely konk out . It's exhausting.

Eta: or better yet take to the park from like 9:30-10:30/11 and the kid will get tired enough to take a nap earlier

amother

Tue, Aug 04 2020, 7:41 pm

octopus wrote:

Doesn’t work Sad

Also, she sleeps till like 6-7 sometimes...

Stars

Tue, Aug 04 2020, 7:41 pm

Yes for resetting a bad sleep cycle or stopping anxiety in its tracks, but only after asking my pediatrician. Absolutely not for inducing a nap, no matter what the reason is.

octopus

Tue, Aug 04 2020, 7:42 pm

I have the same problem, BTW. If I dont get out in the morning to play or walk outside this kid pushes off the nap until 4 pm. Sooooo annoying. But I never consider giving melatonin.

octopus

Tue, Aug 04 2020, 7:44 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

Doesn’t work Sad

Also, she sleeps till like 6-7 sometimes...

If that's the case, and you really want to give, then check with the pediatrician and as long as it doesn't become a regular thing.

amother

Tue, Aug 04 2020, 7:44 pm

octopus wrote:

I have the same problem, BTW. If I dont get out in the morning to play or walk outside this kid pushes off the nap until 4 pm. Sooooo annoying. But I never consider giving melatonin.

Didn’t either till I saw twice this summer that the kid literally crashed. She needs her sleep!

octopus

Tue, Aug 04 2020, 7:48 pm

My older kids were like this when they started outgrowing their naps (at age 3) but couldn't quite make it without it. It's miserable. So ask Ped see what he/she says.

amother

Aqua

Tue, Aug 04 2020, 8:09 pm

I was hesitant for a while and did alot of research on it. Melatonin DOES NOT harm a child, especially when given for a short while.
You can feel safe giving her for several days.

Btw, I had the same issue with my 3 year old.

dancingqueen

Tue, Aug 04 2020, 8:15 pm

Hashem_Yaazor wrote:

Many 3 yo are ready to drop their naps.

Exactly this.

tigerwife

Tue, Aug 04 2020, 8:19 pm

My kids dropped their naps early (by around 2-2.5). Can you try to cut the nap out for three days and see what happens?

My pediatrician okayed melatonin when my kids started going to sleep insanely late during quarantine. Bh they are going to sleep at a normal time now and almost weaned off.

amother

Cyan

Tue, Aug 04 2020, 8:19 pm

I don't think I would unless there was literally no other way and a doctor approved. I used to take only .5 mg myself and I started having terrible nightmares so I wouldn't want to do that to a child. Melatonin can cause nightmares in some people.

I started taking magnesium chelate and it worked with no nightmares. Ask ped if you can give that to a child.

amother

Tue, Aug 04 2020, 10:33 pm

tigerwife wrote:

No, this kid needs sleep. Has a chronic condition that oftentimes causes fatigue.

amother

Sienna

Tue, Aug 04 2020, 10:36 pm

What are the reasons to NOT give melatonin, if approved by dr. and doesnt cause nightmares?

(ADHD child who is literally jumping off the walls, dr recommended to give)

thatworn

Tue, Aug 04 2020, 11:30 pm

The people telling OP to drop the nap seem to be missing the point. The child is not napping. She is tired by 3 or 4 in the PM and conking out, then staying up all night. It is a totally miserable phase of life. I am still traumatised by memories of my eldest nodding off while she was eating supper at 4:30, falling asleep face first in her plate. I tried keeping a spray bottle at the table to wake her up when she started to droop but decided it was too cruel. If melatonin is safe, do it. You have to stay sane.

amother

Powderblue

Tue, Aug 04 2020, 11:46 pm

I don’t get it.... what’s wrong with melatonin? My pediatrician said to give my dd (7 yr old) who has trouble falling asleep and when I picked up from pharmacy the pharmacist reiterated it was completely safe.
I was never told to do only for short time or anything like that...