To think I can manage without a TV? (with a newborn?)

[thing1andthing2]

My first AIBU so please be gentle:

So, we've just had our lounge redecorated and the wall knocked through to the kitchen so it's all open plan. Basically there's nowhere to put our big, old style CRT TV so I have freecycled it.
I was going to get a small flat screen TV that will fit on top of a cupboard, but before I shell out loads of cash I am wondering, can I manage with iplayer/4OD etc on the laptop?
We don't have any DVDs so no problem not being able to watch them.
DH doesn't watch TV much at all so doesn't care (prefers not to have a TV, if he's honest).
DD is 2.4y and likes very particular cbeebies/peppa pig type stuff which is all downloadable on the laptop.
When DH and I watch stuff together in the evening we either download stuff on itunes (eg films) or we watch Top Gear/nature stuff (god we sound boring) on iplayer on the laptop.
I like all the X factor/Britains got talent/OBEM/health documentary stuff but often watch it on catch up because I go to bed so early and it starts at 9pm.

The sticking point is I'm expecting a DS in 7 weeks. When DD was newborn daytime TV got me through the endless hours of breastfeeding/boredom. Also I am considering things like Wimbledon/Olympics which may not be possible to live-stream on the internet. Also I'm not sure how much just sitting I will do with newborn DS when I have DD to entertain in the day?

So I guess I'm saying WWYD? Shell out for a new TV (plus TV license which has expired) or not?

Why don't you just not replace it for now & see how you get on - you don't have to pay a full licence in one go if you decide to get a new one, you can pay in installments

See it as an experiement for a few months and if you miss it, buy one

Agree with sars
I didn't watch tv when DS was feeding. I surfed loads on mumsnet or read easy books. TV just annoyed me for some reason.

Sorry I could not imagine life without a telly . Wimbledon, The Euro's all need to be on a proper tv if only for the live stream. Plus what happens if the Laptop dies?

I don't have live tv, we do though have an old style none digital tv and dvd player and we sometimes use catch up on the pc.

TBH I would have thought if you have a pc then catch up would be better as you can pause the program etc when baby needs something and come back to the program later.

PS the only problem with not having a tv is - the tv licencing will tell you that:

you do have a tv and so you need a licence and they will threaten you with letters etc
you have to have a licence if you watch tv of any sort
that you have to have a licence if you have a pc

It is all bollox

you just write a letter to them stating you withdraw access from your property, give the address and sign it with any name you wish. They will then write back to you telling you that they will prove you do have a tv by other means and as long as you have given the address and some kind of name they will leave you alone for around 3 years

I like to have the TV on in the background. I know you can have the radio, but I liked the pause option of the TV. So if I was half-listening to something and it got interesting and DD needed me, I would pause.

I also pre-record everything I think I might want to watch (Pointless, Corrie and BGT at the moment) and know I have them there for naps, downtime etc.

Oh, and DD loves the snooker. Think it's the bright colours. Trouble is I don't much like it.

We live on a narrowboat. We have a tv, but only for watching DVDs. as it happens we very rarely can be bothered faffing around with generators or inverters etc.
We spend a lot more time reading, talking or cleaning (we had 2dogs and a cat so there is never ending cleaning)
i think you wont miss it, particularly if you have iplayer and 4OD.

In those first few weeks I watched DVDs (hundreds and hundred of DVDs), daytime TV is shocking, I think you could cope with the laptop and a subscription to lovefilm or netflix or similar.

I also watched loads of TV while breastfeeding DS1 (I used to put the sound down on Jeremy Kyle and watch with subtitles in case my PFB was traumatised by the Nasty Loud People). I did find with DS2 there was much less TV watching because I was reading to DS1 instead.

However the very early period when there was a lot of night feeding, which with DS1 was carried out in a dark room to soothe his precious firstborn little sensibilities, was with DS2 carried out in front of late night TV and the internet.

In conclusion YANBU, I think you can manage.

No TV for 3yrs and counting here, and a 5wk old newborn. It's fine, even if the rest of the world thinks you're bonkers. The only thing on TV I like is Scott&Bailey, and there's ITVplayer for that. The rets of the time I surf the net, read, knit, get on with useful things etc. I feel like I got an extra 50% of my life when I ditched TV. It's amazing how little time people with TV have to do things...but always have time for 6hrs of TV in the evenings?

