Is it okay to give my toddler (12 months to 36 months) melatonin?
We do not recommend giving melatonin to toddlers and there is little rigorous evidence that it helps children this young. Most toddlers who cannot get to sleep at the start of the night (the time when melatonin has the best effect), have other reasons for this that need to be addressed. These may include toddlers who will only fall asleep with their mom or dad there – these toddlers need strategies to help them learn to self-settle. Other toddlers come in and out of their room multiple times at the start of the night. These toddlers need firm limits and need to be taken back to bed (sometimes many times!) with minimal fuss and interaction. All toddlers can benefit from a good bedtime routine and a bedtime that is roughly the same every night to help them learn to settle to sleep.
