Mothers who use sleep aids are significantly more likely than those who do not use them to give these products to their toddlers, based on new data presented at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) 2026 Meeting. 

“Sleep aids, including melatonin, are commonly used in children and adolescents, yet few studies have examined family- and neighborhood-level factors associated with sleep aid use in toddlers,” said lead author Darcy Thompson, MD, MPH, a professor of pediatrics at the University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine, Aurora, in an interview.

“We aimed to examine these contextual factors to better inform clinical conversations with families,” she said. 

Previous research suggests parents use sleep aid supplements in toddlers to address bedtime challenges, often initiated without medical guidance, and despite limited data on safety and efficacy in young children, Thompson and colleagues wrote in their poster.

The researchers reviewed data from 148 Mexican-American mother-child dyads in Colorado in a logistic regression analysis, with a primary outcome of toddler use of a sleep aid supplement in the past month. The average age of the toddlers was 25.1 months. 

A total of 11 toddlers (7.4%) were given a sleep aid supplement in the past month; 10% of the mothers reported sleep aid supplement use themselves, and maternal use of sleep aid supplements was significantly associated with toddler use (odds ratio [OR], 8.6; 95% CI, 2.0-37.0). Melatonin was the most common supplement.

The researchers also examined the association between toddler use of a sleep aid supplement and perceived neighborhood noise disrupting sleep. Reported sleep-disrupting neighborhood noise was significantly associated with toddler use of a sleep aid supplement (OR, 2.6; 95% CI, 1.0-6.5). Maternal education level was not significantly associated with toddler sleep aid supplement use.

The findings were limited by several factors, including the use of a convenience sample. However, the data support findings from previous studies of the prevalence of sleep aid use in toddlers, and the current study is the first known to show a significant association between sleep aid use by mothers and children of any age, the researchers noted.

Takeaways and Research Gaps 

The proportion of 2-year-olds who had received a sleep aid in the current study was higher than reported in some prior studies, Thompson said. 

The study results suggest that caregiver sleep behaviors and needs may play an important role in decisions to give sleep aids to toddlers, Thompson said. However, sleep aids such as melatonin are not recommended for this age, she emphasized. “Clinicians should recognize the pressures that may lead caregivers to use them, including parental sleep needs and environmental factors such as sleep-disrupting neighborhood noise,” she said. 

“More research is needed to better characterize the types of sleep aids given to toddlers, who recommends them, and how caregivers make these decisions,” said Thompson. 

Effectiveness and Side Effects Remain Unclear 

The current study shows a close link between maternal use of sleep aid supplements and child use of these sleep aids, said Timothy Joos, MD, an internist and pediatrician at Neighborcare Health in Seattle, who was not involved in the study. However, data are lacking for the effectiveness of these products in young children, despite their increased use in this age group, Joos said. In addition, little is known about the short-term and long-term side effects of sleep aid supplements, especially in young children, and more research is needed in this area to inform decision-making with families, he noted.

The study was funded in part by the National Institutes of Health. The researchers had no financial conflicts to disclose. Joos had no financial conflicts to disclose.