To think that watching TV with a wakeful child at 2 am is just foolish?

[breatheslowly]

I see this occassionaly on friends' FB pages. No SN involved, but child might be poorly. DD has asked for Peppa Pig in the middle of the night when ill, but we declined. Have I just never been in the situation when it is the right answer and until I experience that situation I am just being judgy?

It is judgy but I agree with you and have similar things which I judge.

Careful though - no one is judged more on here than a judger!

Desperate times, desperate measures.

Not had the situation arise so far but can imagine people getting to the point of Peppa or similar as a last resort.

A couple of times DD has been ill, ear infection and a vom bug, and DP DD and I have ended up watching a DVD at 2am. They ended up being the longest nights...

Yes judgey. Sometimes with an inconsolable, irritable, sick child you will try anything.

YABU, you do strange things when you are desperate for them to just be quiet.

Don't know why you mention SN either.

If a child is just wakeful, then no. But a poorly child who can't sleep, why on earth not? I remember several hours of TV when dd had an ear infection- it took her mind off it and we dozed on the sofa together.

The blue tinged light from TVs, PCs and other electronic screens suppresses melanin, which means you are less likely to feel sleepy. So, no, I would never watch TV/DVD in the middle of the night with DC, poorly or otherwise.

I mentioned SN as I didn't want to have the whole "YABU what if they have SN?" conversation.

Next time my DS goes through yet another phase of waking at 1-2am and staying up till 4-5am, sometimes even 6am I would love to call you & your judgy pants to come and show us the errors of our parenting.

Instead of putting the tv on & splitting early hours between me & DH so we can both work, do you suggest that we do craft / phonics / pretend play / fuck it go into garden & bloody identify night animals?

Rod for your own back IMO. Like another poster says, it suppresses sleep. Maybe as a one-off, but children aren't that brilliant at knowing the difference between a one-off and 'well we were allowed to do it once so I assume we can do it all the time now and will act accordingly.'

I would be less likely to now my kids are school age but definitely did when they were toddlers, why wake the whole house when I could doze on sofa?

And after relay sickness bugs (they would pass them back and forth even when i separated cups etc) that lasted days on end it might not have been the best solution but by that point I didn't care as it was the easiest option.

In fact I can think if many illnesses where out weoiukd be appropriate; when itchy with CP to distract until piriton kicks in, when they have had high temperatures and slept all afternoon so aren't tired in the middle oif the night when fever has gone, after you driven around in cold with windows open when they had croup and need a break.

Yabu. A few weeks ago my dd (aged 3) had a bad cold and earache and was awake at 1am crying and generally getting herself in a state.

We tried cuddles, calpol, bringing her into our bed all to no avail.

1 episode of abney and teal on the iPad and she was calm and ready to go back to sleep. I did tell her (once she'd stopped crying) that it would only br one episode and she was fine with that. Actually lay down herself when the credits came on. No issues on subsequent nights.

Probably wouldn't want to get into the habit of it but desperate times call for desperate measures.

Well we watched Franklin several nights at 3am when DS1 was suffering terribly with chickenpox at age 3, and also when he had asthma attacks and needed distracting from the nebuliser machine (think very loud machine with a mask over his face while he inhaled ventolin etc for 10 minutes). So maybe you just haven't experienced the kind of situation that would make you think it's a good idea.

We have always bought dcs downstairs, given medicine if needed and snuggled on the sofa with a throw and dvd of Little Bear or Madeline, I don't see the problem.

If they're ill perhaps. But YANBU of not. A friend does this, when her DC wakes she puts the telly on then wonders why he is awake all night OF COURSE telly is more exciting than sleep when you're one!

Not at 2am as my DD would probably pretend to be sick so she could do it again and again :) I have kept her up past her bedtime lying on the sofa when she's been really poorly and wants some comfort. She usually falls asleep on me and then I take her to bed.

I've done it occasionally, end of my tether type thing.

Really? What do you do when they are being sick every five minutes? Keep them in bed? Wait in the bathroom? I am interested that there is another way.
I find it logical to go downstairs where you won't disturb the rest of the household. Watch something peaceful, sitting up, until everything seems to be out that's coming out, then back to bed. Plus then I can sit up comfortably too, with a lamp on for puke-bucket-emptying, face and hand washing, and vomit-splashed-clothing-changing duties.

I've done it. But it's more the child hasn't slept in a year and a half and i'm going to watch something to keep me awake if he insists on being up at this hour. Rather than letting him watch tv (mainly because cbeebies and other mind rotting crap is banned in this house).

id put a cd on or radio on low so they could listen in the dark with their eyes closed but i wouldn't let a child get up to watch telly in the night if i could possibly help it

Yabvvvvu and judge. If they are sick they might not want to sleep. If needs must. Sometimes wen imam vomitting my guts up habpving the tv on taes my mind off it and how shit I am feeling. You do all you vpcan to make yur child as happy and comfortable as possibl when they are sick

I've done it when ds has had problems breathing. He was getting in a state so going downstairs and turning on the tv caught his attention and calmed him down so I could do meds, temperature, phone NHS 24 etc. Both times we ended up in A&E.

Maybe count yourself lucky your dc have never been so ill you've had to do it.

I've done this (well DVD on laptop) with DD1 when she had a tummy bug and was throwing up periodically for hours.

It was a way of distracting the poor kid from her misery.

It does sound like I have never been in the situation where it was necessary and I am very lucky to be in this position. MN has genuinely made me less judgy and it is very useful to be able to draw on others experiences to challenge myself where I do judge. Thanks for your responses and I hope your DC are healthy at the moment.