Toddler Health Archives - Page 4 of 6

Is Melatonin Safe for Kids?

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if all parents had a simple little pill they could just give their kids, and they’d fall sound asleep? Bring up that you’re having trouble getting your child asleep, and you may be suggested just that, a pill. Melatonin supplements are non-prescription and can be found in just about any department store in the nation for under 10 bucks. As they gain popularity among parents, you have to wonder, if it sounds too good to be true, it usually is isn’t it? Is melatonin safe for kids?

What is melatonin?

Melatonin is a hormone produced in the brain that regulates sleep cycles. Influenced by light levels, it helps your body know when to sleep, and when to wake up.

How are melatonin supplements made?

Melatonin supplements are often synthetic, meaning they’re made in a lab. However, natural versions are also available extracted from the pineal glands of animals (less common) or, more recently, also from plant sources.

Does melatonin work?

Studies are actually conflicting on that point, but current research shows promising support for melatonin being effective at helping kids fall asleep earlier and sleep slightly longer. It may also be helpful for jetlag, insomnia, delayed-sleep wake phase, sleep disruption disorders, and sleep disorders associated with ADHD and autism.

What are the known short term risks of melatonin use?

Even melatonin in appropriate doses for occasional use is shown to cause adverse reactions in some users including:

–Day time drowsiness or fatigue
-Headache
-Sleep walking
-Dizziness
–Irritability
-Depression or mood swings
-Abdominal pain or cramping
-Nausea or digestional upset
-Severe nightmares or vivid dreams
-Hormonal disruption

These reactions naturally occur at a higher frequency with higher doses or more regular use.

What are the known long-term risks of melatonin use?

Studies on the long-term effects of melatonin use in humans haven’t even been done. Caution is generally suggested as a result.

Does melatonin have different effects on children?

Some studies done on animals found that when given melatonin at a young age overall life span was decreased. There have been short term, small-group studies done on autistic and blind children who have irregular naturally-occurring melatonin levels that did not show adverse effects other than those outlined above. Most of these studies were done on teens. No studies have been done on children with regular melatonin levels, or toddlers and infants.

In either case, no long-term studies have been done on the effects of melatonin on children to determine if melatonin is safe for kids. Almost all pediatricians do not recommend melatonin for children under 3. Most pediatricians do not recommend melatonin for kids under 10. In all cases, despite melatonin being an over-the-counter dietary supplement a doctor should be consulted if you are considering medicating your child with melatonin.

So, is melatonin safe for kids?

That’s the big question. Personally, a glance at the possible short-term side effects of melatonin use would cause me as a parent to not use melatonin or suggest its use to other parents, no matter how tired those parents may be. The exclusion there would be in children with actual sleep disorders. Many children that don’t go to sleep when their parents want don’t have sleep disorders though, making melatonin supplementation an unnecessary medication. However, that is an opinion-based answer.

Factually, there has not been sufficient research to answer the question is melatonin safe for kids. The question for parents then is, does not knowing for sure if melatonin is unsafe for kids make melatonin safe for kids?

If you chose to use melatonin for kids, what’s the proper dosage and usage?

Melatonin dosage guidelines for children have not been determined in the US, but according to the Canadian Paediatric Society general melatonin dosage recommendations for children with sleep disorders are as follows:
-1 mg of melatonin in infants
-2.5 to 3 mg in older children
-5 mg in adolescents.
Again, any dosage and melatonin use in kids should be discussed with a licensed health professional. These guidelines are not designed for children without sleep disorders.

Melatonin should be given 30 to 60 minutes before bedtime, rather than right before bed.

What might you try instead of melatonin for kids?

Natural food sources of melatonin:

If you’re looking to supplement melatonin without using a pill, the good news is many foods contain melatonin.

Some foods high in melatonin include:
-tart cherries
-corn
-asparagus
-tomatoes
-peppers
-pomegranate
-olives
-grapes
-strawberries
-broccoli
-cucumber
-rice
-barley
-rolled oats
-walnuts
-peanuts
-sunflower seeds
-mustard seeds
-flaxseed
-mushrooms
-eggs
-fish

Choosing these foods for dinner ingredients, snacks, or desserts in the evening may help raise melatonin levels.

Altering light exposure:

Finally, you can naturally increase melatonin levels by altering your child’s exposure to light and dark. Some ways to do this include:

-Avoid screen-time within an hour of bed time.
-Turn out the lights and use blackout curtains about an hour before bed.
-Use daylight bulbs and open your curtains during the day.
-Do plenty of outdoor activities during the day.

What are your thoughts? Is melatonin safe for kids? Do you use it? Why or why not? We’d love to hear your thoughts.

You might also enjoy our pages on helping kids get to bed and making getting kids up in the morning easier.

Nightmares and Night Terrors in Children: What Can You Do?

No parent likes being woke up in the middle of the night to the sound of their child crying, especially when those tears are a result of fear. However, almost all children have nightmares occasionally, while only a rare 5 percent have night terrors. Understanding what causes nightmares and night terrors in children can help prevent or at least lessen their occurrence.

The first step is to identify which nighttime bane is to blame. This means understanding the difference between a nightmares and night terrors in children.

Nightmares in children:

-Occur later in the night once dreaming has begun.
-Will be remembered the next day by your child.
-Cause fear and/or clinginess immediately afterwards.
-Makes going back to sleep difficult.

Causes of nightmares in children are external influences such as:

-Scary movies, stories, or images before bed.
-Stress.
-Separation anxiety.
-Illness.
-Other mental stressors.

