If You're Normally TV-Free or Lite, What About When Your LO is Ill? - Page 2

[Yooper]

It is not a habit we have gotten into because logistically, it just doesn't work out. The only way to watch a movie in our house is on laptops. If dd is sick, she usually is not cool with being dragged to the library or video rental place, so there is no way to go and get one. Plus, I work on my laptop during the day, so it cannot be tied up with a movie. Now dd, is old enough to read books. So I snuggle her up on the couch with blankets, books, and tea. Before she could read on her own, I would give her free reign of stories on her Ipod. But usually, dd likes to do her normal stuff when sick anyway so she will be off playing with toys or drawing or something.

Once when I was out of town, dh AND dd came down with the FLU. They were in awful shape and could not leave the bed except to go to the bathroom and take pizza from the delivery guy. The story was pretty fuzzy, but I am guessing they watched A LOT of Youtube.

I DO watch movies when I am sick enough to not be doing my normal stuff But that is so rare, I cannot remember the last time it happened.

[hempmama]

We are TV free, but sick can be one of the exceptions for us. It depends on the kind of sick. I will let them watch movies for fever or throwing up. But I also let them watch movies on car trips or plane rides >4 hours, so we are not 100%.

[*Lisa*]

My kids are almost completely tv free, and I always offer tv/DVDs when illness strikes.

[ShadowMoon]

We are TV-lite and I am all for popping in movies when ds (or myself) is sick.

[tbone_kneegrabber]

Just a note on tv, as we have done a lot today (all dvds and such as we don't have channels) apparently Labyrinth is too scary for a 26 month old!

[meemee]

i do a bit of both.

i snuggle in and read to her.

or a movie.

i notice it really helps with her getting better coz it takes her mind off the pain or high fever. i have actually done pain management by diverting her mind. it works v. well for her.

[NYCVeg]

We don't have a TV, but dd does watch Dora the Explorer on the computer (one episode--20 mins--per day) and very rarely we'll watch part of a movie.

If she's sick...all bets are off. I'll let her watch as much as she wants (when she was under 2.5, though, she was completely screen-free, sick or not). We also read a TON and play games and color, but if she's sick enough to be home all day from school, then there's only so much entertaining I can do, and normally I have some work that has to be done.

[rubidoux]

I'm happy to see I'm not the only one. We don't get any channels at all, but we've got dvd's which are heavily regulated normally, but when he's sick he can watch all he wants.

[baglady]

Originally Posted by AirMiami

We're both sick today! My baby is only 8 months old, but I will admit to letting myself have a half hour of peace thanks to some Barney today.

This was me and my 9 month old a few days ago. I openly admit to partaking in some Nick Jr. I think watching TV while sick is perfectly fine. (I also think Yo Gabba Gabba, which I saw for the first time during our illness, is really weird. LOL)

[chinaKat]

We don't watch much TV at our house at all -- just an occasional DVD and a very rare PBS show. But if the kids are sick I don't mind letting them watch as much as they want. Being sick is horrible and if they get a treat that makes them feel better, it's good for them AND for me.

Same goes if *I'm* sick, by the way. My husband was on a business trip when I was pregnant with DD2, and I had a horrible, horrible sinus infection. We must have watched that goddamn Elmo Uses the Potty video forty times that week.

Hmm, now that I think about it, the "treat" was pretty onesided there, lol. But I was so sick I didn't even care, as long as I didn't have to do anything other than lie there!!!

[AGF]

we watch a little tv. however, right now all four of us have a terrible cold. And I'm afraid our tv might overheat.

its really important to me that the kids stay rested and hydrated. if i set them up with a snack and a movie they will do both. in fact they both just fell asleep on the couch and i moved them to bed without issue. Being sick STINKS. I'm just trying to keep their minds off it.

Go for it, if you don't watch tv very much then it is a treat on a crappy day.

[lilyka]

we are TV free but would not hesitate to let a sick child sit in front of a TV all day if we had one. heaven knows thats what I would do if I were sick.

[One_Girl]

We view a lot of dvds when my dd is sick. I hated having to just lay around even though I was clearly miserable because all I could be was miserable. DD gets movies and popsicles on the couch and I try to keep the focus on comfort. Once she is fever free without ibuprofen though the tv goes off for a long long long time and she goes back to school. We started doing this when dd was two and even though she was so young she was still very engaged in the movies and it kept her mind off her illness.

[Holiztic]

I think you are getting a lot of TV- lite mamas, so in my mind if a child is already allowed to watch a little, they're much more likely to watch when sick. Make sense?

If you ask in the TV free forum, you might get more people like us. DS is 2.5 and is 100% TV free. We have a TV, DVD player, surround sound, cable with pay channels, DVR... (Ridiculous when you consider DH and I watch about 4-6 hours a week combined, but DH works hard for a big pay check and I won't fight him!)

But DS is totally TV free. When he's sick it is mild and he just plays as usual (if not a little slower and maybe a little more demanding of me as playmate). The last time he was noticeably lethargic from illness he was 14 months and he just nursed in and out of sleep all day. When he was awake we read a lot of books.

As he gets older, if the lethargic kind of illness happens, we'll play board games or he can read (looking at pictures now, reading in a few years). I'd also consider children's books on tape if I need a break!

[rootabagamom]

We are TV free with three boys ages 6, 4, and almost 1. We are in general screen time free though they have watched a handful of sporting events.

Even though I grew up with TV it was not part of my routine when I was sick, so until I read this thread I'd never realized how comforting idea of watching TV or movies when ill is for so many people. As a child my own infrequent illnesses were divided into two categories: sick and still able to read, or too sick to read. In the "too sick to read" situations, I mostly made up my own stories or stared at the ceiling.

We've never added in screen time when my boys have been sick. If they are sick enough to put themselves to bed (something that doesn't happen much around here) I figure they need to rest and leave them alone. I might inquire if there is a special toy or comfort item that they need while in bed and whether or not they want the door shut (for quiet) or the door open (to be able to hear what the rest of us are up to).

If they are well enough to be out of bed but just need to play quietly, we have a bunch of toys and games that are well suited for that and are part of their regular selection of activities (Playmobil, Legos, train set, building blocks, puzzles). I might also set a child up with an activity that they can do while hanging out on the couch or the bed if that felt best to them.

The six year old can read, so I imagine that if he was feeling bad enough to need to stay still, he woul hunker down with a book. Both older boys love to listen to stories on tape and I'd be happy to set up some favorites for them (Beatrix Potter stories, Rikki Ticki Tavi, etc)

I've read of parents adding in screen time for a child that needed a medical procedure or treatment that was invasive or painful and/or required a child to stay still for a lot longer than they child was normally able. I can see myself turning to that if all other options had been exhausted or weren't working for a child.