Tv at Bedtime in Bedroom?

I won't get into all of the personal reasons I feel that having a TV in a child's bedroom is a bad idea, but I will say that falling asleep with a TV starts a habit that will be hard to break - for a lifetime. My mother can't fall asleep without a TV on and it is very annoying when she visits. In the room where she sleeps there is not a sleep timer on it so the TV is on all night. Adults have a hard enough time with sleep habits and not getting enough sleep and this will J. add a "crutch" to her sleeping routine for life.

A tv should not be in a child's bedroom. Children should be read to or have a casual nighttime routine and then fall asleep on their own. What about some low (volume) music or a story on tape?

The research does state that children shoud not have a tv in their room. When my daughter was little, kids were expected to fall asleep on their own. And they did. Now, I find that it's more common to go w/ what is easier.

It sounds as if she neeeds some "white noise" in the background.

I do commend you for setting a 20 minute limit. Before this becomes a habit, try switching to reading and some classical music.

Here are some links that may explain why those who don't think it's a good idea feel that way.
http://childdevelopmentinfo.com/child-teen-health/child_t...

http://www.ehow.com/facts_###-###-####_tv-watching-sleep-...
These are not real thorough but I think it would mainly be the fact that it interupts sleep rather than makes it better because you are concious of the sound and don't fall into the deep sleep when you should.

Ultimately, it's up to you but the reality is that even if she falls asleep watching a show, TV is a stimulant for the brain with all the lights and action and it won't let her brain slow down enough for a good rest.

I know its the easy way to do things, and BOY oh boy did she have your number when she promised to go to bed alone...but I think it's an unhealthy habit to switch from the comfort of mom to the comfort of TV at night.

It's a terrible habit to get into. No matter how boring the movie or show, or how slow and non-stimulating you think it is, it is too much noise and light for a brain that needs to be transitioning to sleep. It's a bad habit for adults and kids. J. take the TV out of her room completely. There is no need for it to be in her room at all. Check out this article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/04/health/04well.html

Instead of TV, perhaps you could try reading to her as she lays in bed or telling her a made-up story. During the summer, I read chapter books aloud to the kids while they lay in bed and they love it, then fall asleep quickly right after.

We don't do the tv in the bedroom thing.

At one point my little lovelies would get up in the middle of the night, sneak out of their rooms and to the TV room to watch late night TV. Nothing is on for kids in the middle of the night. So I was forced to take stronger measures. They were around the 10 year old and under mark.

In order for the brain to go into full sleep mode which helps with the revitalization of cells, you need to fall into a deep REM sleep. You don't do that for long enough when the TV is on.

Ultimately the decision is yours. She won't always be 5.

I think that the usual issues with tv in the kids room are unrestricted viewing and unrestricted time with tv, isolation from family and holing up in your own room. If you've worked out these kinks then tv in the room is J. a technicality. How many moms who would never let a kid have tv in their room are now letting them use iPads in the room? Guilty. its all relative. However if this is a sleeping crutch, you're setting yourself up for difficulty. If its a treat then thats different. I agree, that at 5 its fine, but do you want this to continue, and if not, how difficult will it be to ween him off? Also, do you still read to him? if not then I think this is not a good thing.

It's a sleep crutch, J. like nursing, rocking, back rubbing, or even you sitting with her. Ideally, she should be able to fall asleep on her own in a quiet room. Another reason might be if she is able to access other channels that might not be appropriate, or that she wakes up later and isn't able to fall asleep without it.

My kids have more energy than a hummingbird but when they are tired if you can get them to sit still for one minute they fall asleep. TV is good for that.

I don't let them watch anything stimulating or though provoking. I want them to fall asleep and not have crazy dreams. I remember the crazy nightmares I would have as a child if I went to sleep after watching some horror movie. :(

Their bed time is 9:00 so the TV goes off at 8:45. Once they are still they J. lift their heads for a sec and fall right to sleep. Perhaps this falls under the know your own kids category.

I am not sure what the claims are but my kids do not seem damaged by having TVs in their room. I think this is some wives tale started by people who J. didn't want to buy the extra TV. :p

we don't have issues with going to bed. I go in, give hugs, kisses tuck in and I'm out.

While I am a no TV in their bedrooms mom and (with hubs kind of parent) and would normally say I don't think TVs should be in kids rooms, I am going to have to say...

...if it's working for you then do what works best.

Sounds like you have limits set around it.

I break many parent 101 rules! There are lots of things that I do/don't do that other moms/dads on here say are wrong. But they aren't wrong for my family. J. like no tv in bedrooms is wrong for us it might be right for you.

Everyone has their reasons...

I was going to automatically respond no, no no, but...

If your dd really is falling asleep within 20 minutes with the TV on, then it sounds ok. For most kiddos, screen time right before bed keeps them up and awake. If it's different for your kiddo, then the "rule" should be different as well.

Its a proven fact that watching TV before bed (especially in bed, falling asleep to it) reaks havic on your sleep cycle. Its very bad for your health.

I would suggest watching a 20 minute show together (in the livingroom)earlier in the evening, then reading a book or two in her bed. J. explain to her that TV is not good at bedtime.

We don't have TV's in our kids rooms and never will. They isolate and distract from family time together. That being said, when my daughter has a cousin over, I will let them take the playroom TV in her room and they can watch movies and stuff together.

My sister in law used to fall asleep to the TV set when she was younger. Now she can't fall asleep without it and it drove her husband crazy. They're divorced now but the TV thing wasn't the reason. Unfortunately she's living with us now and we can hear her TV at night as the sound drifts down the hallway. She always forgets to set the timer to have it auto turn off in an hour so sometimes I get awoken at 4am by some strange noise and have to go sneak into her room and turn off her TV.

