TV in toddlers bedroom?

We were having problems keeping our daughter (2) in bed at nigh nighs time. Today my husband put our TV and dvd player in her bedroom so she could watch Milo and Otis til she falls asleep. I feel weird with her having a TV in her room, like she is too young but then a couple of my friends kids (even a one year old) have TV's in their rooms too. We are most likely going to remove the TV tomorrow. What do you think? Is it harmful?

TV in toddlers bedroom?
I'm not opposed to anything that gets kids to sleep, but I'd try a CD player/MP3/radio instead.





While some kids do fall asleep to TV - especially when they're small - by the time they're a little older, it's just as common for them to stay awake to see how it turns out.





Your daughter might be the type who is lulled to sleep by television - it works for me, personally. But you'd hate to get into the habit and then realize at 3 or 4 that she won't sleep until the end of 101 Dalmations. Every night of the week. :)





Music, on the other hand, tends to be more of a universal soother - in fact, our pediatrician recommends it.





It works well for our son, especially when he's in unfamiliar surroundings. Heck, he even likes *my* singing. But in deference to my husband, we stick with the radio. ;)





ETA: BTW, we don't play classical music. We play mellow versions of stuff that we like - Elvis Costello, Death Cab for Cutie, Feist.
Reply:my son is 2


and he watches cartoons to fall asleep also. i read stories to him before bed, but it doesnt put him to sleep.


do what u want. dont worry what other parents r doing. u know your child best.


:)
Reply:watching tv before bed has actually been shown to cause insomnia in many people ... she may be staying in her own room, but she's likely to get less sleep. and what happens when she wakes up at 1 in the morning and turns it back on? what happens when she changes the channel to something she really shouldn't be seeing? (she may not know how to do it yet, but she'll figure it out faster than you think).





i think tvs should be in public areas so you can keep track of what, when, and how much kids are watching.
Reply:As long as you don't let her watch unsupervised or for hours a day, I think it's fine. We put a tv in my older son's room when he was an infant so that I could take a shower. I really don't think that half an hour or an hour of tv a day is harmful.
Reply:I think instead of saying tv off, just have her turn the lights out. Personally, when I was little(4 and 5), I fell asleep w/ the tv on watching nick at nite. She'll grow out of it.
Reply:I don't think it's a good idea personally. I'm not against TV but it's not something anyone needs in their bedroom.





It may not be harmful but your toddler needs to learn how to fall asleep by herself and the TV won't help her learn that.
Reply:I think it's a bad idea to put a TV in a child's room - ever. Wait to put her to bed when she's really, really, tired. Set up a routine. Don't get her too active after dinner. Close to bedtime give her a bath %26amp; snuggle with her. Put her to bed and read softly. When you're done reading, tuck her in. Leave the room and don't go back in. She might cry herself to sleep but eventually she'll know the routine %26amp; will fall asleep.
Reply:How about a night light and a radio playing classical music instead?
Reply:My daughter has had a tv in her room since that age. We used to do bath read etc, and set the timer for 30 min, she could watch clifford and then off to bed. She wasn't ready or wound down enough to sleep and this gave her that unwind time.





Another trick you may try, we gave our daughter a sleep mask at that age, she was having a lot of nightmares, and the sleep mask was her "monster mask" and kept them away. She is now 7 and 5 years later she still wears the masks.





We also used to play a silly game, of night night, sleep tight dream of ............... we would say something different every night, she still does that too.





Although everyone is against TV, I can remember being a kid and the big thing was to have a stero in your room. Same principal just a different piece of electronics. Do what you think is best.





Michelle
Reply:Having a TV/DVD player in a child's room is not a good thing. Occasionally is okay, but not permanently. Many times children want to get up and play, so it is always a good idea to have everything put away at bedtime and teach the child to stay in bed. What worked with my son was to give him ONE special toy or stuffed animal that he could play with in his bed. If you have a good bedtime ritual going, that will help. Watching TV is too much stimulation. Brush teeth, wash up, get ready for bed. Read a story, have a good discussion and don't rush. Sometimes little ones have a lot to say in their own way. I sometimes talked with my kids using puppets at bedtime. We could laugh and it was a nice, loving time and helped them ease into bedtime.
Reply:I say take it out before she gets too attatched.


