TV With Sleep...

I agree--try something, anything, besides a tv. I bet it would keep him up even later, and kids in general watch way too much tv as it is. I've seen lots of kids who are addicted to it--they scream and cry when they can't have it on, and they can't fall asleep without it. I like the suggestion of some lullaby CD's or white noise.

Hi J.,
I agree with most of the responses here that a TV is not the answer. Feeling safe in his bed and the ability to soothe himself to sleep will not be learned with the TV on. What worked for us was to stagger bedtimes so that the baby was already asleep when we started the routine with the older child. Then I would sit next to her in a chair or on the floor with lights out and tell her a story about when we had gone to the park or about her favorite movie etc. Then I would tell her to picture the story in her mind and keep it going. I had to sit in her room (without talking) on and off for a month or so but then I could just tell her the story and tell her to keep it going and leave the room while she was still awake. It was hard work but I now have two daughters who love to get in bed and read and then go to sleep with ease.
Don't get me wrong, we struggled for a few years with sleep in my house and I used to let them watch a DVD because it was easier. This shift was hard for me and a lot of work but it was soooo worth it.
I hope you find your solution, and try to remember the long term consequence of whatever you choose to do.
B.

My 16 year old step-daughter has had a tv in her room since she was about 4. Now when she goes to bed at night it has to be left on. If you sneak in after she goes to sleep and turn it off she wakes up and turns it back on. She doesn't sleep very well, and her grades are hurting. Since she lives with her mom there is nothing we can do, but when she's at our house we are constantly fighting to turn it off.

My kids had a tv in their room when they were little. They wouldn't go to sleep with it off and if I turned it off in the middle of the night they would also wake up. I finally took the tv out and we haven't had a problem since.

I think there are things that you can use. Like the lamps that spin around and make his room look like an aquarium or something. Make bedtime fun.

I really wouldn't go for the tv though. They honestly get addicted to it.

I think that there is nothing wrong with it as long as it is limited per day. My daughter 4 is the same way and we let her watch 2 hours during the day and put her to bed within an hour that we want her asleep...Typically with her favorite movie and she is asleep within that 1 hour. It also is great because it is usually learning programs and 3 hours worth of learning a day is great! I would suggest mickey mouse club house, dora, little Einsteins, diego, anything that ask them questions or has them interact! Good luck!

J., I as well as my kids have to fall asleep to a TV. I don't see a problem with it and they lay down and fall asleep within an half an hour no problem. I like to put the TV on disney movies or Baby einstein DVD's

My dd has had a tv in her room since she was born, The Dvd player also played cds also so it made it easy for music. We didn't really start using it for dvds until she was about 15 months. I am now letting her watch movies while she naps and goes to bed, but we will read her one story before we turn the tv on to see if she goes down first. I don't see any issues with letting them have a movie on while trying to relax. I wish you luck.

Our children don't have TV's in their rooms and I wouldn't recommend it. If you're desperate, You might want to consider a radio/CD player where you can play soft music or a noise machine (babbling brooks, ocean, etc).

Everyone in my house has a tv in their rooms, I can't fall asleep without one on so my kids have the same habit, it's from us co-sleeping. I just limit it to one movie for the smaller ones and always disney or something like that and then it is lights out. My older ones usually watch a movie and then go to sleep also. I think so long as it is limited it is ok, some parents don't but I just do what works for us.

If you can avoid tv, I would. It could serve to be a problem later on, an inconvenient one. My younger two have troubles unless we read books to them, which is fine because we always read to my oldest one, too. If I don't read to my youngest, she just has a terrible time going to sleep...3 Maisy books does the trick almost every time. I read one to my middle child (she's 7) and she's allowed to read books herself to fall asleep if she's having trouble. We also let them listen to soft music and have even found classic books on cd all 3 sometimes listen to.

TV needs to stay out of his room! Do you really want to be fighting this when he's in elementary school or in teh middle of the night after nightmares? Plus, many, many studies have shown there are no benefits (educational shows or not) to toddlers and preschoolers watching TV. And, TV tends to ramp them up (even low-key programs) rather than calm them down because the images are so strobe-like (try having a TV on in a dark room and close your eyes - you'd be surprised how strobe-like it is). Two alternatives for you...use a radio/CD player to provide background noise (we use anything that's not real upbeat from classical to elmo. my 6 year old is now into rockies games as he falls asleep.) or let him choose 2-3 stuffed animals that sleep w/him and he can talk to.