Experts weigh in butter before bed viral trend for infants and toddlers (exclusive)

Whether you are a first time parent or an experienced veteran who takes home a new child, there is one thing in you: sleep.

Parents everywhere always keep an eye on tips and tricks that help their little ones get a good night’s sleep. A new trend on social media claims to do just that, which indicates that parents give their child a small amount of organic or grass -fed butter before bedtime. A number of mothers and fathers praise the idea, but what is the foundation?

Dr. Rebecca Greenberg Carter with University of Maryland Medical System Tells people that there is a nutritional base, but it has lost context in the middle of the buzz from the online audience.

“First and foremost, healthy Fats are encouraged in pediatric diets only after the introduction of solid foods. I would not recommend this as a food introduction before other solids start – which is generally between 4 to 6 months, “she shares.

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Dr. Carter also notes that “more fatty milk production is associated with feeling fuller and sleeping better, but it can be dangerous to jump to this as a solution without exploring other reasons why your child or toddlers can fight to sleep through the night.”

“The most important thing would be to address these issues and follow up your pediatrician,” she adds.

Brittany Sheehan, pediatric sleep consultant and founder of Brittany Sheehan SleepAgree and tell people, “a child struggling to sleep will not magically become a big sleeping cabin for getting butter – or a” okay to wake up “clock, or magnesium rubbed on their feet, or lavender spray or an onion under the bed.”

“The truth is, just like an ideal diet, what actually works to help children and toddlers sleep is never a hack or a trick or a glossy new product. It is much simpler and less exciting – correct feeding, ideal time and the duration of sleep based on the child’s age and a consistent response from the parents if a child wakes up early – it is!”

Dr. Carter points out that many parents are likely to try a “hack” before finding out science. As a result, they should know “butter does not contain other important nutrients needed for infant growth, so it should not be given in any size quantity that would suppress an infant’s appetite for breast milk or formula aged for 12 months.”

“In the same way for toddlers, butter should not be a material part of their diet, as it can remove from other important nutrients they would get by eating healthy,” she continues.

Parents should generally learn to be tired of what online “parental chopping” that such offers, she says.

“Everything we refer to as a” hack “that involves our bodies and our health, I would avoid,” says Sheehan. “Really under no circumstances would a parent feel pressured to follow sleep” hacks “for infants or toddlers, who are at best a waste of time and energy and can be extremely dangerous, at worst.”

Both experts agree that prioritization of total sleep health through consistent routines and building healthy habits is the key to helping your children sleep well.

“Most important for healthy sleep is a regular, consistent bedtime, without screens before bed and a consistent bedtime nightly,” says Dr. Carter.

“Creating healthy sleep habits will serve your child better in the long term and make sure you do not set up for many years of sleep problems in the future.”