Can Newborn Sleep with TV On?

Most newborns sleep through pretty much anything! I don't think you'll have anything to worry about.
Lynsey

Here is some news for you, the baby can hear the TV already and will probably get used to it like you are. So, it could be a good thing that the baby will be able to sleep with noise around so you never have to tip toe around, on the other hand the baby may rely on noise to get to sleep so you may end up with a baby that will have trouble sleeping in a quiet room. Think about it.

I say no tv for babies. Not only are the energy rays unhealthy if directly facing the child...tv either on or off...but loud noises (the louder commercials) can cause the baby anxiety. (Baby's are born with 2 fears: fear of falling and fear of loud noises; our other fears are acquired as we grow!)

Also, there is too much negative energy in tv content and believe it or not, those subtle negative energies influence the brain development of a baby.

Better soothing peaceful nature sounds or stillness.
Best wishes with your new baby. :-)

R. Conte

Just be careful watch you are watching. The baby can still hear everything going on while it's sleping.

I used to watch the Weather Channel when I was still pregnant to fall asleep. It also calmed my daughter down and got her to stop kicking my ribcage. Now she can't fall asleep without the Weather Channel on at night. She's almost 3 years old now...LOL.

In an ideal world it is recommended that babies don't watch TV until 1 year old or even 2. However, we live in the real world. With my first I used to turn the TV down and watch with closed captioning when the baby napped. My second can sleep through tv and most household chaos (most of which is created by her 3 year old brother). I don't have a tv in the bedroom though, we have a small night light on until we go to bed or if we get up at night.

I think you can keep the TV right on, just maybe not as loud. If anything it will make it so the baby sleeps through noise better..My son slept with the tv on. It will not keep him up

Hi C.
We also sleep with the TV on. Through my entire pregnancy we always fell asleep while watching the Honeymooners DVD set that we have. I can tell you that our Dianna must have heard every episode while in Utero, because when she came home, it was like the sound of it lulled her to sleep.
I wouldn't worry about the TV being on. You baby is already used to your routine and will fit right in with whatever you choose to do.
P.

Well I think its ok. I was the opposite. Slept in darkness but once I had my daughter, I needed the tv to see what I was doing as far as diaper changing and feeding. Like one of the ladies said you'll sleep with anything the first couple of mths. Lol. Good luck! :-)

Hey C.,
If there is any way for you to change your need for the tv - it will help you in the long run- the tv actually interfers with synaptic responses in the brain. The light interefers with REM. So while it may e helpful in the short term, it is actually not good for you in the long run.
I have a friend with insomnia who did a lot of work with CD's. She found a great solution. If you want more information I'd be happy to look it up for you.
The baby can sleep with anything on, but patterns start with birth. If you can start the baby out in a quiet space or a space with music you'll be doing the baby a big favor.
Good luck! That is a tough challenge.
M.

When their a newborn, they'll sleep through just about any situation you put them in. However as they get older, the sleep conditions you create are the ones they will need later in life as well. So once they get to about 3 or 4 months I'd start changing those habits, unless you want to keep a tv in your childs room just so they can sleep.

C.,

Anyone can do anything they want to do.

Is it a good thing to have an infant barraged with information and light during their waking OR sleeping times? No. The only thing a newborn needs to do is eat sleep and grow.

Maybe you could try sleeping with it on a timer, so that it turns off after you go to sleep. You might be able to get away from it altogether if you try this, too. Who knows?

So, to answer you question, there are no absolutes. That being said, TV before age 3 is not good for them. TV for a newborn is not good on any level.

I hope you can sleep train yourself to go to sleep without it! I would imagine it's got to seem impossible. It is nearly impossible for me to go to sleep when there is a light on in the room, never mind a TV or someone moving around doing something.

Good luck,
M.

Hi C.
Congrats!!! We used the bassinet in our room too, especially with the twins, I used the TV as the nightlight. Volume low on the TV which was on the other side of our king size bed from the twins crib. With the older boys we had no TV access. I see no different in my children as adults.
God bless you and your new little one.
K. === SAHM married 38 years---- adult children 37,coach; 33,lawyer, married with son 8 mo; and twins 18, college freshmen, one journalism, commuting, 3.8 GPA; the other fine arts major, living on campus, 3.7 GPA after homeschooling.