Thanks for comments so far. I think you only need a TV license if you live-stream on the laptop. You don't need it for catch-up.
I find live-streaming on iplayer (so the BBC) is pretty rubbish anyway, and cuts out all the time.
It's a really good thought that 1) daytime TV is crap and I might be better off watching stuff I'm interested in on catch up and 2) I can pause stuff on the laptop which is vvv important when you have little ones.
But I'm still worried about missing wimbledon .

What about when zombies attack and take out the internet there's a technical glitch with your broadband?

It's like not having a landline IMO. OK you might hardly ever use it but it's good just to have it there for those times when zombies attack the olympics something overloads the mobile network.

If I were you I'd buy a nice small TV for the newborn feeding marathons but then maybe keep it in the spare room after that.

Also, old films on TV in the daytime are a must for when someone's ill, and you just don't get that with TV on demand. It totally changes the whole being ill and off school/work experience.

The zombies technical glitches are out there you know.

You won't have the same need for a telly you did first time round - you'll have places to go and people to see with DD, probably (if you don't, might be an idea to get some fast before DS comes...)

I find TV helpful sometimes, but tbh lately it's hardly ever been on - my DSs only watch videos because they get cross when the telly plays the wrong episode.

I don't have a television and it's bliss :-) Couldn't survive without my internet though! If you get rid of the telly be prepared for people asking what you actually do all day, and what do you point your furniture at.

I didn't have a tv when I first had dd1. I didn't have internet either. I had books (from the library) and a cd player with a number of cds. We managed fine until we were given a tv and video player when dd1 was about 18 months. I didn't miss it at all, but then once we had one again I watched all sorts of rubbish again and didn't bother so much with music and books.

YANBU.

But you absolutely will need an iPad where you can stream live telly. Yes, there is an app for that and it enables me to have a shower whilst DD watches Milkshake next to me every morning.

We make doth a laptop. Had a two month phase where dd watched s program most days but you get through it. Even if u have a long feeder, it's doubtful the toddler I'll let you watch tv for that length of time. Our gap is 19 months.

I mostly watch the laptop feeding ds at lunch while the toddler naps or when he took a while to feed to sleep at night.

Just done a year of BF with no TV....it is doable but we have shit broadband here and this has caused Tension.

So do make sure you will be able to stream iplayer reliably AT ALL TIMES OF THE DAY AND NIGHT before deciding to take the plunge...

We decided to wait a while when we first moved in together before buying a tv, so we could save up for a nice one.

That was four years ago. We haven't missed it. I spent the money on chocolate and wine

No tv and no computer in our house. Do watch DVDs on an old set though. Mostly radio 4 and 4extra and my husband's 4000 vinyl records entertain us. Oh and laughing at my 6 month old!

poppywearer yes I do have an ipad and I don't know how people manage toddlers without them (didn't mention having one as I didn't want to be accused of stealth boasting in OP!). Baby Jake or Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom on the ipad allow me to have a shower in the morning.
DD will be 2.6 when the new one comes but she's still not capable of entertaining herself!
Good to hear lots of other people manage with no TV. I'll wait for a couple of months and see how we get on. But Wimbledon is still a sticking point. Need to make sure I can live stream it!

Well we have managed the last 4 years without a TV and DD manages fine watching the same episodes of Postman Pat again and again on the laptop.

If you have the internet you have access to everything anyway so it's not the same as it was when I was growing up without a TV - when no telly really did mean no telly

Ivykaty, that is not quite right. You do not require a TV license to watch playback, only live TV. So if you never watch live Iplayer there is no problem.

OP, glad to hear it! The app/service is called "TV Catchup".

I've not had a TV for 5+ years. Jolly nice it is too.

I watch stuff on iPlayer, or 4OD etc on my laptop and it's great for me. Don't miss live TV at all.

And I have a 1 year old so did the newborn stage without live TV no trouble. Just download stuff or stream it live. I'm also a member of LoveFilm.