Kids Screentime & Sleep Hygiene

We have witnessed in this house since the Christmas break more toddler tantrums in our two year old. She is cranky, irritable/ inconsolable, experiencing a lot of sleep disturbances including night tremours🙄. It got me wondering is it is just the overstimulation of Christmas, refined sugar at gatherings, the terrible twos, screentime or a mixture of it all??

We have been using a lot more screentime than I would like or be comfortable with. To get jobs done around the house, to have a shower or basically when they 'demand' it. I decided to test it and take matters into my own hands as our 4 year old has been off with her sleep telling me her brain won't let her sleep. At 4? Surely that is too young. I felt overstimulation was the problem and the answer was that both girls needed help to let their brains relax.

So yesterday, I took away all iPads (input serious meltdowns here from 2 year old) and repeated 'Peppa/Elsa are on their holidays'. We played games, coloured, wrapped teddies in old wrapping paper, played with new toys and went out for a very wind swept buggy walk to blow away the cobwebs.

I allowed a 30 minute short movie on tv before dinner and that was it. I pulled out all the stops at bedtime with a warm bath and 3 drops of lavender oil, warm milk and banana (trypothan to help with sleep), a bedtime story & baby sleep music. It worked!! Our two year old pointed at her cot (bedtimes have been like WW2) and slept through for the first time in 10 days. Our 4 year old was asleep within minutes!! It may have been a coincidence but I am convinced their little brains are being over stimulated.

I know there are times when it is hard to avoid it, for example, when they are unwell or perhaps you have a new baby and need something to keep the others occupied but I felt in our house it was slowly becoming the norm. I grew up in a house with none. Bar something short on our only channels of RTE1 and RTE2 on a Saturday. What I wonder is what is the effect of all this technology later in life given that it is relatively new? I am not disputing that there are many pros, I am just highlighting the cons I am noticing in this house.

I now need to clean up my own sleep hygiene and cut back on my caffeine which has slowly crept up to two coffees a day, which is not good for my adrenals. Since beginning to try build up my Instagram I have also been using screen time more than I would like so I am setting up my own rule of no more after 9.30pm. I know it can only be of benefit. What are your thoughts on it all in your household???