gave Olivia 1 mg of melatonin

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I read that it can be good for some kids.

After I gave it to her, she was very chilled and relaxed and very mild-mannered. Normally she'll be pretty high-strung and if she were a year older, I'd say that she were argumentative but being that she's only 19 months, I don't know what to call it. Sometimes when she'll be eating breakfast at the table, all I'll have to do is look at her and she'll start crying and not want to eat anymore. Today, she ate just fine, she let me - she *let* me wipe her face clean and snuggled up to me when we went in to watch Blue's Clues.

I kinda thought it would make her drowsy but it just chilled her out a bit. I mean, she went down for her nap a little easier but that's it as far as sleep goes.

Anyone else have any experience with melatonin and toddlers?

I would not administer melatonin to a child without the supervision of a pediatrician. It's a powerful hormone and not something to be experimented with. I had a bad reaction to melatonin and it took me days to feel normal again... I can't imagine what a reaction like that would feel like to a little child.

There have been studies that show that the potency of commercial melatonin often does not match the packaging, so it's possible you gave her more or less than what you think.

please do not self medicate your child - if it was not ordered by a doctor, you should not be making pharmacological decisions without an M.D. doctors know A LOT about how body works and how different chemicals affect your body ESPECIALLY children. you are still a good mom for trying, but it is not a safe or smart thing to do. period.

heh. I'm a mom

explains why she got nothing from my hairy moobs.

all these supplements are HEAVY on the liver

Yeah, I would say she's too young for that. My 10 year old takes melatonin every night before bed, but he only takes 0.5mg and that's enough to knock him out. Heck, *I* only take 1mg and I'm 34 and it knocks me out for a solid 8 hours!

Always check with your doctor before administering any over the counter drug (herbal or otherwise).

her liver is very young. liver filters out toxins out of the blood - so by overloading the liver you might increasing the level of toxins in blood.

My son (12) just began taking melatonin on school nights about 2 weeks ago. He takes 1.5 mgs. His doctor is also aware of this decision. He laso began about 5 weeks ago taking Adderall for his ADHD (he's been treated with Concerta for the past 3 years). Of course with stimulant medications, which I'm not too fond of to begin with, he's bouncing off the walls when it wears off in the evening. Psych recommended CLONIDINE or RISPERIDAL, which I was utterly afraid to try with him, so we opted to try the Melatonin first. Thankfully, when given about an hour before bedtime, he winds down very well. Unfortunately, he's come home from school quite tired and moody everyday, which it's hard to say whether it's from the new stimulant, or the melatonin, so we're not going to give melatonin over the next week, and see if the tired, moodiness continues.

Sorry that I have no suggestions for a child so young. I would absolutely do tons of research, and have a very thorough conversation with her Doctor, rather than just assume it's ok.

Best wishes,
Sue

I have read that Melatonin is something to try with these kids, but I haven't tried it yet with my 9 year old - I would probably run it past our Pediatrician to begin with since he's taking an anti-anxiety drug to begin with and I wouldn't want to do something to mess up that delicate balance. It'd be nice to find something to help him sleep better though - he has such a hard time with that. He tells me it's as though his brain won't shut off. I can relate to that, as I have occasional insomnia myself.

Hi all, We just started my 6 year old son on melatonin. The doctor recommended 3 mg at night before bed. I started him on 1 mg and i can not believe how well it is working. This was a child that it took up 2 hours to get to sleep is now falling asleep with in minutes of hitting the pillow and sleeping through the night. It is great he is well rested and wakes up happy.

OMG! You're drugging a toddler?!?!?!?!

That's sooooooooooooooooooo wrong.

Toddlers throw tantrums and misbehave, it's one of the ways how they learn about boundaries and acceptable behaviour, by being challenging. It might be frustrating for the parents, but it's natural behaviour on the part of the child. Even among non-Aspie and non-spectrum children it's known as 'the terrible twos'.

You don't need drugs. You need to learn some parenting skills. Have you watched a programme called Super Nanny? I really advise you to watch that programme and to learn ways of instilling discipline and boundaries without drugs or physical punishment.

And I agree with those who say you should definitely not be medicating your child without medical advice.

OMG! You're drugging a toddler?!?!?!?!

That's sooooooooooooooooooo wrong.

Toddlers throw tantrums and misbehave, it's one of the ways how they learn about boundaries and acceptable behaviour, by being challenging. It might be frustrating for the parents, but it's natural behaviour on the part of the child. Even among non-Aspie and non-spectrum children it's known as 'the terrible twos'.

You don't need drugs. You need to learn some parenting skills. Have you watched a programme called Super Nanny? I really advise you to watch that programme and to learn ways of instilling discipline and boundaries without drugs or physical punishment.

And I agree with those who say you should definitely not be medicating your child without medical advice.

yup.

you are depriving your child of learning and practicing his emotion management skills he needs these feelings to learn how to control them. please let him have a normal childhood. he can take this stuff when he grows up.

My daughters both see a developmental ped who perscribes supplements like the one you gave to your daughter. My daughter has been taking 1 mg since she was 22 months old. She is now 31 months old and doing well. I do not take her to a DAN doctor but we do use various supplements and although she is now verbal and doing well she still has autism. Please speak to a doctor who uses supplements so you can find the safe dosage for your little one. Good luck to you and I am so happy you are having better days