To ask how much TV your kids watch? Be honest.

[PerfectPeony2]

Before I had my daughter I told myself she would hardly ever watch TV, not have a dummy, play with wooden toys and not eat chips until she was 5.

15 months down the line with a highly strung toddler. I must admit I have the TV on for most of the day when we are home. Whether it be Peppa/ Duggee/ my Netflix programmes, I have it on in the background. It keeps DD entertained and makes me feel less isolated.

I spend loads of time playing with her, go to toddler groups on each of my days off, play outside, she goes to nursery 3 days a week. She is doing really well.

Just wondering what the norm is here? I know I watched a lot of TV as a kid and I’d like to think I turned out okay...

I was totally addicted to TV when I was a kid. Would have watched it from after school until bed if I was allowed.

With DD17months I put it on in the morning while we are having breakfast, brushing teeth, getting dressed and tidying up so it's probably on cartoons/news for appx 2 hours and then similar in the evening when I'm getting supper ready. Always feel really guilty about it but like yours, DD is coming along so well, we do lots of groups, she's very sociable etc. I'm also heavily pregnant so at the moment can't manage much crawling around and playing!

My friend mentioned that she felt awful having it in for an hour in the morning each day and I sat in silence and cringed!

At 15m none yet, I really wanted to hold out till 2 and probably got to a few months short of that.

Now DS is 3.5 he usually has a few cartoons at breakfast time and a few while we're cooking dinner on nursery days and usually some after lunch instead of at breakfast time on non-nursery days. More if we're ill/it's pouring with rain etc.

My older three are 7, 8 and 9. They’re at school most of the time so they watch maybe half an hour in the morning before school (if that) and about 1.5 hours after school if it’s not cubs/beavers/swimming that night. I make them do school work before TV.

My youngest is 10 months and he doesn’t really watch TV unless his older siblings are around. I occasionally put baby Einstein on YouTube when I have cleaning to do if he’s being restless.

I allow it for breakfast then try to have it off during 'school hours' of 9-4 although sometimes have it on at lunch. Less timetabled at the weekend as we will often have a lazier morning but be out until bedtime

A lot! He goes to preschool for most of the day during the week, and we are out a good portion of the day during the weekends, but when we're at home, the TV is usually on (pawpatrol and Blaze at the moment). The aim is to cut down because I'd hate for him to just sit and watch it like a zombie but he's quite bright. He loves books, his speech for his age is excellent and he plays with his toys while the TV is on (does anybody listen to their child playing with toys, I find his little toy dramas hilarious) l.

Can't say he's not learning anything either. If anyone has watched Blaze, they'd know it's all about engineering. My son now uses words like 'accelerate' and 'excavate' in proper context.

I used to feel ashamed because my friends really do limit screen time for their kids, but with some moderation/interaction from me (I do deny him TV/iPad sometimes in favour of drawing or playing toys) I don't think his screen time will be to his detriment.

DC are 1 and 2 and they have it on from 5 until dinner time and then until bed if they still want to watch it. If dc2 is especially stroppy after his nap and I really don't want to go out then it goes on earlier.

At the weekends DH just puts it on when he's watching them while I have a lay in.

I would say the tv is on 2 hours a day. My kids are 6, 4 and 2. I think it is too much and I'm consciously trying to cut it down on weekdays. It is their only screen time, the older 2 have kindles but I noticed a decline in behaviour so they've been put away since the beginning of summer.

Me and my 3 year old are watching a film on the tv right now. My older boys play out more than watch tv but if they are indoors the tv is normally on in the background unless playing on the PlayStation.

Team Umizoomi (amazon prime, maths cartoon) is also great! DS can do simple sums now.

Our tv is always on. Mainly CBeebies or amazing world of gumball (for DS5) but they don't actually pay much attention to it, it's just for background noise. I draw the line at them sitting and watching peppa!
Neither of them will sit through a film so I'm not worried about screen time at all.

Honestly, none. He's just shy of 20 months old, both DH and I work long hours full time and only watch TV ourselves maybe one evening of the week (on the weekend) from about 9.30pm for a bit of downtime. DC is in childcare 3 days a week and with family 2 days, who to my knowledge don't put the TV on either. We listen to music a lot though, and he'll probably watch a total of 30mins of YouTube children's songs over the weekend on our phones, usually with DH in bed around 10am for a few mins each day. Never over mealtimes.

DS has up to an hour in the morning and probably another hour or two through the day. Not every day, depends what we’re up to. Yesterday it was raining and his sister had her jabs so it was open season on tv but he gets bored after a couple of hrs. It’s more than I thought I would ‘allow’ but it doesn’t seem to be negatively affecting him just now.

