Toddlers and TV

603 Views 16 Replies 15 Participants Last post by AugustineM, Apr 8, 2006

MamaPam

Discussion Starter · Apr 7, 2006

We have successfully cut back on TV for everyone but the reality of our home is that TV is not going to be completely eliminated. The TV has never been a babysitter for us and DD watches most TV watching is done by us watching a movie or Good Eats episode after she goes to bed.

Anyways for those of you who allow your children to watch TV/DVD's what do you allow and what do you not allow? What are your guidelines.

We have some Baby Einstien DVDs and DD has always like dancing to the music and the puppet shows. I am becoming less and less convinved that these are appropriate at all because of the rapidly changing disconnected images. DD LOVES the Wiggles and we occasionally will watch Barney, Sesame Street or Charlie and Lola. We've been watching a Wiggles episode daily now and she likes to dance along and we sing the songs other times during the day. She has seen Veggie Tales too I think. We don't do anything geared for older kids or violent etc. Just wondering what was allowed and what wasn't for those of you whose kids watch limited amounts of TV.

Thanks.
Pam

1 - 17 of 17 Posts

LuckyMommaToo

· #2 · Apr 7, 2006

Well, first of all, we always use a DVD or Tivo. So when a show is over, it's over. And we only Tivo things that have no commercials. I'm very, very picky about which shows I'll let him see, and I don't add new ones too often. TV is used at set times each day (1/2 hour in the morning so I can shower, a 1/2 hour in the late afternoon so I can finish prepping dinner). We never turn it on randomly during the day.

-Erin

MamaPam

Discussion Starter · #3 · Apr 7, 2006

We have a DVR so we are always playing a show I recorded or a DVD too. This has been great so we are not just watching what is on at the time.

Pam

Lazyhead

· #4 · Apr 7, 2006

we have a dvd of sesame street. so i let her watch only sesame street (dd is 2). she can either watch it in the morning when it's on or in the afternoon after her nap but only once a day. and i never offer it. if she asks, she can watch it once a day. lots of days she doesn't ask--especially since the weather has been nicer & we're outside.

Earth Goddess

· #5 · Apr 7, 2006

DS is 19 months old. We've only turned on Sesame Street occasionally--he's probably seen it half a dozen times; our plan was no TV or movies for as long as possible, but when the winter kept dragging out, out of desperation I let him watch Sesame Street those few times. But we never even made it through a whole show--usually I turned it on after it started and he'd lose interest before it was over. He just doesn't seem to be too into it, for which I am very glad. Now that the weather is nice, I don't expect that we'll turn it on any more.

leafwood

· #6 · Apr 7, 2006

Dd is almost two. She watches 1/2 hour in the morning while I shower (or dh if he's on the am shift). It's almost always Dora the Explorer. No commercials. Occasionally (depending on the time) it's part of Sesame Street. Otherwise, I DVR the show Little Bear (again no commercials) that she really seems to love and we sometimes watch it in the evening while dinner is prepping. Either myself of Dh watches with her while the other cooks. This is only on the nights that she is not interested in cooking, playing, or doing something else. So, it's not a regular thing. All bets are off when she is sick (or when dh and I are sick at the same time which has happened once).

We really avoid watching TV while she is up. Dh will occasionally watch a sports game on the weekend and she now really gets excited when she sees hockey.

bobica

· #7 · Apr 7, 2006

dd is now 3. she LOVES the little einsteins & watches them pretty much every day. also the backyardigans, though they've taken a backseat to the little einsteins. we also dvr- it makes such a good difference in the whole "when it's over it's over" concept. she typically watches in the morning only unless, like others, she or one of us is sick.

when she was smaller, it was all about sesame street. then blue's clues. that led to the backyardigans & now little einsteins. i like the one show at a time approach she's been taking!

JulieK

· #8 · Apr 7, 2006

I actually have a big problem with TV. I only allow Zach to watch Signing Time and only once per day. However, he cries for it constantly. Whenever we're home, I have to keep distracting him or else he attempts a tantrum. I don't give in, but I'm worried that by restricting it so severely that I'm creating a worse problem than I would have if I just let him watch more during the day.

andiflipping

· #9 · Apr 7, 2006

We don't have TV at home but ds is allowed a little TV at my mom's.

He gets to watch a little bit of a basketball game...(the kid is obssessed with basketball and he just turned 2!!!) and at naptime my mom will turn on Little House on the Praire although he doesn't really watch it, he goes right to sleep..LOL..

MaxiMom

· #10 · Apr 7, 2006

We use our tv as a monitor for our dvds only.

It's Thomas the Tank Engine for my ds. No other tv, though. I like the earlier episodes best, they actually have lessons learned. It's been on more than I like, but the weather was crap for so long. Thank goodness the sun has been shining and we can be outside again.

