No matter how well your child now sleeps, and no matter what your child’s current bedtime habits are, there is one thing you should never, ever put in his room. Evidence proves that the worst thing to have in a child’s bedroom is . . .  a television set. 

Parents Ask expert Elizabeth Pantley, author of The No-Cry Sleep Solution for Toddlers & Preschoolers explains: 

While television watching can be a relaxing pre-bed ritual for adults, studies show that it can be a stimulant to many children, preventing them from falling asleep easily, and disrupting the whole night’s sleep. 

There are many other reasons to banish the set from your child’s bedroom including these:

•    Unsettling programs or commercials can create fears and nightmares.

•    A child with private access to a television may be watching unacceptable programs without your knowledge.

•    A child can develop a habit of TV viewing at bedtime, and find it very difficult to fall asleep without it.

•    A child who watches TV before sleep may be staying up much later than a healthy bed time, thus not getting an adequate amount of sleep.

•    Having a TV in the bedroom increases the overall hours watched, which can lead to obesity, anxiety and depression.

•    TV watching at bedtime often takes the place of a very important pre-bed activity:  Reading.

•    Second place for a bedroom “no-no” goes to computers, for many of these same reasons.



A great substitute for a bedroom television set is a CD player. This can be used to listen to calming music or children’s audio books, which are both much healthier bedtime pursuits.