Too Much TV Can Keep Babies Up at Night

Studies show that young children can have their sleep disrupted if allowed to watch too much television.

According to The Washington Post, Dr. Dimitri Christakis, a University of Washington pediatrician and co-author of The Elephant in the Living Room: Make TV Work for Your Kids, has stated, "We know that many, many parents rely on TV and video as part of their child's sleep routine."

Christakis recently led a study with University of Washingon colleague Dr. Darcy Thompson and discovered that children under age 3 who watch TV are at higher risk for disturbed sleep. Other studies have looked at the effects of television viewing on older children and teens, and have also found a link to poor sleep.

Christakis and Thompson reviewed data from a national health survey of children aged 4 to 35 months, and evaluated parent interviews for more than 2,000 children. The results showed that 27 percent of the babies had irregular bedtime schedules, and nearly 34 percent had irregular nap schedules.

They also found that, on average, babies younger than 12 months watched 0.9 hours of television, those 12 months to 23 months watched 1.6 hours daily, and toddlers 24 to 35 months watched 2.3 hours of TV daily.