To let my 4yo watch TV on my phone every morning?

[Difford]

She wakes up at about 6.30 and we usually go down for breakfast at 7.30. i let her watch cbeebies on my phone until we go down. AIBU?
Any other easy suggestions to entertain her while I get ready for work/snooze received!

I’d try to avoid it because I generally find morning school screen time (or specifically, stopping the school screen time) leads to tantrums I can’t be doing with before school and nursery. But I’m not going to judge. By the time mine have got dressed it takes a whole hour anyway...

I let my 5yo watch TV and YouTube while I get ready for work in the mornings. I'm a single parent and it makes my life easier to be honest. YANBU, an hour a day isn't that bad. I don't think TV is the root of all evil like a lot of people seem to.

Why would anyone think it was a problem?

Not unreasonable at all. But if you did want an alternative, dd just potters around her room, mostly flicking through her library books, choosing clothes for the day etc

An hour on a phone for a 4 yr old 1st thing in the morning does seem alot

My 2 year old does this, though with the TV not my phone. My older stepdaughter did it from about 2 as well and hasn't turned into a psychopath yet. In fact, she doesn't really watch much TV now at all.

Absolutely fine. It's only an hour, cbeebies is quite educational, enjoy the snooze!

I think most people do this or similar. I need my sleep for everyone's sake and I think it's wrong to say that once the dc are up everyone should be up.

I’m interested in this thread- so posting to get kept up to date with different opinions.

At the moment I’m thinking screen time is root of all evil but that’s because my nephews got a speech delay put down to watching to much of it. So I’ve only had that side of th coin. I’d like to use tv occasionally as also single, even healrh visitors are heavily against it, saying it
Over stimulates babies and isn’t
Good for them either.

Just here to read what’s said 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

What worries me is that she now asks for it as soon as she wakes up. And if she ever does sleep in (once in a blue moon) she is annoyed she can't have phone time.
I have tried encouraging her to play in her room but she won't do it on her own.

Its cebeebies, not crack. It’s fine.

In front of tv downstairs with toys would be much better. A tiny phone screen, in the dark? isn’t great for her eyes and is intense.

YANBU. DS just plays in his room or reads until breakfast time (he does watch cartoons with his breakfast) but he is nearly 7 so he’s quite happy to amuse himself for a bit!

Yanbu to do whatever you choose with your child.

Yabu to not acknowledge that all studies show this is not the best thing for your 4yo. Get up and play with her maybe? Read?

A four year old should be able to potter and entertain themselves and have imaginitive play. Something that having screentime does not encourage.

If you're concerned, why not allow it every other day to start. Think of something else for her to do on the other mornings. Say if you need to get ready, get up earlier & do that, then when DD gets up she can perhaps help with a couple of little jobs or with breakfast, lunches or you can just chat while you have a brew 😊

My 7 year old gets up. Lounges on the sofa watching tv. Gets dressed and ready then can have his tablet.

It doesn't cause any issues as are as getting him out and he has the evening to do something more productive. At weekends he does the same. Lounges and watches TV.

Don't get the issue

YANBU in my eyes. I used to do this with DD1 from about 2 as I was knackered and needed rest to get through the day in one piece.

We don’t have and never have had, problems like tantrumming around screens, no other problems with speech or anything else. She’s happy to choose activities that don’t involve screens.

I firmly believe screens are only a problem if you make them a problem. Keep the usage in moderation (e.g 5 hours a day is excessive, an hour in the morning and an hour in the evening isn’t), set rules that work for you such as no screen whilst you’re eating and stick to them, there’s no screen available to use if there’s tantrums over them and provide plenty of other things that you know they’d like to do.

My two year old plays on the iPad AFTER she has got washed and dressed as a reward but really it's so I can put make up on otherwise I would never put any on. I can go without but it's my 20 minutes in a day that makes me feel good all day. Well worth it!

Although I don't allow it on nursery mornings, on the weekend mornings my 4yr old watches several hours of TV..

He has a baby sister so has to be very patient while she naps etc before we can go anywhere. He absolutely loves it, it is his relaxing time & he looks forward to it so much. He does lots of other indoor activities during the afternoon etc so I'm not worried. He'd usually have another hour every evening too. He's got no development issues, is very into books & enjoys a range of activities. Actually he often shocks me with clever facts etc which he tells me he's learned from a program!

Sometimes I worry about the Terrible Things that can happen when they watch too much CBeebies. Then I remember I spent quite a lot of my childhood plonked in front of the TV and I appear to be unscathed.

In the days before phones and tablets we used to talk to our DCs and involve them in what we were doing. "Could you pass mummy her tights?" Etc.
You have a whole hour to get yourself ready so hardly in a rush with no time to chat with DC.

In the days before phones and tablets we used to talk to our DCs and involve them in what we were doing

Yes I imagine the OP hadn't spoken to her child for a week.

Why can't she watch the actual tv? Watching on a tiny phone will be bad for her eyes.

I think an hour at the start of every day is a bit much.

My ds is 4 and I think it's too young and a bit shit not to get up when he wakes up.

I really don't see the harm. I would do this if my DS could be trusted not to break my phone.