My DD resembles a Tasmanian devil during a tornado. I literally could not have got through the past few months without Peppa Pig.

I’ll even admit that after Mummy and Daddy, her third word was Peppa.

She just needs so much stimulation all of the time and needs to be doing several things at once! Never been able to sit her on a playmat with a few toys.

Thank god for Milkshake in the mornings too so I can get my eyeliner done before work.

DD is just two. She has 15 minutes of Peppa in DH’s language before bed and has done for a year or so now. More recently if we read about, say, kangaroos, we’ll sometimes go on YouTube and show her a short (2-3 min) video. That’ll happen once a day or so. And more recently on days when the weather is crap she’ll have a 10 minute burst of Alphablocks.

I was and remain disparaging about friends who strapped the iPad to the cot for very young kids, but I am happy that DD watches in moderation and actively (says the names of the letters, points out animals etc).

I feel she’s too young for passive watching for now.

Dd4 watches about 30 mins after school while I sort out her snack etc.

Weekends, particularly if raining, she can potentially watch several hours. Some days she’d rather do other things but other days she enjoys just chilling out watching tv

Kids are 7 and 4
TV goes on in the morning, but only after everyone is dressed and has had breakfast. It's a good incentive for them to do it quickly.
The 4yr old comes home from nursery school at 12.30. I usually play with her for an hour and then after that I excuse myself to do housework. She can either help, play with her toys alone or watch TV.
The 7 year old is allowed TV in the evenings after he's had a reasonable stab at his homework. Sometimes the 4 year old is also allowed TV to keep her out of the way while homework is going on.

(have a 2 year old) tbh we tend to have the tv on in the background downstairs, I cant bear silence.
But she attends nursery 2.5 days a wk (no screens there), her toy kitchen and books are in her bedroom no screen theres, at the weekends when Im not working we go out: parks, swim, soft play, etc....so I dont feel particularly guilty for having the tv on when im pottering/ cooking etc.

Although i wish she wouldnt sing waffle doggy around strangers...gulp of guilt being outed

Honestly, hardly any. Gaming and YouTube however is a different story. TV is boring apparently. Mine are older though.
Children learn quite a lot from kids programmes OP, I wouldn't worry about having it on a lot. Sometimes I like watching kids programmes. Katie morag, Topsy and Tim, peppa, Catie's amazing machines, and the one with maddie (can't remember what is called) are my favourites. Reminds me of the one with aunti mabel and pipin that we used to watch at school. I loved that programme!

Almost none. They have one episode of a cartoon in the morning while getting ready (Danger Mouse is the latest they're working their way through) and in the afternoon they prefer Minecraft between homework and dinner, which is about 90 minutes -- we get home around 5 and dinner at about 6:30.

Weekends are too full for TV most times.

Mine are quite a bit older - 11, 9 and 8. We watch none at all on school days (I find having this blanket ban a lot easier than trying to negotiate with them) and no other screens either, except what is necessary for school work (mathletics and so on). We're much more relaxed at weekends and during school holidays. When they were pre-schoolers I tried to keep it to afternoons only (not always successfully!).

I have a 3 yr old and 1 year old. The older one watches about 30-60 mins after lunch while the younger one naps. And then they often both watch 30 mins or so while I’m making dinner. I’m genuinely quite surprised I’ve managed to keep it so low but we have definitely had times where we watch more especially when I was pregnant/sleep deprived. Neither of mine will sit still for long though so I can’t reslly use tv to keep them occupied which is often a bit of a struggle when I’d love them just to chill and watch a film or something. I think just do what works for you and what you feel comfortable with.

Very little tbh.
She needs home stimulation,ie,toys/touch and feel things.

I've got 22 months between my 2. We relied on TV a lot. In fact when they were much younger (before nursery started) we had the TV on almost all the time. I didn't limit it at all. We watch less tv now they are a bit older (4 and 6) as they prefer to play, colour, etc. Not something I'm going to feel guilty over. It's fine, it hasn't damaged my children, but it got us through the early years with two toddlers.

DS1 didn't watch any until he was 20 months, then it was a life saver as I was heavily pregnant and suffering with SPD. DS2 watched it from birth! I'd have the tv on a lot as I was struggling with two under two. Now they're 11 and almost 10 and they have no screens at all Mon to Thurs and mostly play PlayStation at weekends or watch gamers on YouTube. I don't really restrict them at weekends as they have plenty of activities as well.