Zarbee's vs OLLY Kids Sleep (2026): 1 mg or 0.5 mg, and Which Jar Wins

Zarbee's states 1 mg per gummy. OLLY Kids states 0.5 mg. That is a two-fold difference, and it is not a matter of preference; it is the number the pediatrician named. The AAP's guidance, if a pediatrician agrees melatonin is appropriate at all, is the lowest amount that helps, and 0.5 mg is half of 1. A pediatrician who names 0.5 mg needs the OLLY jar or another 0.5 mg product, because a 1 mg gummy does not divide evenly and a parent guessing at half a gummy is guessing at the amount. A pediatrician who names 1 mg needs the Zarbee's jar or another 1 mg product, because two OLLY gummies is a second serving and a second helping of L-theanine.

What neither jar can do is go below 0.5 mg or measure in fractions. That is the liquid's job, and Zarbee's has one in its line while OLLY Kids does not; the Zarbee's Kids liquid at $8.68 states 1 mg per serving with a dropper that can deliver less if a pediatrician directs it. For the lowest fixed amounts on the shelf, specialist products such as Tired Teddies 0.3 mg ($25.95) exist, ranked in best low-dose melatonin for kids.

OLLY Kids Sleep pairs its 0.5 mg of melatonin with L-theanine, an amino acid found in tea that OLLY includes across its sleep line, and the title says so. Zarbee's title states melatonin and nothing else. Neither is better on its face. A companion ingredient is one more line on the Supplement Facts panel for the pediatrician to sign off on, and a pediatrician who wants a single-ingredient product has a reason to prefer Zarbee's; a pediatrician who is comfortable with L-theanine has no reason to avoid OLLY. Neither title states the sweetener, the sugar per gummy or the colorings, and both panels do; the kids safety guide covers reading a panel line by line.

Both brands also sell a melatonin-free kids gummy for households where the pediatrician has said not yet or not anymore: OLLY Kids Melatonin Free Sleep with magnesium and L-theanine ($13.38) and Zarbee's Kids Gentle Bedtime with chamomile ($17.99). Those are different products with their own ingredient lists; best melatonin-free sleep aids for kids ranks them.

This is where the two brands differ most. Zarbee's sells its 1 mg in four formats: gummies in 60 and 90 count, chewable tablets in 30 and 50 count, a liquid in 1 fl oz and a larger bottle, plus a Sleep + Immune blend and the melatonin-free gummy. A family can move from gummy to chewable to liquid without changing brand or amount, and a pediatrician who wants a format that does not look like candy, or one that measures, has options in the same line. OLLY Kids sells the 0.5 mg gummy in 50 and 70 count and the melatonin-free gummy, and that is the line.

The format question matters because of what gummies are. They are the form most children will take, which is why both jars lead their rankings, and they are the form most involved in unintentional ingestions, which is why every card on this page ends in a cabinet. A tablet or a liquid is less of a magnet. Zarbee's lets a family make that trade at 1 mg; at 0.5 mg, OLLY's buyer who wants a non-gummy has to look elsewhere.

Zarbee's 60-count at $14.98 is about 25 cents a night; OLLY Kids 50-count at $12.88 is about 26 cents. A penny apart, and the larger sizes stay close: Zarbee's 90-count at $19.99 is about 22 cents, OLLY's 70-count at $16.99 about 24. On price per night the two are the same product, and anyone choosing between them on cost is choosing on noise. Where the cost axis becomes real is against the third jar: Natrol Kids 1 mg at $8.96 for 60 is about 15 cents, and its 90-count about 12, the same labeled 1 mg as Zarbee's for roughly forty percent less. Amazon Basics Kids 1 mg at $7.99 for 90 is about 9 cents.

Two cautions on the arithmetic. It assumes one gummy per serving, which kids labels commonly direct; the panel confirms. And it is a per-night figure for a product the AAP frames as short-term, so the difference between 25 cents and 15 over the pediatrician's agreed period is a few dollars rather than a budget line. Cost is a reason to prefer Natrol over Zarbee's at 1 mg; it is not a reason to prefer either subject over the other.

Zarbee's makes only children's products, and that shapes how some parents and some pediatricians read the label: the age guidance and serving size on the panel are written for one audience. OLLY is an adult gummy brand with a kids line, and its adult Sleep gummies at 3, 5 and 10 mg sit near its kids jar on a shelf and look related; a household with both should keep them apart and labeled. Natrol, the third jar, is the same kind of brand as OLLY in that respect. None of the three listing titles states an age range, so this page reports none, and the panel is where a parent finds it.

On the label-versus-content question that applies to every melatonin product: published analyses have found melatonin content in supplements varying widely from the labeled amount, including in gummies, and a third-party verification mark (USP, NSF or equivalent) on a listing means an outside lab checked. Neither subject's title states such a mark; where a jar does, it is a point in its favor, and it matters more for a child than for anyone. The rest of the kids shelf, with every card carrying the same rules, is on best melatonin for kids.

Pediatrician said 1 mg, wants a children's brand and format options: Zarbee's Kids Melatonin Sleep Gummies, $14.98 for 60, about 25 cents a night. Zarbee's wins three of five axes and ties the other two.

Pediatrician said 0.5 mg: OLLY Kids Sleep, $12.88 for 50, about 26 cents a night. The amount decides, and Zarbee's does not make a 0.5 mg. If the pediatrician prefers chamomile to L-theanine, SmartyPants Kids Sleep is the other 0.5 mg gummy.

Pediatrician said 1 mg, budget matters: Natrol Kids Melatonin Gummies, $8.96 for 60, about 15 cents a night. Same labeled amount as Zarbee's.

Pediatrician said less than 0.5 mg, or wants room to adjust: neither gummy. The Zarbee's Kids liquid at $8.68, with the dropper at the line the pediatrician named, and best liquid melatonin for kids for the rest of that shelf.

Would rather not keep gummies in the house: Zarbee's chewables at 1 mg, or Natrol Kids Fast Dissolve at 1 mg. Pediatrician said not yet: the melatonin-free gummies from either brand, ranked in best melatonin-free sleep aids for kids. Every buyer: cabinet, not nightstand, and 1-800-222-1222 on the fridge.