TV Before Bed Time for Toddler

I think that would be a bad idea with long-term repercussions. Studies show that using a computer or watching tv right before bedtime makes it harder to fall asleep.

I would stick with books, and a calm, predictable, firm routine. Good luck!

Watching television at this time will actually increase his level of activity and make it more difficult to sleep. There's a lot of clinical evidence to confirm this. TVs and computers generate what's called a 'blue light' or 'blue sky light', which sends a message to the brain to be awake. The standard suggestions are no tv for at least an hour before bed.

From my long experience working with kids, what you are describing as "hyper" is actually "overtired". If it were me seeing this in my own son, the first thing I would try is moving the bedtime earlier by at least a half-hour. This means starting the routine earlier. I'd limit book time to about 10 minutes or so (about 2-3 average stories), and see if this helps. Soothing music, lower lights, snuggling in bed... all very nice.

If he's amenable to it, you could also try serving him a small cup of chamomile tea, cooled a bit, about 20-30 minutes before starting bedtime. This is also very soothing.

But definitely--tv will be a big step backward, and another potential argument/negotiation before bed. Not a great end to one's day.

Added later: I read your follow-up, that you are putting your son down by 8 or 9. I'm not saying that is wrong, however, in our house, bedtime is 7 and we don't have these struggles. Please try getting him down earlier... I think you'll see a difference! (my little guy just went down peacefully at 6:20 tonight, because he was so tired!)

I wouldn't fall into the tv before bed trap but that's just me.

When he wants to play after reading books that's when you say "after books, it's time for night night. We'll play more in the morning." All little ones need a good routine. They thrive on it. They know what to expect and what is expected of them. It provides comfort and security. It's also part of their learning experience to push those boundaries (like wanting to play after books).

When my son was two I fell into that type of routine and quickly realized that I needed to change it in order for him to be more alert and functioning well during the day. It does make the child overtired even at times during the day. Your 2 1/2 year old is young enough that you can establish a nighttime routine for years to come. Bath, Bed, and night-time story. Your child may fight you at first but after about week the battle should be won. I know from experience that it is harder to change the routine once the child is older. Good luck!

i am not a believer in tv being bad for children. i think that is dumb. i watched tv constantly when i was a child and i have a gifted IQ. my son is also very bright and he gets up and dances alot while watching tv so he is not being a couch potatoe or anything. he is 18mnths and watches elmo's world everyday, sometimes twice a day if i need to sneak in a shower or something

It will be fine. My kids watch tv at the end of the day to wind down all the time.

I am picturing my nephew...at four years old still refusing to let mom turn off the tv at 11:45 at night. Then there is my co-worker who has a two year old with a tv in her room...who refuses to sleep until past midnight many nights because she is watching her shows. Then she wakes up to watch it if she hears you turn it off. Ridiculous!!!

I was the only kid in my elementary school to have a tv of my own in my room...HUGE MISTAKE that I will never make with my own kids...It was one more excuse not to do my homework or something more stimulating. It set me up for years of lazy behavior, and took forever to break myself of it when I went to college, and actually had to study and get better sleep patterns.

If you want wo allow tv...do it well before bedtime. There are so many better ways to calm your child. It is NOT worth trying. He is 2 1/2...you be the parent! Good luck. :)

Oh...and the tantrums generally aren't the problem...it is how you deal with them as a parent that makes the difference.

I love TV and my kids watch one or two shows after school. That said, I'm not sure TV before bed is a good idea as, although he may sit there quiet and calm, it actually over stimulates the brain. It might backfire! I would just stay consistent with bath, jammies, teeth, and reading in bed (no getting up when your done).

TV won't help the light and flickering of it wakes the brain up more, even if the body is holding still. If you are goingt olet him watch TV, I would suggest to do it at the start of the day to get him awake. Try to get him some more outside time and physical play during the day to get him more worn out by bedtime. And personally I would try a way earlier bedtime - like 7:30, he is only 2 and a half - if he is going to bed at 9, now, when will his bedtime be when he is in high-school...???