DH and I watch the occasional movie or Monty Python episode, but it's rare we're both awake long enough to watch something at night!

Moderation is definitely a good thing.

GnomeyNewt

· #11 · Apr 7, 2006

Agree with pp, moderation is a very very good thing with tv time!

We do 30 min in the morning, if DD brings it up and 30 min in the evening, again if she brings it up. If timing goes right, now that the weather is right, I can get her out of the house and busy and she won't think of it. I am trying for as little tv as possible and ask her if she would like to read a book instead if she asks to watch the tv. With the rules she knows when she can and can't watch the tv, tho sometimes she will start to whine but will move on quickly. On weekends we allow her to watch a movie (she likes the Pixar movies!) she doesn't get very far through them, but doesn't always want to watch movies. When she's sick, we do break the rules a bit

.

We do almost all DVD's but sometimes watch a pbs for Seseme or Zabomafoo, she likes the animals. I try to avoid Barney for my own sanity. Netflix is a good way to try new shows or get more episodes without buying the DVDs. She loves Blues Clues and Dora right now. She watched the Baby Enstines but has outgrown them it seems. No commercials and geared toward teaching, rather than just a mind numbing show if you know what I mean.

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Lazyhead

· #12 · Apr 7, 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by *andiflipping*
He gets to watch a little bit of a basketball game...(the kid is obssessed with basketball and he just turned 2!!!) ..

that is so funny becuase my dd just turned 2 and is also OBSESSED with basketball. she talks about it all the time and "plays" it with any ball or ball-type-object she gets her hands on. there are a bunch of guys who play it at the park down the street and she is always trying to pick up a game with them. they are generally pretty gracious about it but it can be a bit awkward

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bricorssk

· #13 · Apr 7, 2006

DD is 17 MO and has no interest in TV even when it is on unless it has some sort of music on (for instance the other day there was a pianist on tv and DD loved it). She has shown a little interest in the teletubbies when I was flipping through for school closures one morning.

peaceful_mama

· #14 · Apr 7, 2006

DS will be 18 months tomorrow and he RARELY watches TV. Once in awhile on a weekend morning, if he gets up super-early, I'll find the Wiggles or something while I get coffee...other than that, it's his ONE signing DVD, which is about 20 minutes long (maybe 25) and that's so I can get away with brushing my hair without help usually LOL. He just watched it today for the first time in about a week. He doesn't ask for TV, but when I do turn that DVD on, he is stuck to it like glue!! I can do anything.

Other than that DVD, he's seen a bit of Sesame Street 2 or 3 times, a bit of the Wiggles about twice, and Dora at a friends--he really doesn't watch anything other than his DVD though. He likes the real kids and stuff.

I REFUSE to have the Teletubbies or Barney in my house though. REFUSE. I hate the way those stupid aliens baby-talk, and Barney is just dumb.

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Vicitoria

· #15 · Apr 7, 2006

Since we moved to Germany we only watch age appropriate shows in the morning in German. They end early and we sleep late so it may be only a few shows. They don't have whole half hour shows or hour shows here. They may be 10 minutes. I think Sesame Street is 25 minutes. The rest of the day it is only video's or dvd's. Ds is at the age where he is totally into Baby Einstein and, yes, is learning from them. We have such a great time going through body parts lately! We started with Muzzy in German from Earlyadvantage.com before we moved here and we still play them so ds is comfortable with the languages. It's interesting to watch him watch the dvd's in German now. It's like it's all just sinking in.

There really isn't much else on TV. We watch the news but that really p's me off is I constantly have to tell dh that I don't want ds looking at dead people or seeing violence. He just doesn't get it. Actually, when the news goes on ds gets agitated.

I've given up on limits. I just let it go and it balanaces out. Thank goodness spring is here though. At least we can spend half the day outside!

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Alkenny

· #16 · Apr 8, 2006

I don't censor the tv, but it's not a big problem in our house. He mostly watches Tivo'd episodes of Sesame Street, Thomas the Tank Engine or Bob the Builder.

AugustineM

· #17 · Apr 8, 2006

I really don't show DS any TV at all -- I hate him to watch commercials. But DH and I almost never watch TV ourselves, either. Really the only thing that he's seen are Baby Einstein DVDs, some of which he likes, some he isn't so crazy about. We get them once in a while off Netflix. The only thing he really loves and will watch for any amount of time is the first part of Finding Nemo (fast forwarding through the scary part) when Nemo goes to school, which DH shows to him while he changes his diaper and gets him dressed in the morning, or if he's tired from work and they snuggled on the recliner and watch. I'm sure the novelty of that will wear off, though!

Oh, and a couple times when he's seen the Teletubbies while my sister was watching him he was like, totally fascinated, especially with the sun/baby!

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