C.-I read all the responses, and only saw one that refered to REM, and I wanted to stress the importance of the circadian rhthm. There are certain chemicals that are released-that light interferes with. These chemicals, along with allowing the body to complete all of the sleep stages help with growth and storing information learned throught the day. Talk to your pediatrician-he/she is an excellent resource!

C.,
I believe this is all a matter of opinion really... I think that your baby should adapt to your life and the surrounding noises of your home. From my own experience I also had my daughters basinet in my room i kept the TV on for the few months she slept in my room and she is almost 5 and sleeps peacfully through the night no TV again this is all a matter of opinion and preference. For example my sister recently had a baby and she is very quiet and doesnt make much noise around her daughter so when the baby is around others who arent as quiet and soft spoken as her mother she startles easily. I personally would rather my child be used to noise and aware of her surroundings at an early age I believe it stimulates their brain development. So watch your Television but I can almost guarantee youll almost be to tired to watch it by the time you actually get to bed. good luck and best wishes
S.

Hi C.,
Keeping the room dark and quiet during the night helps your baby to not be stimulated, and to learn that night is a time for deeper sleep. It's also not good to train your baby to need to sleep wiht the t.v. on. Wean yourself off of this, get a timer that shuts it off after you fall asleep. Don't feed your baby in the room with the t.v. on during the night. Good luck

I lived in a studio in NYC when my now 11 year old was born. I made a very specific effort NOT to keep the apartment completely quiet when he was brand new because I wanted him to adapt and I never wanted to have the fussy baby who couldn't sleep if it wasn't perfectly quiet. You know what? It worked! He is an amazing sleeper, always has been. I was super lucky, even as a tiny newborn, I had to wake him the first few nights to feed him, he slept through the night and my visiting nurse said I couldn't let him. Obviously you will have to figure out what your child responds and doesn't respond to. A blaringly loud tv isn't good for anyone but normal noise in a home is totally natural and probably helpful for the child. May even be comforting, who knows what's going on in their lovely new brains! Just remember, take the lead of your child above the advice of rigid folks. You will hear a lot of "rules" about what's right and what's wrong. You and your child will decide for you both what that is, no experts or well-meaning friend of family member will know better than you.

Good luck! Welcome... its the greatest thing, ever!!!!

C.,

I would check with your pediatrician. I have always heard that it was not good to expose newborns to TV. Babies should not be tip toed around, they need to experience what normal household noise is, but I don't think having the TV on in the same room as the baby is sleeping is a good idea.

Don't worry about being able to fall asleep, having a newborn is the best cure for insomnia.

Congratulations and good luck,
R.

Hi C.. Rule of thumb do not make your home into a glass house, meaning go about your daily life as usual. The baby will adapt to the new noisies and will then learn to sleep thru anything. My daughter now 3 can sleep any where with or without noise. I can vacumm, watch tv, talk on the phone etc. When she was 6 months old we took her to a fireworks display and she slept thru the whole thing. Do what works for u and the new baby. Goodluck!

I fall asleep to the TV too but I have to tell you that in the first few weeks after giving birth you will sleep under any circumstances!

The responses are pretty much split I see. I agree with all the moms that say that a newborn will pretty much sleep through anything. But I challenge you, you have 18 weeks to break this habit. If you plan on having the baby in your room for longer than 6 weeks or so, you will likely make this a habit for her too. Think of having to buy a TV set just to get her out ofyour bedroom? also--How much electricity are you paying for and wasting continuing this habit? I am convinved that it is not just the "content" but the light and flash of a TV that can stress out a baby. You will probably sleep better once you break the habit too.
I bet you have one bad week of sleep and as you adjust you will sleep better and deeper and save money.

Absolutely, fear not!! They will adjust to what you are used to --esp in the beginning. My mom always told me to run the vacuum while my newborn daughter slept to get her used to sleeping with noise. Now, she can sleep through anything! Good luck & Congrats!!!

Hi! My mom told me when I was pregnant that I should do all of the noisy things I do when the baby was up or asleep. I could vacuum, have the tv on, anything - it was the greatest.

This way it teaches them early on to block out the surrounding sounds. It truly helped. Good luck!

You can keep your TV on, however, I would keep the volume lowered.