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?

My 5 year old suffers from chronic sore/infected throats. Sometimes we go downstairs, wrap up in a blanket and watch Tom and Jerry (she likes old cartoons) for 45 mins or so. We then go to bed - 9 out of 10 times it helps. My 22 month old sometimes opens her eyes at 2am and shouts Pat (Postman variety) she is told "not a hope!". There is a difference.

We have two very good sleepers, 13hours a night each from 6.45pm to 7.45am each night.

Very, very occasionally one of them has a nightmare, has an asthma attack or is poorly and they come into bed with us for 20 minutes and watch a cartoon.

They are then happy to go back to bed and we all go back to sleep. No drama. If you don't want to do it then no worries but don't assume that it is foolish. Horses for courses and all that....

Surprised at negative comments. I have a Ds age 4 and obviously a few ill nights but never resorted to tv/David's etc. I may have read a book if really awake but usually find letting him bed with me, lights out and soon enough he 's off. Doing the above would keep him awake for hours. Yanbu.

why do TV when you can do Medised........?

Funnys

I've done it a good few times over the years, usually when they have woken up with nightmares and are hysterical, it was often the only way to snap them out of the hysterics. Usually only needed between 5 and 15 mins, just something soothing like Baby Einstein DVDs, then straight back to bed and sleep. Mine are 8 and 6 now and are generally very good sleepers, in no way has it turned out to be a rod for my own back, so I wouldn't judge anyone else doing it.

Damash t does not work for all, if a child is ill the first thing is to make them happy and comfortable and if that means tv on for a bit so be it. If tey are chucking teir guts up they are hardly oing to sleep, tv sometimes makes it that more bare able. If dd wakes up in the night and wants telly, on noway..

Never done this but certainly wouldn't categorically rule it out if one of my children was very unsettled due to illness. I agree that it sounds like a really terrible idea as a general rule though. Absolutely no way I would do it on a regular basis with a non-ill, NT child. With them you have to take the tantrum, imo.

Nightmares leading to hysteria could be an exception too actually!

22 years ago when my DS refused to sleep beyond 4am we did this a lot. Back then the only thing on at that time was John McFuckingCririck. I'd like to say it didn't do him any harm but ...........

quire usual whatever gets me through the night is fine by me inc sending them downstairs to watch TV/get their own breakfast when they are not technically competent. Just takes a bit longer for them to come back up and say they can't reach the cocopops.....

If I get a decent amount of sleep I can cope with most things. If I don't I am liable to stab someone. Possibly a child

quite oops

MERLYPUSS, you may want to rethink your use of the word 'retard', it is pretty offensive.

I ended up in the livingroom at 3am this morning with 21 month old ds3. There is no way am I going to sit in his room in the dark while he screams and bangs his head on the cot (in temper) waking the whole house up.

When you have a baby who has a 10 day cycle of ear infections for 18 months, then you'll be grateful that you can be amused while cuddling them. It also seems to relax him enough to sleep, so actually it gives him more sleep.

I wouldn't do it as a general rule for a child who was just wakeful.

hazey I am sure merly didn't intend to be offensive. I certainly didn't take it as such. Just some helpful words on parenting a small child.

CheCazzo, that sounds awful.

Yes, I would say foolish unless the poor child is very ill and cannot sleep (ie. horrendous cough or vomiting) in which case a bit of tv in the early hours can be a Godsend. But, really, it should be a couple of times a year thing in exceptional circumstances.

YABU DD2 7months is a nightmare sleeper, I usually try to stay in the bedroom but every now and then (like last night) I resort to going downstairs and catching her up to watch tv until she falls asleep naturally. Last few nights it has been either wake DD1 and DH before he had a 4 hr drive to do with her screaming for hours at 2am.

Resist the urge to scream myself.

Weep.

Or give up the battle for a while, have a cup of tea, a mince pie a box of q street and watch The Hangover 2.

Until youve walked a metre in my own personal drama don't judge!

*Cwtch not catching!

Oh and I'm with Hazy though the post itself isnt offensive the use of "turning them into a retard" like that's possible or something horrible isn't the best use of language!

Last year dh, dd1 and I all had sickness bug at the same time. After the vomiting stopped we were all in our bed watching toy story at 4am because we couldn't sleep and the tv was quite soothing. I think when illness is involvednormal rules just don't apply

I did several times when the kids were small, they both had severe asthma and sometimes, when they were really poorly I would put a video on to use it as a distraction tool. Shoot me.

when my children were young and ill i put a video on ( yes it was that long ago ) if they were up and feeling poorly then watching something takes their mind off it and I usually slept on the sofa with them so id doze and they would doze and watch yabu and very judgemental , what others do witht heir ill children to get them through the night is nothing to do with you, however we all judge others especially when they parent different,