If your toddler watches some tv/videos

[Flor]

How much, how often and what?

Ds watches one video a day, sometimes two. He likes Sesame Street, Wiggles, and Teletubbies, and these truck and tractor videos we have.

Lately, though, he wants more and more. He gets out his firetrucks and wants to see the firetruck video. Or gets out LaLa toy and wants Teletubbies on. Usually he'll watch about 5 minutes/10 minutes, then gets up and plays, at which time I turn it off, and he cries for more. If I put it back on, he watches 5 more minutes then gets up and plays. If I just leave it on, he plays. I don't want the TV on all day! He has a major, focused meltdown if I just say no more.

[edamommy]

my son is almost 2 (next week!) and he watches Dora every evening while I cook dinner. In the AM he usually watches one of his favorites right after getting out of bed (Blues Clues, or Backyardigans or a Bob the BUilder video). He watches maybe an hour 1/2 of tv a day all in all.

[JennInSeattle]

Nathan watches one video three days a week (when I'm at work - I take him to work with me) and that's a Baby Einstein video called Baby Shakespear. He also likes Blues Clues with Steve only!

[kamilla626]

Originally Posted by jmoreno

He gets out his firetrucks and wants to see the firetruck video. Or gets out LaLa toy and wants Teletubbies on. Usually he'll watch about 5 minutes/10 minutes, then gets up and plays, at which time I turn it off, and he cries for more. If I put it back on, he watches 5 more minutes then gets up and plays. If I just leave it on, he plays. I don't want the TV on all day! He has a major, focused meltdown if I just say no more.

My 21 month old does that exact same thing. She loves Little Bear and Elmo, and she'll ask for a specific video, but once it's be on for a few minutes she leaves. I tell her "If you're going to play in your room, then I'm going to turn off the video", and then she'll come back for a few minutes... then leave again.

Unfortunately I think she just likes to know that it's on. I guess I should be grateful that she doesn't do that "zombie stare" when she watches TV. She's usually doing something else at the same time.

[bobica]

we're in a HUGE upswing (well, if she has her way ) of wanting tv lately. Siobhan watches Sesame Street in the mornings after breakfast (Play with me sesame- the 30 minute version on Noggin if we are going out in the am). I try to keep it off until the afternoon which doesn't always happen. We mostly do DVD's from there + Blues Clues on Tivo. She's a HUGE muppet fan so she often asks for a muppet show dvd or something from sesame street in the afternoon.

On the 2 days she has physical therapy, she watches a little more b/c she really needs the wind-down after PT. Then it's the wiggles or dora or one of those.

Signing Time DVD's are our "don't count as tv" dvd's. she's learned so much from them & we got the new volumes for Christmas that I'll put them on more often on the really NEEDY days when we're stuck in the house.

[mamaofthreeboys]

The only interest Luke has shown was over the past week we borrowed some Thomas Dvd's from our libary. Otherwise he has no interest

Unless Daddy is watching football of all things : :LOL

[miasmommy]

My DD is almost 1 and watches one video in the morning while I shower & get dressed & sometimes one in the evening. She likes Baby Einstein- mostly Baby Shakespere or Baby Macdonald.

Melanie

[spsmom]

Originally Posted by jmoreno

Lately, though, he wants more and more. He gets out his firetrucks and wants to see the firetruck video. Or gets out LaLa toy and wants Teletubbies on. Usually he'll watch about 5 minutes/10 minutes, then gets up and plays, at which time I turn it off, and he cries for more. If I put it back on, he watches 5 more minutes then gets up and plays. If I just leave it on, he plays. I don't want the TV on all day! He has a major, focused meltdown if I just say no more.

