Before I post I just want to say I am not anti tv/iPad but I need help establishing boundaries with my almost 2 year old Moms, I made the huge mistake with my first baby of letting her watch tv in her room before bed time. For a while, it helped mellow her out she would fall asleep, we turn it off. NOW she screams if it’s not on. She will (if we allowed it) stay up until wee hours in the morning watching tv. I’ve noticed it’s a problem and need help on how to get her to lay down at night without tv. This weekend we only allowed her to watch tv at the end of a day for an hour then turned it off, put her down said “goodnight time” and she SCREAMS bloody like the world is ending. *side note: it’s cocomelon!! She’s completely obsessed. Talks about the show nonstop always wants “JJ” helllp !!
Help a mama out and respond anonymously on our forum. Toddler screams when I do not let her watch TV
It’s not only little kids
People of all ages can’t sleep with out a tv on
try a radio might be the background noise of the TV?
Do you normally give in when she flips it?
Personally when my kids go through stages of being overly obsessed with tv or another electronic we just cut it out completely for a few days to a week and then start again with limited time. As soon as it gets to where they are throwing fits when it’s time to do something else then we cut it off for a bit and that helps them kind of reset
Honestly my kid would stay up all night if we let her watching tv but I let her pick a show and turn a timer on and tell her when the tv shuts off you have to go to sleep k and she’ll be like k and sometimes she’ll end up in my bed but she doesn’t really cry
Stop letting her watch cocomelon. Theres been sooo many children acting terrible after/during watching it. Many people noticed a huge difference in their childs behavior after removing cocomelon
Kids shouldn’t have TVs in their bedrooms. Pediatricians advise no TV at this age. Play soothing music. Establish a bed time routine. It’s going to hurt at first, probably for about a week. The first few times will be hell. But eventually she’ll adjust.
Supernanny has a great getting to sleep technique.
May sound stupid, because she’s 2. But warn her before you do it. Let her have the hour. Then tell her 10mins and I’m cutting it off, then tell her 5 mins and I’m cutting it off. Then tell her you’re cutting it off.
Mine used to hate bedtime and scream cause he didn’t like the sudden change. I use this for literally everything and it still works like a charm at 5yrs old.
I’d talk to her & tell her she has 1 hour of TV before bed. Set a time somewhere & let her know that when the timer is up, it’s time for bed. Kids tend to react better when they feel a little bit of control. Turning it off with no warning can be a trigger if she’s used to it. Then slowly after 1-2 weeks, cut it down to 30 minutes, then no TV.
I’ve done the time thing with my son for a few years now. If he’s on his tablet or TV & he needs to do something, ill tell him 15 minutes, then you have to do…
We have the Alexa echo dot, so I’ll tell her set the timer in front of him so he knows, or on his tablet. Hope that helps
Invest in a Cd player and get different sleepy time cds to play in room during bedtime I really like the disney instrumental ones. Studies have shown that “blue light” from phones, T.V., & tablets actually cause people to have a harder time sleeping. Make a Definite bedtime routine. With the way she is addicted to the T.V. I would say no access to any electronics 2hrs before bedtime. So if bedtime is at 7 then T.V. tablets need to be turned off at 5. Have dinner, bath, bedtime stories, cuddle time and lights out. It’s going to be a hard process but y’all can do it. Stick to your guns. It will be a constant you repeating yourself. (I am a 2yr old toddler teacher btw and a mom to a 5yr old) Make a reward chart for the daily night time routine that she can put stickers on to help her. Did we have dinner? Yes ok lets put a sticker yay we did it high five fist bump etc. Ok lets get the bath going would you like to pick your pajamas? Yay sticker on the chart for bath completed. Sticker for brushing teeth, reading books etc. If she’s asking for cocomelon after the t.v. has been turned off trying saying things like oh well he has to eat dinner and get ready for bath & bed too. But we can watch some more later cocomelon needs to sleep and rest too etc.
I prefer Little Baby Bum to cocomelon. Stay strong and follow through always. Validate her feelings about being sad or upset because she can’t watch t.v. but don’t give in to the crying & screaming for it to be turned back on. Once the T.V. is off it should stay off until she is in bed.
Edited to add if the T.V. is in her room definitely suggest removing it as well.
Who is in charge at your house. You and your husband or a two year old child. Put your two year old in her bed, turn off all but a small night light, close the door and put cotton in your ears. You need to reclaim your position as an adult. Husband needs to get with the program too. Let her cry till she falls asleep. You might want to even open her door to see if she is okay. Then close it again. Might take a while but she is not the one to call the shots at two years old. Imagine what it will be like when she is ten or as a teenager if you do not take over as the adult leaders you should be. Good luck with this. If in doubt talk to your child’s pediatrician. You need help.
