Melatonin supplements for children?

[my3girlsjde]

We're definitely going to check this out with our pediatrician, but looking to see if anyone has heard of giving melatonin to toddlers.

Our girls in the past 6 months have developed SERIOUS sleep issues. They weren't the best sleepers to begin with but this is starting to get a little ridiculous.

First here's our routine:
630 - 730am Wake up
8am  Breakfast
8am-1130am Activity
1130am Lunch
12pm Nap
1pm - 5pm Activity
5pm Supper
530pm Walk
630pm Bath, teeth, song (stories are too stimulating)
7pm Bed
8-9pm actual drift off to sleep time.

Now bedtime can take anywhere from 1-2 hours involving screaming, tantrums and figiting in the bed. Tons of NW's (we consider it a miracle if there's only one per child), and EARLY wakes. Like 5am. We've tried ditching the naps twice for a period of two weeks each time. All that resulted in was major OT issues by 3pm and even more NW's. They ask for their nap and crash within 5-10 mins of laying down. If bedtime went like naptime, life would be great lol. We've tried moving bedtime back to 630  but still no difference and dh gets even less time with them. They show all the classic signs of tiredness come 6pm ish. We call it witching hour lol. They do have their 2nd year molars poking through and they started that in January. We've tried medicating for the teeth but I feel in my gut that this is something else. D is definitely worse than J

When they lay down, they do actually attempt to go to sleep. We have a white noise machine in their room, they like their room, and they even play naptime as a game at other points of the day. The best success we've had in actually getting them to go to sleep is by sitting in there with them as once they get frustrated that they can't go to sleep within 15 mins, the antics begin. Watching them it seems to me like they can't shut their brains off if that makes any sense. When they NW, we take them back calmly and quietly but they can't seem to drift off. We have a single bed in their room that dh sleeps in from time to time, but half the time they don't know he's there because they still come in to me. This started before E was born so I really don't think that this is response to having her with us. They are potty training, but tbh the only thing going well with that is they make sure they poo in the potty/toilet and have no awareness of pee most of the time so I don't think that that's waking them.

They're spirited, and we don't think there's any behavioural diagnostic issues such as ADHD or anything like that. They can focus on tasks and language skills are considerably more developed than their peers.

Like I said we're going to run this all by our pediatrician at the end of the month, but someone recommended melatonin for them and I was wondering if anyone has heard of it's use, safety, and effectiveness.

Thanks

[*Becky*]

bumping your post x

[Mrs Coops]

Vicki I saw this comment thought you might like to investigate as you're not getting much response:

I have nothing wise to add to the raft of suggestions you've already received, not to mention the endless avenues you have already negotiated. Perhaps you may consider a two week trial of melatonin for O if you haven't already done so.

In this thread:
http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=177074.msg2023353#quickreply

[deb]

Our girls have been getting melatonin off and on since Nat was 3-ish, I think, maybe not long before. Always a teeny tiny dose, didn't used to take much to knock her out. Now she's bigger she can use more, but about 1/8 an adult dose worked a treat to help her settle.

[momtonb&ab]

i don't have much advice about melatonin-

i did notice in your routine that you start bedtime routine at 6:30 - i can't help but wonder if the walk after supper plus the 6:30 start might be a bit to overstimulating and maybe getting them OT?  could you try skipping the walk after dinner and go straight to bath, aiming for bed closer to 6:00?  for us at that age a nap of an hour or less meant at least a 12-12.5 hour night, meaning i had had had to have them in bed by 6:30.... maybe even bath before supper if that is an option?

i know that's not the help you were looking for, but just thought i would mention it because it made a REALLY big difference for us.   

[deb]

That's a good point. We try to limit after-supper activity to keep things lower-key, so we try to get in as much physical activity before supper as we can. DH does get home late many nights, tho, especially lately, so we do make exceptions, especially in the summer when it's light so late anyway, but now our days are getting shorter so it's easier to keep it low-key, or to make even evening outdoor activities quiet since it's darker. Walks are now slow meandering variety walks, or we hang out in the backyard and make a small fire in the fire pit and watch the sparks while the kids' eyes get sleepy (although some kids would get wired from that LOL).

[my3girlsjde]

Thanks. The walk is actually new in the past 2 weeks. We've tried moving the bath to the afternoon but that made it worse lol. The walk seems to mellow them so long as they're not allowed out to run. They were never 2hr nappers. And I mean never 45 mins are the norm and if we can get 1.5 hrs for a nap it's a celebration. I wonder if they're in a constant state of OT.  We've removed everything from their room as they were getting OS, and we don't even read to them because of how wound up they get. That's why I'm hoping this would offer an alternative. I know they wake so early because of how late they stay up.