I tried to be tv free, especially at ds's young age (he'll be two in april) but i have found it to be impossible.

my experience with what you are talking about with your ds's "meltdowns" is that, especially at this age, we form their habits. it may take several days to make it a habit, but maybe try once he walks away, it's off, and stays off. and set boundaeies as to when he is allowed to watch.

my ds watches a video while i shower in the morning. we watch baby story on tlc (as long as it is a natural birth they are
showing!)

my dh refuses to get rid of the tv so it is one a lot of the time when he is home. it's just the way he was raised. so i figure that between both our extreme feelings about the tube, our ds is getting limited time in front of it instead of extreme one way or the other.

just my 2 cents.

[USAmma]

There are days when Nitara watches up to 90 mins. of TV. It's not ideal, but she's tube-fed. I put her in her highchair for her 30 minute feedings, and the only way she stays happy in the high chair is to watch TV. I try to time her feedings for when we are in the car or out and about, but some days we stay home and she watches videos.

I try to read to her and sing to her, but she gets bored after awhile and starts trying to get out. I also use those times to homeschool Abi so I guess TV is a babysitter for Nitara. :

She only watches videos designed for babies. We have a few of the Baby Einstein videos and I also check out a couple of the other ones from the library just to keep her not bored. She likes Boo-bah, as much as I detest that show. It's like teletubbies on drugs. She also likes the Brainy Baby ones, also from the library. WHen she's older I have a whole collection of Sesame Street vidoes left over from Abi. It's all educational and wholesome.

It's not ideal but right now life is complicated and this makes it that much easier for us.

[matts_mamamama]

My son loves Dora, Blues Clues with Steve and those darn Wiggles! All in all, I would say he watches probably about 60-90 minutes a day, since he doesn't really sit and watch. I honestly don't care that it's on, especially if he's playing. He's truly learned alot from some of those shows - he never liked to sing and dance before, but now he does (apparently, cds and my singing did nothing for him! LOL) Oh and he loves the Higglytown heroes too.

[Alison]

Thomas and Thomas only. He's obsessed. We try to limit to half an hour in the morning and another half hour before bed. Then he has to say night night to all the engines, from memory, before he'll go to sleep. We also have to say goodbye to all the engines before we leave the house in the morning!

I do worry that he watches too much, and do try to limit. And I keep the TV off when I'm home with him except for the Thomas watching times.

Alison

[Rainbowbird]

DS watches a bit of Arthur or Clifford while I get dressed. He usually plays with his trains on my bed while doing so. After we go downstairs, he watches all or part of Sesame St. Mostly the part with Elmo.

A few times a week he watches Thomas videos in the late afternoon or evening (1 video). He is the same way as the other PPs--will watch some of it and then play but wants it left on. We leave it on since DH likes them so much. :LOL

He has also had a few meltdowns after being told that once the show is over, it is over and we are doing something else. Today was a rough day and when Thomas was over, he had a MAJOR screaming meltdown. But I didn't put it back on. He eventually calmed down. I feel if I give in to those sorts of requests I am just creating a huge problem down the road.

I would say he actually watches and pays attention to about 30 min. a day. Sometimes divided up into little snatches. Ideally, I'd like him to watch less but he LOVES Elmo. Thomas I don't object to--the videos are in real time, and like I said, now it is background music to him. He is a total train fanatic and has learned a lot about trains from the videos.

Once I unplugged the tv for a whole week just to see what would happen. I wouldn't even let DH watch the weather when DS was around! He asked a few times and quickly forgot about it. This was reassuring. I think the real reason I plugged it back in is that I like it--being home as the only adult all day I like the sound--and of course it makes getting ready in the a.m. much easier. It is amazing what you can do in 15 min.

He will happily read, play etc. when it's not on so I'm not really worried.

[CajunMama]

DS watches probably 30 minutes a day. He loves the Wiggles and Teletubbies. And Elmo too.

[lizamann]

DD will watch a whole Disney movie if I let her. Her faves are Monsters Inc and Finding Nemo. She used to love Dumbo, but doesn't ask for it anymore. She also loves the Signing Time dvd's a whole lot. I think she has all of the above memorized because she says things before they happen. Scary!