My daughter is almost 12 and just got a tv in her room this last year. We’ve never had an issue, bed time is bed time. If you argue, things are taken and you have to earn them back, they are not just given back after a certain time. This was about the age I started that with her for earning things back and she understood, good behavior means rewards. Kids are way smarter than you think.
Screaming doesn’t get your way and if it does, you lost, mom.
Maybe set up a radio and put some classical music on quietly to calm her to sleep. Classical music is said to help bring down heart rates and calm/remove stress from new borns so I don’t see why it would do any harm
Get a routine with a set amount of time. Tell her for example you can watch Cocomelon for half hour before nap time then you will nap, then eat a snack, and then go play outside (or an appt, or play with toys) then dinner, a bedtime routine (brush teeth, bath, pj’s, read book, lights out). Then stay consistent to it. Do not detour from it if at all possible. Even if she cries for the tv more often or wasn’t wanting to go to sleep. Eventually she’ll get into a pattern. Best would be to take the tv out of her room to start with, then only allow it for those 30 minutes or so.
That dang coco melon is addicting.
Stop cocomelon. Man I’m telling you it’s a problem. It won’t solve the whole issue but it definitely help I’m going through this right now too. Cocomelon and YouTube have been banned for about a month and things are changing
Also I noticed music helps calm both my children country and r&b for sure
It’s a battle of wills don’t give in keep putting her in bed take the TV away and just keep putting her down in bed until she falls asleep everyday until she does it on her own
Turn it off, let her scream until she doesnt anymore. Its not natural and its not healthy sleep habits. She will re-adjust.
We set a timer on our kids tv the get 15 minutes after being laid down for bed then it goes off… they also throw a fit if they don’t get that 15 minutes because we take if they are “bad”. But i personally don’t see any harm in the 15 minutes.
Have u thought about playing an audio book and maybe a night light insted, mine always slept with tv and when I stopped it they would keep getting up till I gave in now I do an audio book and I had a star nightlight which did patterns which helped loads now they have a small standard nightlight and an hour audio book each night xxx
She’s using the Tv as a sleep aid now. . It will take time for her to adjust to not having it. Does she go to sleep with it on?
Timer? I know some TVs as well as subscribing services have timers. Tell her it’s set for an hour (example) and that’s it. After which she has to go to bed. May make for a rough few nights but would help establish pattern.
If my kid screamed after turning off the tv, it just shows how much she NEEDS it turned off. I know it doesn’t help, but know we are all routing for you and hope it subsides soon. Whatever you do, just don’t give in!
Coco melon is the reason my son was in speech therapy it causes speech regression developmental delays and it’s too stimulating for a child that young that why she’s acting out find something else for her to watch that’s less stimulating
Had the same issue. I stopped JJ completely but they still watch it at her daycare. So at least not hours of it non stop. Also set a time limit an hour or two a night no more. Less if possible. The first week will be like detox for your child so be fully aware but it does get better. We also give my daughter a notice when her time is ending. She has 30,15,10 minutes left then turn it off. If she starts fussing we just remind her that she has had her time to watch and it is time for bed or other people’s turn to watch something.
I give my daughter a count down, “in ten minutes it’s bedtime”, “you have 5 more minutes and we have to stop”, “ok time is up, let’s go do something else”. As she has gotten older, I don’t have to give as many reminders, but it’s helped a lot. It also gives her a sense of timing, kinda.
If it’s a Roku tv Download Pandora put on Disney radio. Then let her figure herself out. I recently had to put a stop to tv after bedtime. And that was a even middle. Nice music TV on still a win win for a 5 and 4 yr old
Take the TV out of the bedroom.
Try going to YouTube and putting on lullabies that has just a little bit of movement. Turn the brightness down and set the sleep timer (if wanted). Let her fall asleep to some music but maybe seeing that the tv is still one will prevent a fit.
How is a kids tv show harmful? My sixteen month old likes this coco melon!
I play a video on YouTube of sheep jumping and soft music
Just cut it off. Kids need limits.
Maybe I’m a bad mom…
My boys share a room and I don’t care if the TV is on but they aren’t allowed to watch actual TV at bed time. No shows. No videos of some guy playing video games.
They pick YouTube sleep aid videos, asmr, music etc.
