If you?ve never heard of melatonin for kids, then you probably aren?t someone who searches the internet for solutions to your kid?s sleep problems.

Barely talked about among parents even just a decade ago, melatonin is quickly becoming a go-to sleep solution for kids. ?It?s easily accessible, and is being promoted as a sleep aid,? says Burlington, Ont.-based sleep consultant Alanna McGinn. Health Canada classifies melatonin as a natural health product, which means you can buy it at the pharmacy or a health food store, without a prescription. You?ll find it in the same spot you pick up your vitamin D or iron supplements.
With moms in Facebook groups championing the benefits and many paediatricians giving it the A-OK, you?re bound to wonder if it might just be that miracle fix you?ve been hoping for when it comes to your kid?s sleep. Here?s what you should know. 1. Melatonin won?t solve every sleep problem

Melatonin is a hormone naturally released by our brains to help us fall asleep. Melatonin supplements can be helpful when that release doesn?t happen at the desired time?jet lag is an obvious example.
Carl Cummings, a paediatrician in Montreal who wrote a paper for the Canadian Paediatric Society entitled ?Melatonin for the management of sleep disorders in children and adolescents,? explains that melatonin could be helpful in kids who have chronic insomnia because of a problem with “sleep initiation,” which means the child is going to be...