Melatonin and valerian

[dut]

Hello

 

I was wondering if anyone was using these on a child as young as 2?

 

Our 2 year old ds no longer naps (but that's ok), falls asleep easily but wakes anywhere from 5 - 10 times a night within an 11 hour sleep time usually closer to 10. I'm exhausted and he's bad tempered. His sleep improved massively with a steroid burst (so feel it could be PANDAS related) but was thinking of trying melatonin or valerian but not sure of their safety in a child so young... or dosing for that matter.

 

Any ideas/opinions?

 

thanks....

[matis_mom]

Hello

 

I was wondering if anyone was using these on a child as young as 2?

 

Our 2 year old ds no longer naps (but that's ok), falls asleep easily but wakes anywhere from 5 - 10 times a night within an 11 hour sleep time usually closer to 10. I'm exhausted and he's bad tempered. His sleep improved massively with a steroid burst (so feel it could be PANDAS related) but was thinking of trying melatonin or valerian but not sure of their safety in a child so young... or dosing for that matter.

 

Any ideas/opinions?

 

thanks....

Lack of sleep will make everyone (including Mom) cranky! I don't know about the supplements you mentioned, but an easy thing to try is potatoes... yes, POTATOES. Eating a potato (or probably just 1/4 of one for your son) before bed (ideally about 3 hours after dinner) helps you get a good-night sleep. You are supposed to eat it with the skin, and you can add butter and salt, but no cheese or anything with protein in it. The idea is that by eating a complex carb before bed, it will create a natural "sugar low" in the middle of the night and let you get into deep, restful sleep. It also helps increase serotonin. If you want you can check out the book "Potatoes, not Prozac" (most libraries have it) which explains this a lot better. But it anything, it can't hurt!

 

If your son is not napping and not sleeping well at night, he's going to be bad tempered no matter what. And it is so hard to deal with a cranky child when you haven't had any sleep yourself!

 

Another thing to try is Epsom Salt baths, magnesium is great for relaxing and it is best absorbed through the skin. Maybe a good relaxing bath before bed will help.

 

Someone posted this link about it not too long ago.

http://www.care2.com/greenliving/health-be...alt-baths.html#

 

Hope everyone sleeps well tonight...

[FallingApart]

Hi DUT,

 

We have been through this same problem for all of 2009. DD wasn't 2 but was 3 for all of 2009 and since you and I have the same ped, I will tell you everything we have done. We did the Epsom Salt baths, used Kids calm supplement as a drink close to bed time. We give her Melatonin every night. I've not used Valerian but our ped told us to use GABA to help DD stay asleep. I have researched GABA and it doesn't say anywhere that it will help you stay asleep. But our ped tells her patients to take it and it seems to have worked for our DD.

 

I don't know if your 2 yo has any sensory issues but I wonder if a weighted blanket might help. I know it would have helped DD but she would have hated it at the same time. When she wakes up, I have to go in and put almost all of my weight on her lower half while lying completely still to get her to go back to sleep.

 

Good luck and email me if you have any questions.

[dut]

Thanks for the responses... I'd be interested to read the potatoe book...

 

Falling Apart - when I looked up valerian one of the things it's believed to do is increase GABA. I'll try all those... thanks. How are things with you and your little girl? hope you're doing ok....