2 y/o watching way too much...

[sosurreal09]

Not sure if this would be better suited in parenting?

DD is a homebody in the winter. She likes to stay in and relax. We don't have a car 4 days a week or more as well. I try to have the TV off and do activities with her or free play and she just freaks out about the TV. She wants it on every waking moment and is really into all the shows.

I keep it to very slow paced shows like Caillou, Blues Clues, Frankiln, Little Bear etc but it's on ALL DAY. If she decides not to nap IDK what to do besides pop a movie in (Curious George or Tinkerbell).

I try unplugging it and that usually works for a little while until she just flips her lid about the TV. I will pull out the paints or another activity and she will do it for 5 mins with me then run over and say "TV,TV!"

We have a lot of toys and books and she does love to read but it only lasts so long...

I'm also in my 3rd trimester with my second child and am worried that the behavior will just get worse when the baby comes b/c I will have so much to do. I am *hoping* we will have the car a bit more when DH graduates but IDK for sure.

How would you handle this?

[goldenwillow]

We are just recently in a similar boat.  Winter. 

Last month we grabbed a free tv from craiglist for my parents visit and we really wanted to watch the super bowl.  Hooked up cable for a month.  Here we are in week 3 and my son wants to watch DVD's from our library all the time.  Even with redirection and play times, etc.  I must say he has watched the occasional DVD on our computer.  Similar shows as yours. 

We have covered the tv with an old curtain and that seems to help.  I would suggest not having yours on all day?

Yep... my LO (couple months older than yours) does get upset when I redirect.  I tell him that tv is not good to watch all the time and to exercise, play etc is healthy for our bodies. 

Can you ride a bus to a play time?  That is what we have been doing prior to the tv in the house (rec center playtime).

The TV is gone March 1st! 

There are a few threads in the TV Free forum that are helpful, same boat. 

Edited by goldenwillow - 2/16/12 at 1:06pm

[McGucks]

This was about the same age I pulled the plug for good on the t.v. for my then-2 1/2 year old.  He had the most massive tantrums when I turned the t.v. off, regardless of warnings, or "t.v. is all done when this show is over."  I gave up after lots of strategies and just decided to see what would happen.  We did have a rough couple of days, no doubt...after which he forgot all about the t.v. and my exH and I saw a massive increase in independent play, social interactions, etc.--all good stuff.  This was "do-able" because we only had one child and more time to devote to him. 

Since you are pregnant, the t.v. may not be a negotiable and may well be a life saver for you.

Can you hide the remote and just turn it off after a show?

My mom somehow had the t.v. hooked up to a wall switch.  I thought :Sesame Street" and "The Electric Company" were the only things that came out of a t.v. until I had friends and saw their t.v. action.

Good luck.  Two can be a tough age and the t.v. tantrums were a big part of what made it tough for DS1.  With DS2, we just don't have a t.v. or media.  It works for us, but there is a 14.5 year age difference between my children.

[JoyFilled]

I'm in the same situation.  Except that I have a 6 month old now.

We get out everyday to the Y and DD goes to classes there independent from me for 2-3 hours each week day.  It's also a 30+ min walk each direction. 

Instead of watching TV have you tried making a Blue Clues episode?  Put clues all over and try and solve something?  Or we make Dora maps to get us some place.  Or we sing silly songs "Bob the Builder - Can we fix it?  No we can't" giggle giggle. Or we bake.  And we spend a lot of time playing hide and seek. 

I really need to work on making sure the TV is off for eating.  When I do that it often doesn't go back on right away.