The moment the kids walk through the door after school, I can feel the bedtime dread creeping in. It’s pure chaos—whining, crying, refusing to go to bed, the “just one more snack” and that last-minute burst of energy when they’re running wild, doing everything except calming down or relaxing. Desperate for a smoother evening routine, I began to explore bedtime support supplements to see if they could help. I came across two types: melatonin-based and magnesium-based. So, magnesium vs. melatonin entered the bed time chat. And here’s what I discovered:
TLDR: I love Hiya Kids Bedtime Essentials because they are free of melatonin and added sugars! Try them now for 50% off with NMM50.
The 411 on melatonin for kids’ sleep
The brain naturally produces melatonin, a hormone that regulates the body’s sleep-wake cycle. (1) It’s triggered by darkness and suppressed by light, and plays a key role in sleep regulation, circadian rhythms, sleep patterns, and endocrine secretions.
Melatonin supplements are popular for sleep issues, but research on their safety, dosage, effectiveness, and long-term effects in children remains limited.
Here are some important safety concerns about melatonin for kids:
- Research shows that many melatonin supplements contain different amounts than what their labels claim. Some contain inaccurate labels and qualities, often with more melatonin than advertised. (2)
- Since melatonin is a hormone, (2) it could potentially impact hormonal development like puberty, menstrual cycles, and the overproduction of prolactin.
- A 2022 study showed a 530% increase in pediatric melatonin ingestions from 2012 to 2021, along with a rise in hospitalizations and serious outcomes due to unintentional melatonin ingestion in children aged 5 and younger. (3)
- Melatonin can potentially cause side effects in kids, including drowsiness, increased bedwetting, headaches, dizziness, and agitation. (2)
The 411 on magnesium for kids’ sleep
Magnesium is an important nutrient for healthy growth and development, and is crucial for bone health, protein synthesis, digestive health, blood pressure regulation, heart health, and nerve and muscle function. (4) Magnesium is naturally found in foods like legumes, leafy greens, nuts and seeds, dairy products, and whole grains, and is available as a mineral or multivitamin supplement.
While magnesium has become a popular sleep and wind-down aid, research is highly limited, especially for children. Some studies suggest an association between magnesium and sleep quality in adults, (5) and others suggest its role in the body’s stress response (6) and its potential to improve symptoms of psychological stress like fatigue, irritability, and stress. (7) These effects may support better sleep, but further research is needed.
Hiya Kids Bedtime Essentials: a safe, natural wind-down solution before bed
If your child is having trouble relaxing before bed despite eating magnesium-rich foods, consider talking to your pediatrician about introducing a child-friendly supplement that can help them wind-down in the evening, like Hiya’s Kids Bedtime Essentials.
Hiya Kids Bedtime Essentials is packed with nutrients that support nighttime wellness, including magnesium, which promotes muscle relaxation and soothes the nervous system, L-theanine, an amino acid that can reduce stress and anxiety, (8) vitamin B6 which can enhance cognition and mood, (9) gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA) that reduces stress and can improve sleep, (10) and chamomile to promote sleep quality. (11)
Here are some other reasons why I love Hiya Kids Bedtime Essentials:
- It’s free of melatonin, which has questionable effects on kids.
- It’s free of added sugars, which is especially helpful before bedtime
- It’s third-party tested to ensure purity and quality.
- It’s made specifically for kids with age appropriate doses and ingredients.
How Hiya compares to other popular magnesium vs. melatonin supplements
Magnesium vs. melatonin: which would I choose?
Hands down, magnesium.
And I'd go with Hiya Kids Bedtime Essentials. I love that it's a non-habit-forming nightly chewable designed to help kids unwind before bed, promoting calm, relaxation, and brain health. It doesn’t include any sugar (it doesn’t make sense to me to give kids ANY sugar before bedtime). It’s easy to incorporate into your nightly routine (I like to give supplements right after dinner!) and helps bring a little chill to the bedtime chaos.
✅ Non-habit forming
✅ Nutrients that support nighttime calm
✅ Zero added sugar
✅ Gummy-free (no gummy additives like gelatin)
✅ Third-party tested
✅ Specifically formulated for kids
Get 50% off your first purchase of Hiya: NMM50
Other tips for supporting your child’s sleep
When your kids aren’t sleeping, it's no fun for anyone. Here are some tried-and-true, mama-approved tips to improve your child’s sleep:
Stick to a consistent routine
Kids thrive on consistency and predictability so even if they had a rough night or you suspect another one is on the way, stick to your nightly routine. If you don't have one yet, now's the perfect time to start. It may take some time and trial and error to see what works best for your family, but here are a few ideas of what to include in a bedtime routine to help calm the body and mind for sleep:
- Warm bath
- Dimmed lights
- Nightlight
- Sound machine
- Cool room temperature
- A lovey or favorite stuffed animal
- Reading books
- Singing lullabies
Create a sleep-inviting environment
Kids are easily distracted, and things like flashing lights, toys, or screens in their room before bed, aren’t ideal for winding down before bed. Create a sleep-friendly environment by removing distractions (we find that taking toys out of the room works for us) and make the room cozy for bedtime. A nightlight can help ease nighttime fears, a stuffed animal can offer comfort and make them feel less alone, and cozy pajamas and bedding makes their sleep space feel comfortable and inviting.
Limit added sugars
There’s a place for sweets and treats in your child’s diet, but it’s not the best idea right before bedtime. Sugars are quickly digested and can cause blood sugar spikes and crashes, leading to cranky and irritable kids. Any parent knows that it’s tough to get a fussy kid to sleep. If dessert is on the menu, consider offering it earlier in the day so that bedtime is smoother for everyone.
And if sleep struggles are a recurring theme in your home (trust me, I’ve been there!), you don’t have to figure it all out alone.
I know it might seem like every time you're finally in a smooth sailing phase of life with kids, something changes. So if your little one is in the middle of something like a crib-to-toddler bed transition or your toddler is testing bedtime boundaries (again) in said toddler bed, you can find some expert-backed strategies here to keep them comfy in their own space.
Sleep is tough, but with the right tricks, tools, routines, and support, it does get better. And when your kids sleep better, everyone sleeps better.
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK534823/
- https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/melatonin-what-you-need-to-know
- https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/71/wr/mm7122a1.htm
- https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Magnesium-Consumer/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35184264/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK507250/
- https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/12/12/3672
- https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11130-019-00771-5
- https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminB6-HealthProfessional/
- https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnins.2020.00923/full
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31006899/
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