I really don't think 1/2 hour a day is going to harm him at all, and if it helps you get over that bump in your day it may do him some good. Another option which works with my dd- she stopped napping at 2 and I started "quiet time" for 1/2 hour a day. She has to stay in her room and be fairly quiet. She usually listens to a book on tape. I have never had any struggle with this, she actually looks forward to it. Maybe that would work for you? I don't know how old your ds is.
ds stopped napping, now we are thinkin' we are going to turn on the tv...
5
our home life right now and things that we are not really able to change in the time being are really trying me a s a mommy. well, we moved across the pacific ocean this past year and so so many changes: a job that keeps dh gone ALL THE FREAKIN TIME and rare family time, bought a new home, which we should feel very fortunate but remodeling (the main house on our proeperty to rent out ASAP) takes all of our "extra" time away, me not being able to be in school (residency, arg!) and the fact that i NEVER get time to myself or away froms ds. in september, ds will be starting at a WONDERFUL waldorf school twice a week for four hours so i can be in school, and center myself. well, we are nearing the end of remodeling (more family time) and september is not far away(more mommy time), but for now since ds has stopped napping, 2-3 oclock in our home is witching hour! i am exhausted and ds finds it the perfect time to push every last button. i have been screaming at him
and now back to my post.
jessie
1 - 14 of 14 Posts
My personal opinion (take it for what it's worth) is that tv is never the answer to boredom or a need for downtime for children. You might want to read _The Plug-In Drug_ to learn more about why tv is particularly bad for kids. It's not the content, it's the way that watching tv changes the way the brain functions. Also, if you use tv to relax, you are teaching your child to use tv to relax, which is not a habit I'd want to start. Also, tv is extremely stimulating to kids, which is why most kids' behavior gets worse after "relaxing" in front of the tv.
When my daughter was just over one, I started doing a "Momma's quiet time" twice a day for a half hour. I lay down on the couch with a book and said, "It's Momma's quiet time now, you need to play by yourself." After a few months she became familiar with the concept, and she often wanted to have her own "kite tie," as she called it. When she gave up napping, I told her that she could use her naptime for quiet time, and that's the way it's always been. She can do whatever she wants in her room as long as she doesn't come out and I can't hear her. I find this to be preferable to the tv, which I don't want to have on/hear anyway.
I recently picked up a Wiggles cd (not a video) at the library after my neighbor raved about how much her daughter loved the Wiggles. It's a cute cd, the lyrics are clever, and I don't mind the music. My daughter adores it and often asks to hear the Wiggles as soon as she wakes up in the morning. She asks for it several times during the day. I said to my husband recently, "Aren't you glad we never started the tv habit?" I don't mind putting on music over and over for her, but I would not want to be nagged to watch tv over and over.
I plan not to let my daughter watch tv until she's at least 8, though, so you can see on which side of the fence I sit.
Good luck!
Wilma
![]()
When my daughter was just over one, I started doing a "Momma's quiet time" twice a day for a half hour. I lay down on the couch with a book and said, "It's Momma's quiet time now, you need to play by yourself." After a few months she became familiar with the concept, and she often wanted to have her own "kite tie," as she called it. When she gave up napping, I told her that she could use her naptime for quiet time, and that's the way it's always been. She can do whatever she wants in her room as long as she doesn't come out and I can't hear her. I find this to be preferable to the tv, which I don't want to have on/hear anyway.
I recently picked up a Wiggles cd (not a video) at the library after my neighbor raved about how much her daughter loved the Wiggles. It's a cute cd, the lyrics are clever, and I don't mind the music. My daughter adores it and often asks to hear the Wiggles as soon as she wakes up in the morning. She asks for it several times during the day. I said to my husband recently, "Aren't you glad we never started the tv habit?" I don't mind putting on music over and over for her, but I would not want to be nagged to watch tv over and over.
I plan not to let my daughter watch tv until she's at least 8, though, so you can see on which side of the fence I sit.
Good luck!
Wilma
bunnysmomma- everything you said is what echoes through my head each and every time i find myself wanting to put in baby einstein! and, tracymom, everything you said is the words from my dh inside my head. ds LOVES watching movies and it really gets to me, so why would i want to encourage it? but when 2-3pm hits, we are a miserable twosome! we have tried the quiet time thing and he either cries or runs around laughing like it is a game, which is far from what i have in mind for quiet time. so, when you say a couple of months, exactly how many months did it take for your dc to get used to the idea? maybe we need to try the quiet time thing again, it is a good tool for our babes to learn to wind down a fast moving little body and give other people, mommies
![]()
, a little bit of R&R. maybe that is a whole different post, but any ideas on getting quiet time to wrk? ds simply will not lie down unless i am reading him a book, which at that time of day (after reading proably 30-40 books already, we read ALOT w/o television) reading a book literally puts me to sleep. ELlieB, we tried the book on tape thing which he LOVES, but he needs like a new book on tape every 3-4 days to keep his interest. our library has a horrible selection so were having to buy ds books on tape twice a week! maybe it is worth it, that was really working. do you have any favorites that are 20 min long or more? we love little bear and frog and toad, any more great ones out there? thank you moms, i have been thinking sooooo so very hard about this, and things are just starting to come clear.
jessie
jessie
Quote:
YES! This has soooooooooo been my experience with ds. I had fallen into the (ugly, ugly) habit of using TV just to get some downtime and MAN, the shift in his behavior was awful. He turned into something that I practically didn't recognize. It was like he was strung out. Plus, I suddenly had the added power struggle over turning the thing off.
