"Weaning" 4 Year off Bedtime Movies

Instead of watching a movie let her pick out a couple of books for you to read to her. After reading the books give her a little "extra" time to read to herself. I used to read a couple of stories to my children then set a time like 15 minutes after I finished reading to them to let them "read" books. I made it clear that this was a quiet time not play time and set a timer in the beginning so all of us knew when reading time was over and it was then bedtime. Example ready for bed at 7 PM read to children to 7:15 and from 7:15 to 7:30 their reading then lights out.

K.,
Four year olds are great! you can reason with them!
This is what I do with my kids on problems I am not sure how so solve, but that need their cooperation.
Sit her down have a pen and paper. Tell her you have a very important thing to talk to her about and you need her help. Explain that watching a movie to fall asleep is not healthy for her, and now that you know, you need her help to figure out how she can feel comfortable and fall asleep with out it. Write at the top of the paper, the problem. Divide it into two columns. On one side put her name, on the other, yours. (make sure she can see what you are writing and tell her what it says) Then ask her for some ideas, these you write on her side and then tell your your ideas and write them on your side. After you have your two lists you go over them and pick one together that you both agree on. If there is one that you don't like, tell her why you don't think it will work. And if there is one she doesn't like ask her why. (sometimes you might have to pick one of yours and one of hers) Pick a first, a second and a third choice. Tell her you are going to try each one until one works.
You will be surprised at what this does to help. It give her the power and she really will come up with great ideas too.
Some things off the top of my head that I think would help.
Start with four books cause she is four and slowly lower it to one.
replace the movie with some princess, classical or lullaby music.
Have a night light or a lamp in her room and you read her one book and she can look at three more and then turn the lamp off and go to sleep.
Good luck
E.

I haven't been through this, but I would suggest to wean like you would from a bottle or any other nighttime routine. Either cold turkey, tell her that you are starting a new bedtime routine, and give her some control - does she want to read a book first, or put her pajamas on first, or pray, etc. Make it some quality kid/parent time, she may not even miss it.

Or you can just move the movie up in the schedule for shorter and shorter amounts, and follow up with reading, etc. I think it might be easier cold turkey, but you know your daughter.

For a 4 year old? I would say the actors are also tired and need to sleep. Or, show her a short-short cartoon (or the starting part of the time when you want to eliminate it all), and then read the story, and then talk, and then sing her a lullaby (i do not have a musical ear at all, but my adult kids still love to remember the songs that I was singing them) - then, you can have a little-little talk, but she will start falling asleep on these very intimate activities of reading, and singing. My kids often fell asleep while I was reading, or after we were done reading, it was a thinking time: about the day, how it went, what good happened, when was not quite right, what is good to take into the next day, and what needs to be worked on - you will be surprised how well little kids can analyze and evaluate situations. Also, we spoKe of what dream we are "going in" - we 'ordered' best fantastic dreams into our nights. In any case, the main thing is to communicate in a very freindly positive way, to slow the day down even with your caring loving voice, the rhythm of the conversation going down to whisper - not to wake anybody in this world, to care that all can rest... be creative, and enjoy these most precious moments with your girl: they will never come back, ids grow too fast! :) ALL THE BEST, AND SWEET DREAMS!

Definitely stay positive. Tell her that tonight (the night you're ready to start the new plan), you're going to do something super special with her before bed. And I'm thinking you'll have to replace the movie with something really great, at first anyway. Like playing a game with her (starting early) and having a fun dessert, and then reading a special book or two (try going to the library for a new selection). You may not want to go cold turkey, and for a while, choose together which type of night to have, a special night or a movie night.

Speaking of movie nights, my boys love movie nights! If you eventually make a movie night a special treat, but always one that ends before bedtime, I bet she'll start regarding movies differently. We make popcorn and (at least when we started) I would watch the movie with them. It was fun! If movies are special, and not the norm, then books will become the norm instead!

Good luck!

Does your TV have a timer?? If so, let her know she can watch 15 minutes of a movie, but when it goes off, its time for bed. Try that for a few nights then change it to only 10 then 5 minutes. Maybe on special occasions she can do longer but cold turkey is tough!! But also let her know this is the last year she can have a tv in her room, when she starts school, its gone. Just an idea :-)

I agree if the tv is in bedroom take it out! My boys enjoy tv too, but before bed it is a routine of showers/ bath/ read about 20 min. Check Scholastic readers online, go to used book stores, once they start they love to look at books sometimes they just color in their rooms for quiet activity, I bought some workbooks from brainquest and school house they have good ones for preschool too. Just make it quiet time and read and music and kisses and hugs and the kids will follow.
You need to stay consistent for her sake. When it gets rough think about what will she be doing with her time as a teenager. I know I was a tv junkie,I had a tv in my room when I was teenager and I did horrible in school. Please keep TV's out of rooms, just in case you do. I wish you the best of luck this is a hard issue when you have to change course. I know that you have a strong love for your daughter and you can change the pattern.

worked in my house-we did tv time right before dinner but after the house is picked up. Gives them incentive to clean so dad doesn't come home to a mess, gave me some time to get dinner started (plus I was available to monitor the content). Good luck. Then at bedtime, read together. My kids are 8 and 11, and we still read together at night.

Books on tape/cd. Mine loves Magic Tree House, Dr Suess, and Stink.

The best I can offer is finding books that would interest her and read to her in her bed. If she has a tv in her room, I would definitely take it out. I have 3 kiddos, and each one picks a book at bedtime, then we all sit together while I read. Maybe take her to the library and let her pick some out. It's not going to be easy, and you are really going to have to stand firm. Maybe tell her that she can watch a show at a different time during the day. Good luck!

A warm bath followed by reading and soft music worked for my daughter.

D.
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