Coming Down from the Melatonin High

It's been awhile since I mentioned baby E and sleep, or Melatonin. I'm assuming you've realized this means sleep has been going well. And, man, has it. After about 2 weeks of the melatonin, E started sleeping consistently through the night, as in no waking up. At all. After 15+ months of waking 2, 3, or more times a night, that sleep was ever so much appreciated.

However, we've now been getting that full time sleep for about 4-5 months. And my guilt about "drugging" him to get him to sleep, has been mounting. The last couple of weeks, he's been sleeping from about 7:30p til at least 7a. Though he's gone til 8a few times. This is all in addition to 2-3hr naps. While it sounds great, I've been worried about how much sleep he's getting. And, yes, I get that that makes me a little crazy.

Mostly, though, in my research prior to us giving him the Melatonin, I read some warnings about people becoming "addicted" to melatonin. Now, this was more in line of your body just stops making it after awhile since you're providing it. We certainly didn't want this to happen. The last thing we want is for him to have to have it, like, forever to be able to sleep.

So, a few weeks ago, I  started mentioning to hubby the need to wean baby E from the melatonin. At first he simply shrugged and grunted in a very noncommittal kind of way. Then he just started flat out ignoring me whenever I brought it up. About 2 weeks ago, for some reason, he agreed to give it a try.

I am - over the moon, beyond thrilled - happy to tell you, that baby E has now been Melatonin-free for almost 2 weeks. Actually, that's not the part I'm so excited about. The awesome part is that he has continued to sleep through the night! Now, this has not been without consequences, but they are ones we're willing to accept. At least for now.

First, it's taking him longer to get to sleep at night, and there have been a few nights where he's cried for a bit, necessitating us going back in to his room once, twice, thrice to calm him down. This was similar to what was happening pre-melatonin. But, he does settle down within a half hour and go to sleep on his own.

Second, we've started hearing him whining in his sleep again. He woke me up at 10:45 the other night (he'd gone to bed at 6:45 that night!) whining. I went in and he wasn't really awake, but his blankets had come off. So I covered him back up and he was quiet again. This morning he woke hubby up at like 5a doing the same thing. But then he slept til 7:30a.

Third, his naps have become wonky. He's still napping, mind you (good, 2ish hour ones), it's just that when he takes those naps is all over the board. He used to go down about 1p (give or take 30min). But, in the past week, he's gone down anywhere from 10am (after sleeping til 7:30 that morning!), to 2pm.

Fourth, I don't think he's sleeping as well as he was with the melatonin. He seems to be more restless at night, as evidenced by his blankets being all over the place/him not keeping them on all night (which he had been doing). Also, the poor little fella has had circles under his eyes a few days.

All that said, we're going to give it at least another couple of weeks and see how it goes. If he can sleep on his own, that is absolutely the preferable option. However, if he starts waking again, and just seems tired a lot, we'll go back to it, though probably with a lower dosage.

Today's Lesson: Poop, toots, and pee-pee are frequent topics of conversation in households that a boy-heavy. Also, jokes about those things are apparently just as funny for 35yo boys, as they are for 6yo boys, as they are for 22mon old boys. Sigh...