You may not have the same experience. (I happen to have one of those kids who goes zombified in front of the tube... some other mamas I know have the TV on quite often and their kids rarely stop to watch). But it's worth considering, nonetheless.
I didn't see how old your ds is. Mine is 3.5 and for the last year has been trying desparately to drop his nap. (He's never been particularly fond of sleep :LOL). He really still *needs* one, though. 3-4 is our "witching hour" when he doesn't nap (which is often) because it's the time he should really be asleep. I've found that if I really get him a ton of physical activity earlier in the day, that time is actually easier even if he doesn't nap, because he's actually willing to chill out for awhile and just look at a book (and sometimes - though rarely - that will put him to sleep). When he doesn't get enough activity early in the day, that time is hellish because he's at the end of his rope but still has pent-up energy that he doesn't know what to do with it.
Anyway, don't know if any of that is helpful, but just thought I'd throw it out there.
![]()
Originally Posted by BunnysMomma Also, tv is extremely stimulating to kids, which is why most kids' behavior gets worse after "relaxing" in front of the tv. |
You may not have the same experience. (I happen to have one of those kids who goes zombified in front of the tube... some other mamas I know have the TV on quite often and their kids rarely stop to watch). But it's worth considering, nonetheless.
I didn't see how old your ds is. Mine is 3.5 and for the last year has been trying desparately to drop his nap. (He's never been particularly fond of sleep :LOL). He really still *needs* one, though. 3-4 is our "witching hour" when he doesn't nap (which is often) because it's the time he should really be asleep. I've found that if I really get him a ton of physical activity earlier in the day, that time is actually easier even if he doesn't nap, because he's actually willing to chill out for awhile and just look at a book (and sometimes - though rarely - that will put him to sleep). When he doesn't get enough activity early in the day, that time is hellish because he's at the end of his rope but still has pent-up energy that he doesn't know what to do with it.
Anyway, don't know if any of that is helpful, but just thought I'd throw it out there.
Like someone else said, my ds is an active listener. He cannot sit and listen to me read him a story. He's never been one to relax to even the softest music, he has to move. At first when he gave up his naps, I just let him go until he ran out of gas. Not good. By dinner he was mean and whiny, not good for any of us. We tried quiet time, but it never worked. We tried no talking and just taking a "rest" together (couldn't call it a nap
![]()
)
Finally we tried movies. They work for him. He needs something to keep his interest just enough to stay awake and listen if he likes. But it also has to be something kind of boring, not a Disney movie or something like that. One of his aunts bought him "The Life of Mammals" series from the Discovery Store for his birthday. It's narrated by Richard Attenbourough and it is soothing, is all about animals (his favorite thing in the world) and has very little excitement. If we're having a rough day and he feels like he needs to take a break from the excitement or stress, he will ask to watch an animal movie. He's learned a lot from the series, more than I know about animals for sure!
It was hard for me to go to the tv for his much needed break during the day. I prefer quiet...I don't listen to the radio at home, I rarely turn on the tv. I really enjoy being able to hear myself think (which I can't do with noise at all, even the dishwasher distracts me). But it works for him so it's fine with me. I'm trying to work with dh on cutting back on how much the tv is on when he is home but it is really hard. He is a total tv head, he would leave it on 24 hours a day if he could. If ds was plopping himself in front of the tv all the time I would worry, but most days he doesn't watch more than one show. I can't really get him to sit and watch a movie anymore either. He's just too busy!
Finally we tried movies. They work for him. He needs something to keep his interest just enough to stay awake and listen if he likes. But it also has to be something kind of boring, not a Disney movie or something like that. One of his aunts bought him "The Life of Mammals" series from the Discovery Store for his birthday. It's narrated by Richard Attenbourough and it is soothing, is all about animals (his favorite thing in the world) and has very little excitement. If we're having a rough day and he feels like he needs to take a break from the excitement or stress, he will ask to watch an animal movie. He's learned a lot from the series, more than I know about animals for sure!
It was hard for me to go to the tv for his much needed break during the day. I prefer quiet...I don't listen to the radio at home, I rarely turn on the tv. I really enjoy being able to hear myself think (which I can't do with noise at all, even the dishwasher distracts me). But it works for him so it's fine with me. I'm trying to work with dh on cutting back on how much the tv is on when he is home but it is really hard. He is a total tv head, he would leave it on 24 hours a day if he could. If ds was plopping himself in front of the tv all the time I would worry, but most days he doesn't watch more than one show. I can't really get him to sit and watch a movie anymore either. He's just too busy!
1 - 14 of 14 Posts