My mom put a tv in my room when I was 3 and left it in there. Now, at age 15, I can't go to bed without the tv on. And I can't even shut it off early like right before I go to sleep, because I'm so used to the sound. Do what you think is best, but if you are going to remove it, do it as soon as possible.
Reply:I think it is a bit harmful. Not just because of the levels of radiation, but because TV will begin to take over her life. There are other methods to et her to calm down and go to sleep that are effective. Reading a little book at night helps. When I was a toddler, I was always read to at night and by the time I was four, I could read. Though I do realize that this practice is no longer common.
Reply:I dont think its harmful if you put a time limit on it. Tell her she can watch the tv for a set time then it has to be lights out ( or night light on) and down to sleep. Tell her if she does not keep her end of the bargain then you take the tv out again. Good luck. xx
Reply:I see nothing wrong with allowing some TV time for your 2 year old, but to keep a TV in her room, not the best of ideas. It will encourage her to sit in front of it more. I think your best bet is to remove the TV from her room and lay her down for bed and the lights out.





For our son we give him his bath, dress him for bed, read him a book, tuck him in, say I love you, and then lights out. End of story. He has never complained about it or gotten out of bed or thrown a fit and is also 2 years old. We have done this with him since he was 6 months old.





I do believe it is harmful because it encourages them to be inactive and to sit in front of a TV all day. Just because your friends do it doesn't mean it's right. I've seen kids just become inactive blobs in front of TVs watching them or playing videos games. That will not happen with my kids.
Reply:Bad bad idea. You need to just step up and be a parent and make her stay in bed at night! Having a tv in her room... she will never be able to go to sleep without it. And she'll be a major tv bum as she gets older.
Reply:I think a television in any bedroom whether a parent or childs is a bad idea. People have turned the television on so much these days even for younger children that pretty soon she won't be able to do without it. I am completely opposed to putting a television in a childs bedroom I would rather lay there next to my son until he falls asleep then know that he is watching television which is something that is not even recommended to a child that young. They are not suppose to have more than 30 minutes of television a day, if at all. I wish you luck on this one, but I strictly oppose it.
Reply:So the TV is in there to serve as a babysitter. I have to agree with the others who said it is really a terrible idea. It's an awful habit for your daughter, can cause sleep and developmental problems, and is also a safety hazard. All parents have to deal with little ones getting out of bed at some point; it comes with the territory. Just because your friends do it doesn't make it right or healthy. If you want your daughter to stay in bed, use consistent parenting. When she gets back up, put her back in bed. She'll eventually realize that she can't get her way.
Reply:i think it is extremely harmful. take it ot immmmmmmmediately.
Reply:i don't see a problem in it my son has had a TV in his room since he was two and he know at night i read him a story he gets to watch one DVD and then the TV goes off, i cant see why people say it's harmfull, i had a TV in my room from when i was a toddler and it's done me no harm I'm now 28
Reply:I wouldn't put a TV in a toddler's room. It is the start of bad habits. I would just continue to put her back in bed until she gets it. Kids learn from repitition and she will find ways to sooth herself. The TV makes things easier for you but it won't make it easier for her in the long run.
Reply:We have three kids and they all have TV in their room and have had for as long as I can remember. I cant imagine all of the fights it would be over who gets to watch what if we didnt. As far as it being harmful the only way it is harmful is if you do not have it securly in place to keep it from falling. My kids are all good students, they get plenty of sleep and still spend time in the family room watching shows with dad and I as well but they also have a place of their own if they want to be left alone. I had a TV in my room as a kid and I turned out fine. We just opted not to hook cable up to those rooms so all they can watch is area channels with an antenna or movies on the DVD player so we dont have to worry as much about what they are watching and we set it on a sleep timer at night so it isnt running all night long.
Reply:beside the very apparent fall risk, the child will get used to watching the TV to fall asleep. at the very least, could have developmental disabilities. you should take it out immediately. I personally have a radio in my daughters bedroom. I play Mozart and Beethoven. It calms her to sleep.