How to give melatonin?

[MooMummyMoo]

Is this is a completely stupid question? (Probably...) But - how do you give your children the melatonin tablets?

My DD is 3.5. Is swallowing a tablet possible? Or do I crush it? But then put it in what? She has milk before bed, can it go in there? Would she taste it??

What do you all do?

[kojackscat]

We were told to crush it by the paed.
Then we sprinkle it on top of a petit filou, or a couple of spoonfulls of rice pudding.

ds is 6 and he knows its there, we make no attempt t hide it. he asks for his sleeping medicine every night, its become part of his routine.

[shazzarooney99]

We get the medicine and put it in a syringe, although you can crush it up and put it in yogurt and stuff.

[Hedgyhoggy]

If it's slow release melotonin because your dd wakes throughout the night then it shouldn't be crushed. My ds started on this when he was 3 and we placed the tablet in his mouth and then gave him one of those yoghurts in a tube, fairly quickly so that it filled his mouth and he swallowed the whole lot down. Worked for us and now at 6 he takes it with a glass of milk. Good luck x

[MooMummyMoo]

Thanks everyone. Because I had left it so late in posting I had to guess at what to do last night and crushed it with her milk. She drank it fine though there were a few lumps of it at the bottom. Seemed to do the trick though and she went to sleep without issue. We have done the same tonight and a sort of success - her sibling woke her up so after she had gone to sleep and so resettling was required. But wasn't too bad. So I think the melatonin is doing its thing.

We have been prescribed the slow release tablets, but they are for settling her to sleep at the start of the night so I think crushing them is fine. She does occasional have issues waking in the night so if that becomes more of a problem maybe we'll then go for the 'tablet on tongue and shoot it down with a shot of yoghurt' approach. For now though he milk seems to be doing the job. Famous last words....

Thanks all x