Honestly, how much TV does your 1 year old (or around) watch?

[bail]

No judgements here pls!

I have a gorgeous DS aged 1 year old. Extremely lively, and we do A LOT (playground once a day, playdate 2x a week, gymboree 1x a week and MiniMozart 1x a week and every other week we go to LittleGym (at £19 a session, too expensive to do every week!). He LOVES these activities and actually, so do I.

When we arrive home after an afternoon's activities, I tend to be desperate for a cup of tea and a sit down. So what do I do? DS in playpen in lounge and turn CBeebies on. He loves it, and gives me 15 mins to relax with my tea and computer. I keep it then on whilst preparing his dinner. So 30 mins in total. The TV is off for his main course and then I switch back on for his dessert whilst I tidy up the devastation, so an additional 10 mins.

So my 1 year old is having approx 40 mins of TV a day. Sometimes less, sometimes a little more (up to an hour in total)

What do people think and what do others do? I don't think I have a problem with it, as for the rest of the day we are doing so much, communicating and interacting with each other, active etc. Combined with an avalanche of kisses and cuddles. However, it does sometimes niggle that maybe I am doing something wrong.

[Bumpsadaisie]

My DD is two and we generally tend to turn it on for Chuggington at 17.40 and off after Charlie and Lola at 18.10, after which she has supper. I find it helpful that we decide we are going to watch x y and z programmes then thats it.

Sometimes, esp if she has been refusing to nap, DD is tired and grumpy and just wants to sit on the sofa and watch TV for a bit. Who can blame her, I feel the same often! I find it helps her calm down and gets her ready to eat her supper nicely rather than chucking it around and having a strop!

I try not to use it during the day but this week I am 31 weeks pregnant, we've had torrential rain solidly in Cumbria for the last three days and I confess the TV has been on MUCH more than usual. Suspect this will be the same when DC2 arrives too, for the first few weeks of chaos and fog.

I wouldnt worry too much - the odd few days where you are more tired and you are watching more TV than usual won't harm your son. It sounds like you have an exhausting programme of activities as it is!

[Tillyscoutsmum]

Honestly ?? Loads. Way more than they should. We are out and about a lot but if we're in the house, the t.v. tends to be on. Sometimes they sit and watch it, sometimes they're doing other things but it is on in the background.

I'll no doubt get flamed and told how I'm delaying their development ...

[Bumpsadaisie]

Tilly

I reckon my DD has watched about 3 or 4 hours a day the last few days!

[FruitSaladIsNotPudding]

Honestly? None. I'm sure when I have a second, that will change, but for the moment I don't want her watching tv at all. In my head ( and this is just my gut feeling and totally based on nothing) it'll be ok from about 2yo.

[FruitSaladIsNotPudding]

I should add, I put it on if I am ill!

[BeeMyBaby]

We didn't really let DD watch tv when 12 months, but from about 15 months we started to let her watch about 30 mins a day of childrens programmes, although we are always present - DH lets her watch decidly more when he looks after her, but again is always present. She also is present when we watch adult programmes in the evenings (ie not made for children, but not violent) where she is happy to sit and play on the floor as she doesn't go to bed till 9pm (18 months).

[Tillyscoutsmum]

I'm not even counting the last few days - We've had the dreaded stomach bug here (Ds first, then dd and then DH & I) so we've been housebound for a few days .

[BodyUnknown]

None, because there is no TV chez BodyUnknown!

DD is 13 months. I am not sure she would sit still to watch it anyway, she is more interested in climbing things, ruining the window blinds, biting my ankles etc.

This probably explains why my flat is a mess and dinner often ends up on floor and walls.

The drawback of having no TV, apart from the universe asking what I do with my free time is that I have absolutely no idea what is popular with kids and I still think children watch the Faraway Tree and Famous Five. IfI had one, I would have no idea where to start.

Watching this thread with interest, as from time to time I do think about getting myself and DD a telly.

[naturalbaby]

we go through phases so sometimes they watch the bedtime hour and other times they watch back to back peppa pig for 30mins, then go for a few days with no t.v then watch a movie for over an hour.

so long as it's not all day every day so stopping your baby doing the active stuff then i don't see the problem, but i only put it on if they sit and watch a program so if they wander off i turn it off and i wouldn't put it on while they're supposed to be eating a meal or doing something else (ds2 gets distracted enough as it is!). when desperate and going through a fussy stage with food then i'll put a short program on to get some decent food in them but very rarely.

[BrandyAlexander]

Dc1 is 2.5 and dc2 3 months. Dc1 didn't watch tv before she was 18 month and then it was once a week for 20 mins. Now she watches tv only at the weekend and for an hour - sometimes both days, sometimes just on one day. She watches dvds and is yet to watch live tv other than sports with her dad. There are lots of tvs around the house so she sees them around but doesn't have an interest. Actually I feel quite silently judged by others in rl as if I am making some kind of 'statement'. Thankfully I don't care! I say that although I do get a little embarrassed when friends talk about Peppa Pig or whatever the latest toddlers craze is and I have never seen the programmes.

