I think medicating kids is super common, both at home and in daycares. In the article above, it said that one in five parents admit to using Benadryl on their young child. It sounds like doctors support that in a lot of cases.
It kind of reminds me of the Tylenol craze. Every little ailments was treated with a shot of Tylenol(teething especially). And then we had all these overdoses and seem to realise the effect it has on the organs, so now people are more hesitant to give Tylenol.
Melatonin appears to be the newest trend in sleep aids. Especially in children with autism, melatonin was highly recommended as a sleep aid. I would imagine it's gotten some misuse in children who don't technically need it. I'm not sure if it has side effects, but there is no reason to medicate a healthy child, natural or not. Medicating a sick child should be well thought out in terms of side effects, let alone a healthy one.
