Mothering Forum banner

What cartoons do you let your toddler watch?

7K views 30 replies 26 participants last post by  LivingSky 
#1 ·
I will be watching a couple of toddlers for a friend, and I plan to keep them busy for much of the time I'm watching them, but I anticipate needing some down time to get some stuff done. I was thinking I'd put on Daniel Tiger during that time, but I'm wondering what cartoons the toddler set likes and parents are generally OK with.

What cartoons do you let your kids watch?
 
#2 ·
Daniel Tiger is a good one. My 2.5 yo also likes Peg + Cat on PBS. Netflix has Signing Time as well as several other toddler friendly shows--A Cars 'shorts', A Mickey Mouse Club House, and a few others.
 
#4 ·
My kids LOVE preschool prep videos-- I have no idea what the trick is, but it's no wonder they have won SO MANY awards. And it taught them all of the basics before 2...letters, numbers, colors, and shapes.

They also love Elmo (even though mommy wants to pound her head against the wall), and some of the Baby Einsteins...
 
#6 ·
my LO only gets about 30 minutes a week, but for those Curious Geroge is a big hit in our house. And of course Thomas the train, but that one really drives me nuts. Two that we all like are Pingu and Shaun the Sheep, they are both silly claymation with no dialogue.

Good luck.
 
#9 ·
We watch Little Bear on Amazon Prime. That and Dinosaur Train are the only shows I let him watch. I haven't found anything else that I can approve.

Thomas particularly boils my blood. He loves trains so we tried a few episodes of that and it was AWFUL! So negative and shaming and back stabbing... I was shocked.
 
#10 ·
I have to be more lax with my second because my first is much older and I can't keep my baby from looking at the TV while she's watching. I'm extremely selective about what she can watch. NO TV at all. Just videos on Netflix. I don't like commercials being shown to my kids. She can watch science and nature documentaries, Bill Nye the Science Guy, Word Girl, Martha Speaks, the CGI Angelina Ballerina shows (the old ones are prettier but the characters have nasty attitudes), Curious George and Kratts' Creatures plus a few others. NOTHING commercialized like Sesame Street, Disney, Etc. Nothing that has a toy or backpack or Happy Meal toy branded with it.

For toddlers, we watch Miffy, Max & Ruby (I know a lot of people hate it, but we love it), Peppa Pig and Kipper. My toddler is too young to watch TV yet. He won't pay attention for more than about three minutes which is fantastic. But those are what we have for older toddlers ages two and up. I babysit a 2 year old and I have to put on a video for her and my oldest to watch so I can get the baby down for his nap and the only choices I allow for the girl I babysit are Curious George, Miffy, Kipper and Max & Ruby. They are all really gentle and not too exciting or loud and not at all obnoxious.
 
#11 ·
We love Kipper and Pingu in our house, plus most of the PBS Kids line-up, except Sid the Science Kid, which I find to be annoying and full of propaganda. Specifically, we love Super Why, Peg + Cat, and Cat in the Hat. I also find Thomas rather irritating, but for my son, it's like seeing all his favorite playmates on tv, so I allow it.
 
#12 ·
Daniel Tiger is pretty much the only show we watch (also Sesame Street clips). I also search for "Russian bear cartoons" on YouTube--there is some really cool old animation out there that is not too frenetic, and since she can't understand what they're saying, I like to think that somehow leaves more room for imagination...ha.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Momsteader
#13 ·
We've started letting our 19 month old watch Kipper occasionally. I feel bad about it, but being pregnant and exhausted and with his sleep issues (he's been a terrible sleeper, always -- sometimes he seems to need less sleep than me!), it gives me a tiny break on terrible days.

I like Kipper because it's very, very calm -- pastels, lots of white space, no loud noises, and nothing (in the US at least) is marketed for Kipper, so it's not like he'll see it in the grocery store and beg for something.
 
#15 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by Blanca78 View Post

Daniel Tiger is pretty much the only show we watch (also Sesame Street clips). I also search for "Russian bear cartoons" on YouTube--there is some really cool old animation out there that is not too frenetic, and since she can't understand what they're saying, I like to think that somehow leaves more room for imagination...ha.
Mawa and Mishka! Not sure how you REALLY spell it, but my guy loves those! He's having speech issues and we joke that he'll speak Ukranian before English LOL
 
  • Like
Reactions: Blanca78
#16 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by CraftyMcGluestick View Post

We love Kipper and Pingu in our house, plus most of the PBS Kids line-up, except Sid the Science Kid, which I find to be annoying and full of propaganda. Specifically, we love Super Why, Peg + Cat, and Cat in the Hat. I also find Thomas rather irritating, but for my son, it's like seeing all his favorite playmates on tv, so I allow it.
Haha you must have saw the one about flu shots!!! Yes I find that show annoying too....
 
#20 ·
I mostly go for Signing Time and for Classic Sesame Street for my little guy when I need a break.
 
#22 ·
We don't have TV but we stream from Netflix. My dd is obsessed with a show called Yakari, and we really like it too. Each show is only 10 min. and there are two per episode. It is about a Sioux boy who has been given the gift of speaking with animals. We also like Shaun the Sheep and Daniel the Tiger.
 
#24 ·
Yakari sounds adorable!!

My little guy is ALL about Fraggle Rock! We watch with my 11 year old, who also loves it! (and watched it as a little one, too.) It was one of my favorite childhood shows as a kid, so I love getting to share that part of my own childhood with them!

Oh, and speaking of my childhood shows, I found David the Gnome on netflix, too, but my little guy isn't big into it :/
 
#25 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by LunaLady View Post

We watch Little Bear on Amazon Prime. That and Dinosaur Train are the only shows I let him watch. I haven't found anything else that I can approve.

Thomas particularly boils my blood. He loves trains so we tried a few episodes of that and it was AWFUL! So negative and shaming and back stabbing... I was shocked.
I thought i was the only one who thought that about Thomas.

My kiddos watch dinosaur train and sesame street. I hate almost all children's tv, so they also get the occasional old school episode of Classic Doctor Who when i'm about to lose my mind if I hear "ALL ABOARD! TICKETS! TICKETS PLEASE!" .
 
#26 ·
We tried Yakari and I'm sad I can't recommend that one. I also saw a show similar about an Amazon native boy and his adventures, but in the first few minutes there was shaming and lying and name calling. I just don't get it.

We tried David the Gnome about a year ago and my son didn't find it interesting, but I'd love to try again. I really, really loved that show as a kid!

We have been watching Aristocats here and there and also Disney's Sword in the Stone and both of those are okay. There's no blatant stuff in either of them.

Currently, my dh and son are watching Thomas with the sound off. Boy looooooves trains.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top