Take a ‘holiday’ camp on the lawn & torches & books - visit grandparents or friends and explain their house their rules their routine - or motel & say tv doesn’t work - a big distraction or change of stimuli where tv just isn’t an option can help to pull the ‘reset’. Or even fake a power cut - then it takes the blame off you, she can press remote etc but nothing you do will change the fact no power no screen. Which will give you an opportunity to try something different, talk & books etc. Connect. Followed by - ‘I really enjoyed reading & talking with you, can we do this every night before we sleep’
Good luck - it’s hard to pull the ‘re-set’ but keep trying!
If she’s starting to tantrum about it, she’s gotten used to it. Start a whole new bedtime routine. For the last 1 hour, a nice bath and then dim lights in bedroom, read a book or two, sing some songs, have some cuddles. She’ll probably end up enjoying that quality time more
Do you think reading to her before bed may help and cut the TV off an hour before she actually goes to bed? I would cut it off, then do bath time, teeth brushing, reading a book, and maybe even a lullaby before she goes to bed. She just needs a new routine and cutting off tv (something she likes) with sleep (something most kids do not like) is going to create issues. Obviously, she may still cry for the TV, but this will help replace it with relaxing things vs going from something that wires you to bedtime
I had this issue with a tablet (grandma was giving it to him constantly ) I took it away and let him cry it out. Once he was over it, I gave it back with only 1 hour allowed. It was rough but it worked.
Distraction…get her interested in something else then turn the tv/iPad off.
Omgosh it’s just tv , if it helps her sleep let it be , alot of toddlers can’t sleep with the TV off , it smooth them , ( if she still stays up after half hour when she’s in bed turn the volume off ) it usually works
My son was the same way about that age. We stopped the tv and had a light machine with soft music playing. He loved it!
My 21 month old has a DVD player and we put the title on repeat. It plays all night. She sleeps to the show Spirit. I would say find a kid friendly show without all the activities and hype.
Screaming won’t make her bleed. I tell my kid he gets tv time if it’s earned and when tv time is up he turns it off himself when I present the remote to him. It makes him feel like he’s in control but he’s doing what I said.
I get this to a point…
I will say both of my boys have ADHD, sleep is difficult for them in general and we do actually have to give meds for them (oldest is on a prescription. Youngest gets melatonin. I have ADHD too and take Benadryl)
That said…both of my kids are seemingly addicted to tv. But like me they use it as background noise as much as they’re actually watching.
Also like me neither can fall asleep in silence.
When the oldest was about 2 we discovered this “show” on Netflix called moving art.
It’s nature scenes with background music.
We also found we could put animal documentaries on for him as well (he used to like the one about cats).
At 8, we have dish and switch it over to instrumental music.
My youngest on the other hand I really don’t know. Melatonin kicks in and he’ll sleep to anything. His sleep actually seems almost disturbed by the instrumental music if it’s on after he goes to his bed (the boys wind each other up so we often separate them. Let youngest fall asleep in our room). He does cry if we turn cartoons off at bedtime so we let him pick until 730. If he falls asleep before then…great If not I pick. I’ll pick something he likes but isn’t overly interested in.
Let her scream…she will be ok
Try to change the routine at night. Read books. Use a spinning night light with different imaging that fills the room.
If these don’t work is it really the end of the world to put something on?
Sadly sometimes I feel like we just have to stick it out and if she throws a fit that’s something she will have to do untill she sees that the new bedtime routine doesn’t involve tv
I’ve seen a lot of people having this exact problem when it comes to that show. My kids have never watched it. I’ve also read that’s it’s over stimulating I don’t remember the exact reason but once people had stopped their kids from watching it they had tantrums for a while and then a much better behavior. I would look up behaviors related to cocomelon
Get her a night light and a coco melon CD! I went through the same thing with my kiddo. Now he prefers music over tv at night.
Go camping for a few nights with no electronics and get rid of her bedroom tv before you leave so when you come home it’s already gone
I somehow created a monster called “lay down time” --he is 8.5 and still asks for it… it is the calm time of watching whatever for x amnt of min and I do countdown at end and he knows when times up that’s it…then we do teeth story and bed. (He will talk about this to friend “I gotta go if I want lay down-them kids don’t ask but I’m sure they are like wth is he talking about” when he was little he would pitter patter in middle of night and take any device could find hide under blankets quietly 3am etc. I had to hide the phones tablets etc or even DC wifi once found hiding spots.
I am a pushover parent and I just had to stick it out it was hard. Lasted few weeks then he grasped concept I meant what I said…some tantrums at first but they know keep melting down they get way and when wasn’t working it stopped.
