How to protect children's sleep from harmful effects of gadgets: ideas that work

Antonina Semenyuk

"She's not a year or two years old… Why is she sleeping so badly?" "The kid is in kindergarten, and still falls asleep in your arms?" "Maybe when she goes to school, it will be better?" In fact, it worries many families whose infants suffer from unstable sleep even after two years of birth. And in such cases, it is much more difficult to blame one's own inexperience, the inconsistent daily routine of babies, and the barking of a neighbor's dog.

"Frankly, my daughter always slept badly. For a year, she fell asleep in my arms and as soon as she was in the cradle, she started crying. And I woke up often at night. 'She'll grow out of it and it will be easier,' we thought, but sleep disorders lasted up to two years," says the mother of two daughters and anesthesiologist Olena.

It was during this period that parents began to practice watching cartoons during meals with their children. In addition, she often fell asleep to the sounds of the TV. As it turned out, the situation did not improve by two and a half or three. Then the family decided to look for reasons, tracking their daughter's daily schedule.

"After a short sleep, early awakening, because it's time to go to kindergarten. Her bad mood is quite understandable. And ours too. Work, round-the-clock shifts, household chores, and even sleep deprivation," Olena recalls with tired eyes and a sad smile. "She came back from kindergarten excited and a little hyperactive. At dinner, as usual, she asked for a song about a fox-sister or a 'bubble.' After a walk on the street to the accompaniment of the TV, she played with cubes, built castles, made puzzles. Before going to bed, she and her eldest daughter turned on music TV channels and staged dance shows."