I have never been that parent who can honestly say, “My kids are great sleepers!” They aren’t the worst sleepers, but they take after their mom in that they are always worried they are going to miss out on something… which makes getting them to sleep difficult sometimes. We seriously tried everything… including buying an extremely boring book that I had read about in a mom’s group online that was supposed to hypnotize children into sleeping. Let’s just say that the one person who was always asleep by the end of it was the person in bed over 30!
Our pediatrician had recommended we try melatonin as it is a safe, effective and 100% drug free way to help the kids wind down and fall asleep. If we could sense that it might be difficult for them to go to sleep on certain nights, she said it might be helpful to try melatonin.
This time of year is one of those tough times- between starting school with new routines, fall events that might keep us up late, Halloween candy, daylight savings time ending and everything else bedtime doesn’t get easier.
We have tried several brands of melatonin, one being a liquid and it had strange interactions with my daughter, so we switched to gummies. Every time I went to the store to get a new bottle, I always forgot which ones we liked best and always questioned the dosage because all the bottles generally targeted adults and not children.
This is when Natrol Kids Melatonin entered the picture. Natrol is the #1 melatonin brand in America, helping millions of people sleep each year** and they recently launched a gently formulated Kids Melatonin product to help safely and effectively promote restful and healthy sleep recommended for kids ages four and up. They reached out to see if we would like to try their new formula for kids and of course I said yes- our bottle of gummies was low, and I was excited to have something meant specifically for children.
Natrol Kids Melatonin comes in two easy-to-take, tasty forms, Gummies and Fast Dissolve. I am one of those people who is always on the lookout for supplements that are non-GMO and free of artificial colors, flavors and preservatives. Not only does Natrol Kids Melatonin meet those requirements, but it’s vegetarian as well!
Of course, one of the most important parts to the kids is not any of that… it’s the taste. My kids can be picky about the taste of supplements like vitamins, especially since they eat fresh berries by the pound. As we know, “medicines” often taste gross (cherry cough syrup as a kid? No thank you!) Both of my kiddos were excited to try a new “nighttime gummy” and were happy to see strawberry and berry flavors.
My husband gave them to the kids for the first time on a night I was at my dance class. He didn’t know that they were sent to us to review and just figured I had bought a new brand to try. The next morning, he said to me, “She LOVED the flavor of that new melatonin you got- she said they were the best tasting gummies yet!” Then I explained that they were given to us to review- and obviously they passed the taste test! The next night she tried the quick dissolve tablets, which are strawberry flavored, and said they were tasty, but not as delicious as the gummies (although that may have more to do with the gummies seeming like candy versus the flavor!) However, my son LOVED the feeling of the quick dissolve on his tongue and loved the flavor of both equally.
Now let’s be honest, one of the important things about spending money and trying something new to parents is if it works. When I got home that night shortly after bedtime, I had two kiddos who were happy to see me, but also very mellow and sleepy. Normally they beg me for 10 hugs and kisses and then fight over who gets the very last “alone” hug before we do one finally group hug. Bedtime is exhausting as you can see, but I will take all the hugs I can get! However, that night they both accepted two very sleepy hugs then rolled over and fell right to sleep… and we didn’t hear a peep from them again! Lately my little guy can be found turning on the lights and playing with toys on the floor or reading a book- but that night he went right to sleep and stayed asleep.
I love that Melatonin is a solution for occasional sleeplessness * and is pediatrician-recommended, 100% drug-free and non-habit forming. Natrol Kids Melatonin comes in 1mg strength, which is a smaller dose than all the other brands we have bought, which makes me even more comfortable giving it to them. If you have a kiddo (or adult… my husband often takes it) that needs the occasional help falling asleep and staying asleep I definitely recommend talking with your pediatrician and trying Natrol Kids Melatonin!
Purchase Natrol Kids Melatonin at the following retailers:
Target
Walmart
CVS
Walgreens
Click here to save $2 on this product.
This review is based on a product given to me by Natrol to try and review, but the content and opinions expressed here are my own. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. The product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any diseases.
*Recommended by the Canadian Pediatric Society
**Nielsen Panel Data, through 12/29/18