We have slowly crept up to WAY too much tv time. I am cutting it down as we speak. I want it to be no more than half an hour a day. I find it's me that's the problem, not her. She asks for it, but I'm the one giving in because it's the easy thing to do instead of going outside or setting up more active play. But I also find that if we go without for a day or two, she kind of forgets about it doesn't ask. But then she gets sick, or a family member does, and the tv goes on a lot, and then we have to consciously cut down again.

Edited to add that I watched Elmo today for the first time, really. It drove me nuts! So frenetic! Then Oscar the Grouch came on with Slimey, and I felt a sigh of relief (ah, old Sesame Street), but then it got really crazy too! I think we'll stick with DVD's for a while.

[LuckyMommaToo]

TV is something I'm struggling with. Ronan watches Hi-5 on Tivo in the morning while I shower and get ready. (Hi-5 is my favorite kids' show!) It's on TLC but there are no commercials. So that's about a half hour.

Then, if it's a good day, he watches about a half hour of Bob the Builder ("dig dig") in the afternoon. If it's a bad day, closer to an hour. I really wish it was less, but with the torrential rain here and his molars coming through, we've had some doozy days.

I've found that it's easier for me to limit it when we stick to the routine. But I agree, there are days when it's sooo tempting to just turn it on when he asks...

-Erin

[melaniewb]

We used to limit it to 2 shows a day, which equates to about 45 minutes a day. Once when he wakes up and then again when I'm making dinner. Lately though we've been struggling and he's watched more than that. Today was a good day though with only one 20 minute show. I'd like to get back to no more than 2 shows and none in the morning.

[Destinye]

My DD usually only watches Baby Einstein once a week or so, but this week she was sick and it was one thing that seemed to help so it was every day.

She isnt too interested in the Signing Time video's yet tho (13 mo) but am looking forward to her learning more signs and if that helps will let her watch them daily.

[jenaniah]

Haley probably watches an hour of TV a day...sometimes she watches a teeny bit in the morning while I am still dozing in bed (Playhouse Disney, she loves Jo Jo's Circus and Higgleytown Heroes) but often she only watches for a couple minutes and then wants to go down and have breakfast with Moma and Grampster. Before bed she watches either Veggie Tales or They Might Be Giants Here Come the ABC's. She usually falls asleep while watching these. If she is sick or the weather is really really nasty out and she is being a major crank she might get to watch something in the afternoon as well

[MOM2ANSLEY]

DD usually watches about 20 min in AM in out bed....and 30 min at bedtime if I can not wind her down. Now she likes Caillou an clifford( taped from PBS)
She has 3 Baby Song DVD's she used to love...but I got the feeling the babysitter was letting her watch too much t.v. and lately she has not asked for them.....The baby songs were a lifesaver when we went on our cruise....she watched and sang along most of our 10+ hour drive, and watched them at nap time and fell asleep.....She loves to sing.
She had wiggles and barney...but only wanted babysongs....they show lots of children and some animals and its all music, so I don't mind her watching it.

[4evermom]

Someday ds, 3.5 yrs, watches hours : otherdays, 1/2 to 1, occassionally none. He doesn't like it turned off so sometimes it's just on in a different room. He tends not to be glued to it, at least. I feel that my parenting style is to enable him to explore what he is interested in which sometimes is working the TV and VCR. I am frequently too tired to play with him more actively (I suspect chronic fatigue syndrom not just regular tired mommy). He didn't watch any TV before 18 mos, and very little before age 2. Recently, we had it unplugged and put away for a couple months at ds's instigation. He was disturbed by singing fruit on Sesame St. He asked for it back after a couple of days but I was able to distract him from it. We plugged it back in the morning he was have dental work done under general anaesthesia. It was a lifesaver that morning, keeping him distracted from nursing. He likes anything on PBS except Sesame St and Between the Lions because they skip around from skit to skit and sometimes something scary "pops on." His favorites are Mr. Rogers and Blue's Clues with Steve.