Hiya Bedtime Essentials vs. Zarbee's Gentle Bedtime Gummies vs. Olly Kids Sleep

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

Bedtime struggle with my toddler is real. It's become a marathon of negotiations, storytelling, and exhausting attempts to get him to sleep 😫 So, I decided to explore sleep supplements. I needed something to seamlessly integrate into his bedtime routine, that would help him unwind and relax his restless body and mind. 

After a ton of research, I narrowed down my options to a traditional sleep supplement, Olly Kids Sleep, but wanted to explore something new too so I grabbed Hiya Bedtime Essentials and Zarbee's Gentle Bedtime Gummies. We tried them all, and now I'm sharing our experience with you!

Magnesium vs. melatonin sleep products for kids

Many sleep products for kids include melatonin, a hormone our bodies produce naturally to regulate our sleep patterns. But there's growing concern about the potential risks of using melatonin as a supplement on a regular basis. Another way to encourage better sleep is by utilizing specific nutrients that relax the body and prepare it for rest. Researchers have found that magnesium can help relax the stress hormone cortisol and naturally increase melatonin in the body. After reading about the potential side effects and risks of melatonin, I prefer to use a gentler formula in our regular routine. 

Modern ingredients: Hiya Bedtime Essentials wins

Hiya

Instead of inducing sleep through melatonin, Hiya goes a different route and utilizes a blend of vitamin B6, L-theanine, magnesium, chamomile flower extract, and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), all aimed at calming and relaxing the body before bedtime. Hiya Bedtime Essentials is designed for children 2 years and older.

Here's how these nutrients can assist your little one with their bedtime wind-down:

• Vitamin B6: Stimulates the body to naturally produce melatonin itself.
• L-theanine: Helps alleviate stress and reduce feelings of anxiousness.
• Magnesium: Promotes muscle relaxation and soothes the nervous system.
• Chamomile flower extract: May enhance sleep quality.
• GABA: Reduces stress and soothes the nervous system.

Zarbee’s 

Instead of melatonin, Zarbee’s uses just chamomile flower extract as its primary supplement source, which helps both the body and mind relax before bedtime. While chamomile extract is a good option, Zarbee’s lacks a variety of nutrients that can really help the body relax, like magnesium for example. These gummies get their natural color from carrot and black currant concentrate and the gummy texture comes from apple pectin. Zarbee’s Gentle Sleep is designed for children 3 years and older.

Olly

Olly includes melatonin to make kids feel sleepy, while ingredients like L-Theanine, chamomile, passionflower, and lemon balm help them relax. The gummies get their chewy texture from gelatin. Olly doesn’t include artificial colors or flavors, and they're gluten-free too. Olly Kids Sleep is designed for children 4 years and older.

The lowest sugar: Hiya Bedtime Essentials wins

Hiya

I appreciate that Hiya Bedtime Essentials are sweetened with a monk fruit extract blend instead of added sugar and formulated as a chewable tablet without the gummy stuff that gets stuck in teeth, especially right before bed. 

Zarbee’s

Zarbee’s has 2 grams of added sugar per gummy. The gummies are sweetened with honey, sucrose, and glucose syrup. Personally, I'm not a fan of gummy vitamins because they appear a bit too much like candy. Sugar and candy are not habits I want to encourage before bedtime.

Olly

Olly contains 1 gram of added sugar from glucose syrup and beet sugar. Again, introducing sugar and candy before bed seems very counterintuitive to the purpose of this supplement.

The tastiest: Zarbee's Gentle Bedtime Gummies wins

Hiya

These chewable tablets are sweet with a slight fruity taste, and remind me of Smarties candies.

Zarbee’s

These gummies taste like raspberry lemon gummy bears and are coated in sugar.

Olly

These gummies taste slightly less sweet than Zarbee’s, but still taste like raspberry flavored gummy candy.

The most budget-friendly: Olly Kids Sleep wins

Hiya

Each bottle of Hiya contains 30 servings. Your first month is 50% off for $17.50, that's about $0.58 per serving.

Zarbee’s

Each bottle contains 30 servings. At $12.99 per bottle, that’s $0.43 per servicing for kids aged 3 to 6, and $0.87 per servicing for children older than 7.

Olly

Each bottle contains 50 servings. At $14.99 per bottle, that's $0.30 per gummy.

My pick for the best toddler sleep support is Hiya.

Although Hiya costs a bit more, the real value lies in the modern approach to sleep supplement ingredients. And combining that value with an easier bedtime and better sleep for my toddler is pretty much priceless to me. Hiya has become a part of our nightly routine and I’m so glad we have it!

✅ No melatonin

✅ No added sugar, but still tasty and kid-approved

✅ Gummy-free

✅ First month is 50% off

✅ Eco-friendly, reusable packaging

Get 50% your first purchase with code: NMM50

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