We cut it off before story time and It doesn’t turn back on until the next morning
Have a solid routine
Try to go to something like little baby bum, then don’t play it as much. It’s a little less stimulating, and I love coco melon and my little still loves it but that’s something I had to do during the day
Put lullabies on the tv
If I’d let tv in my 2 youngest room they won’t sleep especially the oldest one she doest sleep well still at all have give melatonin and also has adhd diagnosed about 2nd grade now 5th now my oldest out of 3 did have tv time but set boundaries and tv was off at bedtime. She way older than these 2
Tv fine, it’s what she’s watching is keeping her awake. Put something else on that’s not so intriguing to her.
I have a daycare and I have parent that have done the same thing.
Switch to a completely different routine, a bedtime routine that has other fun stuff like read a couple books and sing a bedtime song together. Get a sound machine for white noise if it’s the noise that helps the child fall asleep.
Cocomelon is super over stimulating I often tell my 2 year old son cocomelon needs to go to sleep now and we watch something else or turn it off and have book time I know its hard but I’d tough out the tantrum I’m sure she will soon understand xx best of luck mama
take the tv out cof her room and let her scream. 2 is to young for screentime. give her melatonin and hr before bed (like 1-3mg)
After the show maybe show her a book? Or try a show she doesn’t like as much to end it with.
I’m in much the same boat and in big trouble when my youngest goes to school in the fall. With my oldest I started doing iHeart radio only on the tv for bedtime. It’s on for the light, it only plays music and the picture only shows an album cover for each song.
Set the sleep timer in the TV, tell her when the TV gets tired and goes to sleep she needs to as well… she will still throw a fit, but I found that they complained less when the TV shut itself off than when I physically did it…
Whatever u do don’t give melatonin it will make their bodies natural melatonin stop helping them and then they’ll have to rely on melatonin the rest of their lives
Tbh it likely doesn’t help that it is Cocomelon lol that’s definitely a “day time” TV show. I let mine watch something before bedtime and I don’t allow cocomelon because I’ve noticed it only amps them up more, so it has to be a calmer show, on quietly. Not until they fall asleep, but shortly before bed. My kids are a bit older, though. Maybe an audiobook or lullaby music or a sound machine? I’m someone that needs “background noise” to fall asleep, but I have to be listening to a show that I have seen before and that I’m not like staying awake to watch what happens next, or listening to a book or podcast… so maybe just the sounds or voices are comforting and something with sounds or voices that aren’t TV would help. Not cocomelon songs, though those are like “hey kids, lets get up and dance” kind of songs.
Both my girls get tv at bedtime. We do timers on the TV and my daughters or passed out by the time the TV turns off
My kids, 4yrs old and 2yrs old, watch TV before bed every night in their room, they screamed bloody murder when we would turn the TV off also until we startrd givinh them warnings before turning the TV off for bedtime. Like go in there 20-30 mins before you plan on turning the TV off and making them go to sleep and tell them “now here in a little bit, momma is gonna come turn the TV off and it’ll be time for bed. Okay?” Then actually turn the TV off in 20-30 mins. It worked with my two, they take it so much better now.
I seen someone say (I haven’t looked for myself) Disney + has some sort of show where Dory just swims around for hours and doesn’t say anything. It’s supposed to be for nap/nighttime. Hope it’s true and can help
Cocomelon is like Crack for babies and toddlers it is too stimulating for bed time. I would try a movie that will not hold her interest all night. Turn on the movie and set the sleep timer. When the movie is over the TV will turn off. She will probably be asleep before it’s over. That’s what we did for our daughter when she was little.
Take TV outta room a 2yr old shouldn’t have a TV that young just my opinion
I’ve seen things about coco melon being “too stimulating” for young kids. Something about how short the scenes are, it doesn’t really give their brains any time to process what’s happening.
I’d start by switching the show. I’m not saying no cocomelon, ever, just maybe not close to bedtime.
Let her scream and walk away… she’s only screaming to get your reaction. We all make mistakes as parents but when we try to undo what we’ve created, it’s going to create havoc for a bit. Best you manage it now than when she’s older
I think I’d start with taking the to out then starting a new nightly routine! my two year old actually does watch a little cocomelon before bet with big brother, it calms them down hugely, but then we go read a book and chill. There are cocomelon books! Maybe sing some songs etc. You could also try a little melatonin and see how it works too
Start turning the TV off half an hour before bedtime because “JJ needs to sleep too or he can’t play and learn next time!” Add in a couple of books after. She may scream and hate it for a few nights, but you are her parent and she needs to learn how to handle changes and being told no. She will be ok, even at 2.
