Watch TV in bed
The bed is supposed to signal sleep, but as long as the screen glows the body stays switched on and cosy time slides unnoticed into bedtime. The steps below draw a visible line between the TV moment and sleeping.
♂Watch TV in bed
A boy lies in bed under a red blanket with a remote, watching TV.
♀Girl watching TV in bed
A girl under the duvet points a remote at the television on the wall.
♀Watching a film in bed
A woman lies in bed watching a film on a tablet.
♀Watch TV in bed
A girl lies in bed under a red blanket watching a screen.
♀Watch TV in bed
A girl sits in bed under a white blanket watching a TV at the foot of the bed.
♀Watch TV in bed
A girl lies in bed with a remote control, watching a small TV on the nightstand.
About this visual support
The trouble with TV in bed is that two completely different things share one place. The bed should mean the body winds down, but the screen keeps attention up, and the line between cosy time and bedtime blurs for the child and the adult alike. Often it only shows when the clock is late and nobody recalls when the episode started.
Visual support gives the TV moment a clear ending and the sleep routine an equally clear beginning. The remote goes on the bedside table, the lamp is dimmed, a story or a couple of minutes of talking follows, and then it is sleep. When the sequence always looks the same, nobody has to negotiate where the line runs.
Tip: switch the screen off before the child lies down rather than after, so the last minutes in bed happen without light. In Routined the evening steps can sit in order with a timer on the TV moment, and the app can be tried for 14 days at no cost.
Use this image in a schedule
Build your own visual schedule with this image and download it as a print-ready PDF. Completely free.
This visual support in other languages
Take the visual supports with you
In Routined you build schedules from these pictures, add timers and voice instructions, and your child follows the day on their own.
* 14-day free trial, then $2.39 a month or $20.99 a year (US pricing). Cancel anytime.