Natural Sleep Aids For Kids

Parents routinely dose their kids with cough and cold medicines containing antihistamine to help them calm down or sleep. These medicines aren't meant to be given to children. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has linked three deaths and 1,500 emergency room visits to the use of such medicines in children under the age of two reports the website Secrets of Baby Behavior. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has also issued warnings about giving children antihistamines after many reports of central nervous system reactions, respiratory depression and seizures.

There are many natural sleep aids for kids that don't have adverse effects, that don't interfere with a child learning to fall asleep and that don't mask any serious problems that may be causing a lack of sleep.

Traditional Sleep Aids

Thumb-sucking is a way for your child to soothe himself at night and throughout the day. Thumb-sucking doesn't cause dental problems unless it occurs in much older children reports Babycenter.com.

A transitional object like a favorite blanket or stuffed animal can also provide bedtime comfort. A night light can help ease a child's fear of the dark.

Lullabies and taped music help children to relax and fall asleep, and the most comforting sleep aid of all is an established bedtime ritual. Every family has its own order of bedtime events but a bath, changing into pajamas, a lullaby or a story that ends with a goodnight kiss make up a common routine.

Warm Milk

A glass of warm milk really can work as a sleep aid. Milk contains the amino acid L-tryptophan which raises serotonin levels in the brain and induces sleepiness.

Better yet, a 2008 study by Anna Nowak-Wegrzyn, et al., found that many children with milk allergies are able to tolerate heated milk. "ScienceDaily" reports that of 100 children, 68 with milk allergy tolerated heated milk; 23 children reacted to the heated milk; and nine children tolerated both heated and unheated milk.

White Noise

Although it's not technically altogether natural, ambient noise or white noise machines can help children fall asleep. Some of these machines play soothing nature sounds. Others sound like TV static or a vacuum cleaner. In 1989, J.A.D. Spencer, et al., found that 80 percent fell asleep within five minutes. Recordings of intrauterine sounds also help children to fall asleep.

Herbal Remedies

Herbal remedies are often used for as natural sleep aids. Chamomile, lavender and valerian are all thought to have sedating qualities, and all three are used as aromatherapy or ingested in teas.

Chamomile has not been well studied, according to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. Chamomile may help infants with colic and kids with upset stomachs, reports NCCAM, but chamomile can cause allergic reactions in those who are allergic to chrysanthemums, daisies, marigolds and ragweed.

The few studies of lavender have come up with mixed results, reports NCCAM. Lavender teas can cause constipation and headaches, and lavender oil is poisonous if ingested. Lavender may have hormonal effects and is said to have caused breast enlargement in young boys.

Valerian may be effective for insomnia, reports MedlinePlus, and it is likely safe in the short term as a sleep aid for children. Valerian may cause headache, uneasiness or sluggishness the following day.

Melatonin

Melatonin is the hormone that helps regulate the sleep cycle. MayoClinic.com reports that there is scientific evidence that melatonin can act as a natural sleep aid in children with behavioral, developmental or intellectual sleep disorders. Concerning children with insomnia, there in less clear scientific evidence that melatonin can help kids sleep.

Melatonin is thought to be safe in small doses for up to two years.