My mother passed away 3 years ago and she always left the tv on when she slept at night. I don’t know why we try to cut out what comforts kids today. I love music while I fall asleep.
Tv needs to be cut off hours before bed for the brain to settle. We always start out with a few books then lights out… we use projectors, music and guided meditation on hard nights for them to settle themselves after books.
She us probably use to the noise now. Take the TV out, get her a white noise machine or play soft music. See if that calms her down before bed.
Let her cry it out. As long as she ain’t to the point of throwing up hurting her self or breaking things she will be fine. It shouldn’t take long to break her from it.
Let her scream. You know there isn’t anything wrong with her beyond wanting the TV. After a few nights of turning it off, she will get into that routine.
Alternatively, she may be scared of the dark. My daughter is 8 and is scared of the dark. She sleeps with the TV on, but there isn’t anything playing. We usually put it on the Netflix Home Screen and take the remote.
Someone above mentioned Dory on Disney+. It’s called Dory’s Reef Cam. It basically turns the TV into a fish tank. There is no sound, it’s just the fish swimming around and a soothing water sound.
She will get tired of screaming and will pass right out, no drugs or TV required.
Take the TV out and put it out of her sight. Replace it with a white noise machine with a light that shows space or multiple colors. Within reason, she’s going to need to cry it out. Adjustment takes time. Keep a pattern with the noise machine and bedtime as much as you can.
Read up on cocomelon! You make your own informed decision, but I would read up on what they’ve found.
I don’t think it’s the tv that’s the issue I think it’s the cocomelon, way way too stimulating especially at night. It’s like a drug for toddlers
Remove the TV from her room. I Never allowed a TV in my children’s room until they were teenagers. Bedrooms are for rest and quiet time. I still don’t have a TV in my room
Tell her how much time she has on the tv and once that time is up give her two options that aren’t bed time like “do you want to brush your hair or teeth first?” “do you want a story or a song first?” Then go to bed. Let them feel like they have some sort of control in their life.
I would find a nose machine, also we got our littles these Starbellys that put stars on the ceiling and that helps them sleep. It’s set on a timer. She may need the noise to fall asleep. I would definitely take the tv out of her room
If that’s where it is. So it’s no longer there.
My daughter is the same way with having tv on at night but she also has to have the bedroom and hallway light on. She’s scared of the dark. We do give her melatonin per dr approval or she will not go to sleep till 12-1 am
It’s not just the TV. It’s cocomelon. It over stimulates kids. My 7 month old grandson will literally stop anything and fixate on this show. He won’t look away even with loud noise…just won’t look away. I didn’t know cocomelon wasn’t a good choice. Stop cocomelon first. Then stop tv
Cocomelon itself is overstimulating for small children, but definitely too much for bedtime. Disney+ has a lullaby type show with soft bedtime music, if your child is used to going to sleep with a TV that might be better to try than just shutting it off…
I used to have my oldest sons tv to turn off at 9pm and when it turned off I would tell him it was dead and I was gona charger it all night lol but I would tell him ahead of time that it had low battery already
Ah you made the rookie mistake of not pre-blocking cocomelon, DBillions and all the other nails down a chalkboard ones. Why oh why do they sing everything that happens to them in the same song.
Anyway you are where you are now so the only thing left is to lock the tv up and tell her you got burgled.
Take the tv away, I’ve done this with my own and foster kids who stayed and would throw fits to have the tv on all the time. Completely remove the tv from their room and they can have it back when they won’t throw a fit, I have one guy who gets 30 minutes at the end of the day and it has to be a show that does not wire or hype him up, if a fit is thrown then he loses tv for the night. Tv is not a necessity, it’s a privilege, the same as game time and cell phones.
Let her scream. Every single time you give in, it will enforce to her that if she goes far enough, she gets it back. Set her an alarm or something so she knows when it will go off. Then shut it off at that time and no matter what. Do not turn it back on.
Turn on white noise with soothing images. It’s on but not cocomelon.
I did the same with my 2 kids, they shared a room and I would let them watch TV to fall asleep. We took the TV out a little over a year ago I took them to the store and explained that it wasn’t helping them get good sleep and I let them each pick a cool night light to replace the TV light
You might have to let her scream it out for a while til she gets the message.
Let her cry it out once she realizes she’s not getting a reaction out of you she will stop. If you give in to her she will just keep doing it.