Try reading the book "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" By Dr. Marc Weissbluth - it has lots of great tips to improve sleep habits in kids of all ages!!! I believe for this age, he recommends "sleep rules" with consequences for not following them,a nd positive reinforcement for following them.

Stick to your guns, it is a phase, the reisitance, the tantrums, the activity level! All normal for a 2.5 year old, they are just realizing they can control things in their life, so they are trying to take control of everything.....make it clear what you will and won't allow them to control, make the simple rules very clear, and reinforce your words with actions! He is a normal 2 year old, trying to run his own world,a nd there will be resistance tyo your rules, BUT he will be much better off if you stick to them and are consistent!

I don't see any harm in it. Its been a part of our wind-down routine for quite a while (my son will be 3 in May).

Please don't try diagnosing him with ADD! I believe his behavior is related to his age and trying to express his independence. We went through a period of my son fighting going to bed. Since my husband works nights and I work days, it was stressful because I needed my time to wind down and hated getting frustrated/mad with him. I bought a door knob cover and put it inside his room. I made sure the room was completely child-proof. I would go through our routine, put him to bed and say good night. I pulled the door shut and would go do dishes or something like that. The first couple nights he screamed and banged on the door. The first night I went in after 5 mins and put him back into his bed (without making eye contact or saying anything). It took 4 times of repeating this and then he went to sleep. The next night I let him go 10 mins between me going in. It took 2 times of me repeating this. The 3rd night, he went to sleep without any fight at all.

One thing that has helped my son is we have a night-light next to his bed. It puts off just enough light that he can lay there and "read" to himself after we leave the room. Most nights we go in to check on him and he's sound asleep with a book in his hands.

my daughter is almost 2 1/2 and she watches Dora and Diego before bed...I don't like her watching tv, so she doesn't watch too much during the day-usually Sesame St in the am then her bed time tv....the reason I got into this is that my husband isn't home during a lot of evenings and I have a younger child to get to bed. So, I know that she's safe and calm watching Dora while I put little man to bed. That being said, she knows that she can only watch those two (or sometimes only one depending on how much we read together and how tired little man is) and as soon as the show is over (sometimes even before) she gets up and goes right to the bathroom then to her room to bed. We do her nighttime routine as soon as the baby is alseep. She has no trouble going to sleep or staying asleep. But that is just my daughter, you need to see what works for your son. Like I said, I don't like her watching tv, but until they are on the same bedtime schedule, this is what works for me. You might try telling stories instead of reading them, or using visualization, have him close his eyes and imagine he's flying on a magic carpet and ask where he'd like to go and then tell him a story about it (while his eyes are closed)... There is a book about childrens yoga (another great relaxer) that has great namaste (relaxation) visualization stories. I will try to find the name of the book......good luck!

Watching one segment of WordWorld has been part of my 3 1/2 year olds bed time routine for a long time now. Even my 9 month old won't go to sleep until we start watching it. It is just a matter of finding a routine that works for your child and sticking with it. For us it is watching a little TV and that is perfectly fine. I hope you find a routine that works for you...bedtime can be a frustrating battle.

i have the same problem with my almost 2 year old. it is so hard for him to calm down even when he is really tired. instead of tv for him i put on lullaby music, dim the lights and let him watch slideshows of pictures i have taken of the family. i also have him in his highchair with a bedtime snack. this is the only way he will calm down. however, if it is easier to try a show before bed it's not a big deal. my older 2 often watch a show before bed, then stories and lights out and they fall asleep right away. maybe it will work great-it can't hurt to try. good luck!

I have three kids five and under. In order to spend time helping getting each in bed we allow them to watch tv for 30 minutes. After they're ready I then read them a book with the lights off and we use one of those small flashlights. Consistency is key and if they try to stall by asking questions or doing something funny. I don't really respond - I just continue putting them to bed like usual.