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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Time on the wii for kids

24 replies

smithy100 · 05/05/2011 22:35

My two ds (3yrs and 5yrs) are totally obsessed with the wii. mario kart being the game of choice. Also 5yrs old likes FIFA on the iPad. How much time a day do you let your kids have and how do you make other toys as exciting? Is it just a phase or have I lost them to the world of computer games already?

OP posts:

Carrotsandcelery · 05/05/2011 22:37

We use the wii as a reward or ds would be on it all the time.

We rarely allow it through the week but do allow it at the weekend if he has done well at school, behaved well in the mornings before school etc.

thederkinsdame · 05/05/2011 22:38

what carrots said

squeakytoy · 05/05/2011 22:39

It would depend what games they were playing. If it was the wii fit, I would let them carry on as long as they were getting on ok.. it is reasonable exercise.

MCos · 05/05/2011 23:11

I'd allow as much time as I would on TV - but choice to be made whether TV or Wii. IME, kids will have periods where they will be totally into Wii, and then leave it for a while, switching back to TV, imagination games, or outside play (if nice weather).

MaeMobley · 05/05/2011 23:18

DS -aged 6 - would sell his mother to play on the Wii. Given half a chance he would play all day long on the iPad or the Wii. He once played for 8 hours solid on a flight to America.

He was never interested in imagination games and is generally rubbish at playing on his own.

I use the Wii as a reward and restricted to weekends.

Original poster

smithy100 · 06/05/2011 09:03

We do it after school And ive got a timer so the boys have to share and they know when their time is up. Just feel sad that nothing else can compete.

OP posts:

Bogeyface · 06/05/2011 09:08

If they are on Wii play (or is it sport? the one with the tennis and boxing etc on it anyway!) then I let them have longer as they are jumping around, but a sittting-on-your-arse game, they get an hour.

Bogeyface · 06/05/2011 09:09

I should say that this is only at weekends, I cant be doing with the damn thing at the best of times, never mind after school :o

redskyatnight · 06/05/2011 10:13

We have a "screen time" policy in this house - so the DC can choose to play on the Wii, or on the computer or watch TV. They go through phases of doing one or the other.

HighlandTea · 06/05/2011 11:45

A teacher recently told me she had been on a course where they said maximum time children should be on games consoles is 20 mins per day as it is bad for concentration, behaviour, learning etc any longer than that

castlesintheair · 06/05/2011 11:50

My 9 year old is allowed on it at the weekend (about 40 mins), when he has friends round and if I am taking my other DC somewhere and he stays at home for about 30 minutes.

OP, I'm afraid it's not a phase and sadly, yes, you have lost them to the world of computer games I think this applies to boys. My 2 DDs aren't particularly interested - they will play on the Dance Wii about once a month max.

AliciaFlorrick · 06/05/2011 11:54

The rule in this house is the Wii is for weekends (in winter) or rainy days (in summer). I don't limit their time on it because they get bored with it after about an hour.

Now the Nintendo DS that's a whole different story? That's limited to non school days and only an hour, but they would spend the whole day on the damn thing if they could.

Rhian82 · 06/05/2011 12:03

'Children' seems a fairly broad category there - should 17-year-olds not be on for any longer than that? Surely there's a sliding scale?

From what I've read, nothing's as bad as TV, for children or adults.

NorbertDentressangle · 06/05/2011 12:09

My 2 are a bit older (6 and 11) and we tend not to limit the time they spend on it as TBH they go through a phase of playing on it lots for a week and then they don't play it again for months.

It tends to get used in the winter more and they do vary the games a lot including things like the dancing ones so its not just sitting on their backsides. In fact it was me and DP that had the Mario Kart addiction around Xmas time -after the DC went to bed we'd often be on it . Again it was short-lived phase though.

Original poster

smithy100 · 06/05/2011 14:11

Think I'm going to change the rules and maybe have it couple of times in the week then at weekends:))

What do people think about kids and computer in general?

OP posts:

Carrotsandcelery · 06/05/2011 14:34

There are some great games available online if you are careful.

When we were snowed in for ages in the winter I used a few for "home schooling" as variety. The school gave us passwords for some packages that saved their progress. The teachers could access what they had done if they needed to.

The cbeebies website has a few fun ones that have a gentle educational slant and they are not too high octane.

Again, I limit the time they spend on a lap top or I can't get on so that they still play in the traditional sense and go out and run around etc.

petitdonkey · 06/05/2011 14:37

During term time we stick to the 'wii-kend' - DS has accepted this as an official directive as if from the government!!

At times it drives me mad (if he has a new game he is obsessed) and then he naturally goes off it for a while so I try not to stress.

cornflakegirl · 06/05/2011 15:44

DS is 5 and pretty obsessed with the Wii. He's nominally allowed about 30 mins a day, but this tends to be in longer chunks every few days. He watches virtually no TV, so the Wii is all the screen time he gets. He is fairly addicted, and has been since he was old enough to play properly.

However, his addiction has recently transferred substantially to reading - he is now a real bookworm and has to be told frequently to put a book down to eg eat his dinner or brush his teeth. So I don't think it's done any damage to his concentration. It can be very dull when you ask about his day and get regaled with details on his progress on Sonic though!

NorthernGobshite · 06/05/2011 15:59

dd (6) has a Wii which she rarely plays on, but is OBSESSED with her DS. She plays on it most days - for about an hour - but she laso does lots of other things and is busy at school so i don't mind at all. I think its a middle class obsession with screen time personally.

stepford1 · 25/05/2011 18:43

We just hit a new low on wii DS 6 and 1/2 actually managed to wet himself while playing Mario superbros - all over the floor part of the problem he said was trying to take off the darned strap on the control....
I have banned that game for a month and the wii til after half term (we are hopefully going away or that might backfire) any advice?

goldtinsel · 25/05/2011 18:46

he weed when he was on the wii?? :)

heliumballoons · 25/05/2011 19:05

My DS isn't limited because as some above said he'll play mario karts sometimes for 1 hour or so and its a grt way to spnd time together and then he won't play for a week or 2. We also have wii fit and sports and love have bowling/golf/ tennis comps when friend and her dd's visit. Its a gret way on a rainy day to spend time together. and stops the kids getting all the toy everywhere!

DS also has guitar hero - I think I should limit myself as I've got now to playing expert with some songs.

Shannaratiger · 01/06/2011 08:10

I was about to start a thread on this subject, Ds 4 is completely obsessed with the Wii and will play on it for hours, his levels of agression when on it are getting so high it's terrible. Dd and me are dyspraxic and can't play Mario as well as ds, he completely loses the plot when we don't play it properly and dd ends up in tears because she can't play it, Ijust don't play it because it's too difficult!!
All the dc's want to do is play on the Wii, the computer or watch TV. I have decided that this has got to stop so I am going to make time cards for all of us (including me to make it fair) The problem is they are really bad at entertaining themselves and I have no idea what normal 7 year olds play with as dd has no friends her own age. Oh well I'd better prepare for world war 3 when I break the news!!

FellatioNelson · 01/06/2011 08:12

Ordinarily I would say time on all computer games and TV should be limited, but TBH provided they are playing games that involved plenty of physical movement I wouldn't limit it at all! Or at least not too stringently.

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