This post is in partnership with Hiya. I only endorse products I believe in and personally use with my family.

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. 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

Melatonin is a hormone naturally produced by the brain 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.

While melatonin supplements are popular for tackling sleep issues, research on its use in children is limited, especially when it comes to safe dosages, potential side effects, efficacy, and long-term safety.

Here are some important safety concerns about melatonin for kids:

• Several studies have shown that many melatonin supplements don’t match what’s listed on their labels. 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 supplements

Hiya is the right bedtime support for my child

Hiya Kids Bedtime Essentials is 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 calm 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

1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK534823/
2. https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/melatonin-what-you-need-to-know 
3. https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/71/wr/mm7122a1.htm 
4. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Magnesium-Consumer/ 
5. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35184264/ 
6. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK507250/ 
7. https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/12/12/3672 
8. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11130-019-00771-5 
9. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminB6-HealthProfessional/ 
10. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnins.2020.00923/full 
11. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31006899/

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