Six simple tips to limit screen time for toddlers
Let’s face it, when kids’ social activities are canceled due to pandemics, weather, or otherwise, screen time can often become the go-to time-filler activity for toddlers and young children.
Whether it has become a way for you to get work done, or a way to keep your kiddos entertained while you take a break, we get it! However, as experts in the sleep field, we can’t help but show concern at how increased screen time is causing increased sleep problems.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) says that, “Even infants exposed to screen media in the evening hours show significantly shorter night-time sleep duration than those with no evening screen exposure.” They recommend no screen time within the hour before bed, for any age.
ParentingScience.com says that “the more time preschoolers spent using electronic media in the evening, the greater their chances of having trouble falling asleep. Kids were also more likely to have nightmares, and to experience daytime tiredness.”
“Compared to kids who didn’t use devices before bedtime, kids who watched television or played video games slept, on average, 30 minutes less. Kids who used a mobile phone or computer before bedtime slept an hour less.”
“Children with both a television and one or more hand-held media devices in the bedroom averaged about 40 minutes less sleep than did kids without any tech in their rooms.
Clearly experts do not recommend screen time around sleep periods, and, in general, they recommend limiting the amount of screen time your child is exposed to throughout the day.
Here are a few ways to manage screen time so that it does not affect your child’s sleep so much...
First of all, know that we are talking about "toddlers" and older kids, not babies. This is because the AAP recommends that children under 18 months have no screen time (TV, phone, tablets, etc.) at all.
For children ages 18 months to 5 years, the AAP recommends that they have no more than 1 hour a day of screen time.
Set screen time in the middle of awake periods. Generally you don’t want screen time to be any sooner than one hour before nap or 1.5 hours before bed. When children engage in screen time too close to sleep periods, it can increase their cortisol levels and suppress melatonin (the sleepy hormone), making it harder for them to fall asleep.
Try to reserve screen time for cooler or rainy days. The rule in our household is that if it’s nice weather, screen time is off limits. We understand that this may not work for all families, but we do encourage outdoor physical activity as much as possible, as one of the many benefits of increased activity is better sleep!
Monitor TV shows, movies, and other content carefully to ensure they are appropriate and don’t contain content that may scare your child or cause nightmares, especially in the evening.
Try to promote educational screen time. Believe it or not, screen time can actually promote sleep when timed right and when the content provides necessary stimulation for your child. The AAP suggests “Common Sense Media, PBS Kids, [and] Sesame Workshop,” saying that “well-designed television programs, such as Sesame Street, can improve cognitive, literacy, and social outcomes for children 3 to 5 years of age and continue to create programming that addresses evolving child health and developmental needs (eg, obesity prevention, resilience).”
Screen time for your child is not inherently bad, but just like anything, it is important to find balance. With an increase in screen time since the start of the pandemic, it is important to place limits on the amount of time your child is spending in front of a screen, especially before bed.
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