Tilibou
Screen-free evening routine: what to replace the tablet with
For a screen-free evening routine, replace the tablet with a calm activity: a book, a quiet drawing, a cuddle, a story to listen to. Experts recommend at least an hour without screens before bed. The idea isn't to ban everything at once, but to offer the child something else, something gentle, on the home stretch.
Why cut screens in the evening?
On this specific point, the recommendations are clear. Health authorities advise switching off phones, computers and the television an hour before bed, and avoiding television and non-interactive screens before age 3.
The reason comes down to one simple idea. Experts note that the blue light produced by screens delays sleep, and advise at least an hour without screens before bed. The last hour of the day is therefore better kept dim and quiet. A screen wakes the brain up at the wrong moment. That's why we look to replace it.
What can you replace the tablet with?
Good news: there's no shortage of options, and they all fit within a short routine. Here are some ideas for calm activities for the last hour:
- Read a book, together or side by side.
- Listen to an audio story, lights down.
- A quiet drawing or colouring.
- Tidy the bedroom gently, get tomorrow's bag ready.
- A cuddle, a little chat about the best part of the day.
Pediatric guidance indeed lists several of these as soothing transitions towards bed: listening to gentle music, taking a bath, reading a book. The spirit is to slow down, not to fill the time.
"The Brook's Lullaby"
A very gentle story, screen-free, designed to ease the way into sleep. The voice, without the light of the tablet. The cuddle is you.
Listen to the episodeIs audio really "screen-free"?
Yes, and that's the whole point. A story you listen to needs no image, so no screen light to delay sleep. The child closes their eyes and lets the voice carry them.
The World Health Organization indeed lists reading, singing and storytelling among the activities that matter for a child's development and recommends favouring them over screen time. An audio story ticks both boxes at once: no screen, and a moment of shared calm. That is exactly what Tilibou offers.
Questions you might be asking
How long without screens before bed?
Experts recommend at least an hour. Health authorities advise switching off phones, computers and the television an hour before bed, and the guidance points to at least an hour without screens before sleep, because the light of screens delays sleep.
Does listening to a story count as a screen?
No. Audio has no screen and no light, so it doesn't fall under the recommendations aimed at television, the tablet or the phone. The WHO even values storytelling as a screen-free activity.
Do you have to remove all screens at once?
It's not a witch hunt. The idea is mostly to keep the last hour before bed calm and dim. Replacing the evening tablet with a gentle activity is often enough to make a difference to the transition towards sleep.