Screens
and Sleep

Why reducing screen time during bedtime or napping is hard, why it’s important, and how you can do it
How to use the 4 M’s to reduce screen time before bed or nap time.

Why is it hard?

Some families say screens help calm down unsettled children before bedtime or naptime
For some children, the noise from the screen may help children fall asleep more quickly
Using screens to help children drift off to sleep can allow parents some extra time to themselves to get things done
Using screens gives parents time to cope with their own exhaustion and lack of sleep.
Young babies sleep patterns seem to keep changing, and when you have a sleepless night you often feel like you need to start all over again.

Why is it important?

Sleep is important for children's health and development, and screens can impact how much sleep young children get and the quality of their sleep.

Screens give off a blue light that can interfere with hormones that help with children’s sleep
Children who are well-rested are more likely to be alert, focused, even-tempered, and ready to learn new skills
Consistent bedtime routines without screens help children not only learn healthier screen time habits, but also healthy sleep habits.
Research recommends both children and adults, switch off screens at least 1hr before bed to reduce negative impacts on sleep.

How can I do it?

Set up a consistent bedtime routine that includes calming activities like reading books or listening to music
If your child seems to like the sound of a screen to fall asleep, try switching it for white noise at a low volume.
Make bedrooms a screen-free zone (this can be a great idea for adults too)
Encourage stimulating and physical activity that tire them out earlier in the day, so they’re tired by naptime or bedtime.
Remember if you have concerns about your child’s sleep (or lack there of) speak to a professional (GP or Pediatrician) for advice.

The Banksia family’s child falls asleep watching cartoons most nights, but they wanted to reduce this routine as much as possible. To start off, they slowly pushed back the screen time so there was time between the screen turning off and bedtime. This gave them time to find other ways to help settle the child and for them to slowly get used to a chance in routine, without taking away screen time altogether.
As they started pushing back screen time further away from bedtime, the Banksia family substituted the time with less stimulating activities, such as reading a book, enjoying some cuddles, and switching on some white noise.
The goal of reducing screens before bed helped the Banksia Family realise how and where they used screens. They decided to make the bedroom a screen-free zone, built up to avoiding screens 1hr before bed, and only put on calming, simple cartoons when they felt they really needed it.
While the child was awake, the Banksia family created a routine that involves “screens off” before bath, teeth and bed. They made sure to model healthy behaviours by doing this as well. At a certain time, the whole family turned off the TV and put any mobile devices in a draw together.

Do you have other ideas of what might work for dealing with screens around sleep time? Jump onto our eSSS Facebook group and share.