Night terrors in children:

-Occur earlier in the night.
-Will not be remembered at all by your child.
-Will cause your child to scream, yell, cry, whimper, flail, and/or sit up in bed without being responsive as he/she is actually still asleep.
-May cause physical symptoms such as sweating and rapid heart beat and breathing.
-Will end abruptly with your child going back to sleep soundly as if nothing ever happened.

Causes of night terrors in children are unknown but may include:

-Sleep disturbances, such as sleep apnea.
-Erratic sleep schedules.
-Sleep deprivation.
-Illness.
-Genetic predisposition.

What you can do to help childhood nightmares:

When a nightmare occurs, go to your child and offer comfort. Physical comfort is especially helpful, stroke his/her back, run your fingers through his/her hair, etc. You can try to explain that it was only a dream, but keep in mind that younger children, such as toddlers, may not understand what this means as realty and fantasy are still a bit fuzzy at this age. It will help to talk about the dream and let your child attempt to express their fear.

You can prevent nightmares by keeping a good bed time routine, and by being careful to avoid things that may prompt nightmares, such as scary movies. If your child does experience a nightmare, don’t feel bad, it’s likely nothing you personally did wrong. These things are just a fact of childhood.

What you can do to help night terrors in children:

Unlike a nightmare, a child in the middle of a night terror should not be comforted or even touched unless he/she is about to be hurt (ex/ hitting head on headboard.). This is because your child is not actually awake. Attempts to comfort him or her may result in disorientation and an even more frantic and fearful result. While I know it may be hard to listen to your child cry out, as my own children frequently had night terrors in their toddler years, it’s better to stand by waiting for the night terror to subside.

As to what causes night terrors in children, no one really knows for sure, and there’s not really any way to prevent them. You can ensure your child has a set bed-time schedule, and try to make sure they get ample sleep for their age. You may also speak to your pediatrician to be sure a physical condition such as sleep apnea is not causing the problem. Some children outgrow night terrors, mine did, though the condition does occur in adults.

You may also find helpful:
Helping Kids Beat a Fear of the Dark

Toddler Sexuality: Gender realization, Fascination and Playing Doctor

“She has a butt.” These were the very confusing words my toddler randomly said to me, while using the bathroom, shortly after he had been visiting his little cousin for the day. “What?” I said, “Yes, everyone has a butt, honey.” “No”, he said, “she has a butt for a pee-pee.” You can then mentally insert rather hysterical laughter from me. My niece is also potty training, and as a result often ends up butt-naked running around the house. My son, who only has little brothers, noticed that she didn’t look like him “down there,” and that she had what he thought look like a “butt,” apparently.

Is it normal for toddlers to notice one another’s genitals, or even compare them?

Yep, gender realization is the next step in sexual development beyond self-touching and exploration. Your toddler is just realizing he or she is a girl or boy, and girls and boys are different. While more common in pre-schoolers, it’s not cause for alarm if you catch your toddler looking at, or even touching another child’s private parts who is a regular playmate and around the same age. Your toddler may also show interest in seeing other people naked, want to show other people him/herself naked, or attempt to touch adults (usually female breasts.) Toddlers often become rather fascinated with sexual organs once they discover them. Some kids will talk about them incessantly or even sing about them.

How can you help your toddler understand his/her private parts in a healthy way?

Don’t respond to such play in a negative manner. Simply redirect any children involved to a new activity, and explain those parts are private. While not cause for concern, this type of behavior does mean it may be time to help your toddler learn about the human body. There are many toddler-age children’s books available for this purpose, but just talking about it together usually helps the most. Teaching your child what a penis and vagina are is no different than teaching what an eyeball and nose are. They are parts of the body that your child needs to know about. This is also a good time to explain personal boundaries–to start teaching keeping your hands to yourself.

Your toddler will also likely have interesting questions like why their cousin has a “butt” rather than a “pee-pee.” Don’t avoid questions. Use them as an opportunity for learning. Answer any questions in a direct, simple way. Avoid cute little lies, like the stork brought you, and excessive, unnecessary detail. For instance, in the butt example, you could just say, “Your cousin does have a pee-pee. Little girls have different pee-pees than little boys.” It is OK, and even beneficial, to use actual terms and not nick-names, but this falls under your own comfort level. Once your child has learned what they want to know, and has temporarily satiated their curiosity about sexuality, they’ll move on — for awhile at least.

At what point, if any, should you be concerned?

If your toddler exhibits knowledge of sexual acts beyond their age range, for example attempting to kiss another child’s private parts, or any kind of insertion, this is definitely cause for concern. This could be a sign of sexual abuse or simply that someone is letting your child watch programming they shouldn’t be seeing.

Other things to watch out for:

-You frequently find your child “playing doctor.”
-Other children involved in the play are not close in age or don’t see one another often.
-The play is planned and didn’t just happen. Example: One child intentionally leads another out of adult view to “play doctor.”
-Your child isn’t easily redirected to a new activity.
-Any child involved is upset, sad, or aggressive and threatening.

In any case, ask questions, but again don’t punish. Find out in a non-accusing way what the children felt was going on, in their own words, why they were doing it, and where they learned it. All of the above can offer insight into the problem — if there is one — as well as help solve it if necessary.

You may also find helpful:
When Toddlers Touch Themselves: What to Do About Private Part Touching
The Sex Talk Timeline: When Should You Talk to Your Kids About Sex?