No Phones on the Bed: Tips for a Gadget-Free Bedtime Routine with Your Child

Too much use of smartphones is affecting family relationships, and children are not the only ones guilty. There’s no denying that smartphones are the best improvement in technology, they changed the way we communicate and get information. Ironically, the improvement in communication brought by smartphones has restricted the natural communication that we do, especially at home. The excessive use of smartphones is pulling families apart, affecting the way parents and children relate and communicate. 

A recent study in the US involving parents reported that the use of gadgets shows that physical interaction between the parent and the child is affected by their screen time. On a typical day, parents report that about two gadgets interfere with them and their child more than once a day. The same study also found out that mothers are usually distracted by gadgets and it interrupts their physical interaction with their children. The problem is that gadgets have become a big part of our everyday lives and excessive use of them is already affecting families, especially the relationship between parents and children. 

Bedtime routines are a special time for the parent and the child. When you lay with your child, read a book to them, and send them to sleep, you are actually strengthening your bond and emotional relationship. This special time is your opportunity to talk with your child. In reading bedtime stories, you are exploring the world of the books with your child and sharing its wonders with them. It has been discovered that children’s learning during shared reading is dependent on the parent’s ability to “bridge the child’s world and the world of the books” (Bus 2003). 

Child development experts suggest that parents should keep a gadget-free bedtime routine. One important tip is to use printed storybooks rather than digital ones. Digital-based books are more prone to distraction, so it’s highly encouraged that parents use printed books during bedtime reading. Another factor is that the parent’s posture when opening a printed book invites the child to read with them, creating more opportunities for the parent and child to share in reading and bond over a book. 

Set a daily schedule for reading and create a bedtime routine with your child. When it’s time for bedtime reading, make sure you keep away all of your gadgets, yours included. Better set your smartphone to silent mode as well to avoid any distractions that will make you want to pick up your phone. It is always tempting to pick up your phone to check an email or send a text message, but always remember that even the slightest distraction takes away precious time for you and your child. So, hold the smartphone for later and no phones on the bed. 

Reserve the bedtime for reading books. One of the most underrated advantages of reading books is its ability to create an unparalleled bonding experience between the parent and the child. Choose great books for bedtime reading, and explore personalised books for your little ones. A personalised book is a custom-made book where your child appears as the character and his name is even featured as the hero of the story. It’s the most-recommended storybook for beginners and for reluctant readers. Personalisation of the book has been shown to improve reading comprehension by 40% (National Literacy Trust). In fact, a study also by the National Literacy Trust found that children prefer to read books that they can relate to, and ownership of the text is an important element in process of perceiving oneself as a reader. Children get excited when they see themselves in the story, so a personalised book is the best choice for bedtime reading! 

Bedtime reading is an important parent-child bonding activity, especially in the child’s first five years of life. Children that grow up with a bedtime reading routine are more likely to have an intimate bond with their parents and they also grow up to be more emotionally intelligent. 

So, the next time you’re tempted to grab your phone and check on that new notification, think again: is it worth it? Bedtime reading is for the child, so make it all about them!