[mousesma]

DD 13 months probably watches about 1.5-2 hours a day. 30 mins in morning while she has her milk and I have a cup of coffee, breakfast and make her breakfast, 30mins-1hr at bedtime while she has her bedtime bottle and winds down, 15mins here or there I need to distract her throughout the day. Somedays she has less if we're out and about but if we're in then the tv will always go on at some point.

[TheArmadillo]

we tend to have the telly on in the background most of the day. Mostly tuned to CBBC/CITV or something on iplayer (we have older ds). When ds is at school we just leave it on cbeebies.

The only thing dd tends to actually pay attention to is in the night garden and occasionally that baby jake one. And Sam Sam when it was on CITV when ds was getting ready for school but they changed the schedule.

[onehellofaride]

Probably too much. We also tend to have the TV on most of the time when we are in I won't have it on at all on a morning though and on a weekend it depends what we are doing! Yesterday we didn't bother getting dressed and watched films for most of the day. My DC are 4 and 2. Does that make me a bad parent?

[CaptainNancy]

At that age, none.

If you're worried why not try not putting it on while he has his pudding? Seems like he'd be occupied anyway!

Just save the guilt for more important things!

[Paschaelina]

Maybe half an hour in the evening while I tidy up etc, charlie and lola to ITNG but only til the beginning music stops then he loses interest anyway. Sometimes 20 minutes after breakfast while I clean up, more often I have the radio on instead. Boy is 11 months.

[Bellethebelltent]

Dd2 is 17 months, we do no clubs/ gyms etc, being third child we don't have time really and I feel my other two were a bit indulged in it all and were therefore less able to play alone iyswim. Dd watches no tv, never has. She plays, potters and looks at books etc. She can be demanding and is not simply a happy to be left type child but tv at this age is not an option in our home.

I feel very strongly about this, so will probably be call smug or what ever, but simply, tv destroys their imagination. It will be hard enough to limit it when he is at school. My ds suffered with glue ear at around age six, the consultant told me it is most likely caused by watching too much tv? He would happily have watched it for hours if left to it, before we went totally tv free.

I really would avoid it at this stage.

[thelollipoplady]

Is your little boy happy? Are you happy? Well then. Think we all get too hung up - me included - on what's 'right' or 'wrong' or what other people think, when in the end, all that really matters is that your little boy knows you love him and you have a happy non-stressful life together.

[mousesma]

thelollipoplady that is excellent advice and I'm going to try to remember to take it as well :)

[QueenOfFeckingEverything]

None at all.

That's not smugness though, god knows I have tried to convince him that sitting watching Rastamouse for 15 minutes is more fun than chasing the cat/bathing in the dog bowl/climbing on the windowsill/skateboarding on his wheelybug/dicing with death at every available opportunity.... But he is not having any of it.

[CaptainNancy]

Bellethebell - WHAT? Your consultant told you that? What nonsense! My dd had glue ear, and never ever watched television btw, its main causes are narrow tubes in the ear that don't clear, causing blockages and infections.

[Ophuchi]

17 month old DD doesn't watch any TV at all. She enjoys playing with her toys and puzzles, looking at story books and general pottering about while in the house. The TV is only on after she's in bed.

We go to the park every day the weather's nice enough, swimming and a playdate once a week.

I don't know if it makes any difference, I just know that having kid's tv programmes on would drive me up the wall!

[RockStockAndTwoOpenBottles]

Far too much. She's 2½. The older ones watched far too much (according to plenty of you on here) but don't appeared to have suffered for it. TBH it is far far too hot for her to be outside between noon and 4/5ish anyway TV is on, she looks at it for a bit, buggers off to trash her room play with something, pops back to watch a bit and that's on repeat. Unfortunately she likes Fireman Sam and Postman Pat. Both of whom I would like to shoot on sight. Among others.

Bellethebell I'd change your consultant. What a load of utter crap. Two have mine had dreadful glue ear which was, funnily enough, caused by narrow tubes in the ear. Not the frigging television.

[sherbertdipdab]

DS aged 2.3 doesn't watch tv but I have a portable dvd player and he has assorted dvds: peppa, thomas, meg & mog, cars, lost & found, hungry caterpillar.

He watches a bit in the morning 30mins- whilst I have a cup of coffee in bed (he wakes at 6.30am) and 30mins in the afternoon whilst I cook the tea.

I can't stand most kids tv and this way we both keep sane :)

[RitaMorgan]

DS (12 months) doesn't really watch TV, but just because he's not interested. I normally watch TV at some point in the day while he is awake, but he prefers to go and do his own thing - the only thing he likes is theme tunes, he'll clap and bounce along if it's a good tune Cbeebies is on quite rarely, once a week maybe, but doesn't tend to hold his interest for more than a minute or two.

The only thing that strikes me in the OP is that you put him in his playpen to watch TV, so that he kind of has to watch it? Wouldn't he be able to just play while you have a cuppa?