I worry that having the TV on at night will desensitize M. to noises eventually and I won't respond to someone breaking into the house. I'll J. think it's my SIL's TV set.

Using the TV to fall asleep is a crutch. She should be able to self sooth herself to sleep or she'll have trouble when she's older.

My kids don't have a TV in their room, but they watch TV in the living room before bed. I don't see the problem with it and they are both great sleepers.
L.

My children, both teenagers now, had tvs in their rooms from the time they were infants. They fell asleep on their own and it has never been an issue. I always enjoyed the relaxing time that it afforded M.. There are no rules, you have to do what works best for you in your house.

If it works I see nothing wrong with it. My youngest will fall asleep watching it on weekends cause we let him stay up later. But if it's his regular bed time we don't cause he wont fall asleep. He need music and a little light though. My oldest used to fall asleep to the TV. It's all in what you have on it. And from the sounds of it you are careful with what she is watching.

It J. depends on the child. For M. it wouldn't work because my GD will stay awake the entire time the tv is on. NO matter how late, if the tv is on, she's awake. Turn it off, and she's out like a light.

So if it works for you, go for it. It J. wouldn't work for us.

My daughter that is the same age as yours also has a TV with a built in dvd player. I will not let her watch during the week (if she has school) because she will stay up and watch what is on or put one of her movies in. I have tried it once to calm her and it back fired on M..

In the summer I will let her leave it on and fall asleep because she doesn't have to get up early.

My 3 year old has a tv in her room & I let her fall asleep to a boring movie at low volume all the time. It works for us and she goes right to sleep. I see nothing wrong with it. There really are no 'rules' with things like this, its what works best for what family. Good luck.

Ask your kids doctor. Our's asked M. when are you going to put a TV in the kids room? I replied " When they go to college." That was the correct answer.

Well I have to disagree with those that said it is making a habit that is hard to break. It could, but it may not. And there are lots of things that can make watching TV to fall asleep helpful or hurtful. I knew someone who watched TV all the time as a child. Usually past 1 am. I was horrified as a child, since I was not allowed to watch TV much, and did not have a TV in my room. I never once fell asleep with the TV on. But I had sleep issues. She had it on every night and fell asleep to it. As an adult she stopped doing it. She does not need the TV on to fall asleep. I, on the other hand cannot fall asleep well with out the TV on. I will up most of the night if I do not have it on. And yes it will be on most of the night after I fall asleep. So here are two examples that completely go against the theory that it will cause sleep problems. But in reality it can set up a habit. Now is my life ruined because I need to fall asleep to the TV? No, it is a tool I use to help M.. Due to my past I have sleep issues, that I have had for much of my life, nothing at all to do with TV. The TV helps M.. I don't need it, but I sleep much earlier with it. So I use it. Reading doesn't help M., it keeps M. awake longer. Other things like music don't help M.. For M. it is an aid to help M. sleep. There is nothing wrong with it. I didn't figure it out until I was well into adulthood. Wish I would have had it earlier in life. So TV can be a help to someone with sleep issues. Starting it young may or not develop into a lifetime habit, but all can be can broken. So if she does develop a habit it can be changed. As long as there is no other other underlying reason for sleep problems. I smoked for many years and then I quit. It was a bad habit, and additive habit, that was not only emotionally addictive, but physically as well. I changed it. So take everything into consideration when deciding these things. J. because you do something as a child does mean it will become a habit, and J. because you don't, doesn't mean you won't start doing it as an adult. I have occasionally let my son watch TV before bed, but only a few times. My daughter on the other hand watches it almost every night. Everyone is different. Make the best decision you can for you and your child. And if watching TV before bed is best for you both, then no one can tell you different. It may not be best for them, and it may go against their own choices, but that doesn't mean you or I or anyone else can't choose something different.

Its one thing when they are 5, another when they are older. My kids had a playroom with tv and vcr in it when I was married to their dad. They always put themselves to sleep, they never slept with us and I never had to sit with them while they tried to fall asleep. My husband and I now only have 2 tv's in the house. One in the family room and one in the living room. We dont even have one in our room. Anyway, my dtr (12) a few years ago would sneak and get up in the middle of the night and watch tv. There isn't anything kid appropriate at night. =/ So we have our cable block ALL shows from 11pm (when we go to bed) to 6:30am (when hubs gets up). So I guess the point I'm trying to make is ideally your kids should be able to self sooth and put themselves to sleep. Otherwise its setting them up to where they will ALWAYS have to have the tv on to fall asleep. Also, when they get older, and are able to change channels on their own, you risk them watching things they shouldn't. Good luck!

We have tv's in both kids bedrooms. I gaurantee you I am a much happier person when I don't have kids TV shows on all day long. The kids have strict rules about shows they can't watch. They tell loudly on each other if they are watching one of the forbidden ones. The girl will fall asleep and have her TV on. The boy will stay up all night with the TV on and J. lay there quietly, not even move a bit. So, I let her watch TV and hubby goes in with the boy and stays in there until he is asleep, which literally means hubby is snoring and boy is too.

If you see no down side then that's all that matters. Worst case scenario is that she'll have trouble falling asleep without tv in the future.

I would never put a tv in a kid's room or train the kids to need one to sleep, but it doesn't make M. a better parent, J. different on that one fact.

If she's ONLY watching that much TV period, then you're not having the bad effects of too much TV in general. J. the possibility of setting a sleep habit that's hard to break. I know adults that can't sleep without watching TV. I prefer to read. Who cares what people do in the privacy of their own rooms so to speak? :)

If you ask people to come up with some studies proving why it may be bad, I'm sure they can find some, but why bother if you're happy with your solution? She'll be fine.