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...

None for my 15 month DS. It's easy for us as the only TV in the house is in the teenagers room, so the option to put it on isn't there.

Yeah, the danger with screen time isn't that screen time it's bad; it's to stop people using it in lieu of doing other activities with their child. But particularly if you are at home all day with one or more kids, there's only so many wholesome activities you can cram in before you need 20 mins to have a cup of tea and do some chores or just browse MN and feel like an adult for a while. And particularly with tablets, I think they are kind of the future (perhaps in times gone by, book-reading would have been seen the same way ) and part of how we live now.

I wouldn't worry as long as you're doing plenty of other stuff and your child is meeting their milestones!

Also Hey Duggee is the best thing on TV.

But what do I know, my DP and 7mo DD watch classic Heartbeat together most mornings 😂

None. Almost 8 and 3. When I say none I mean we watch sport and quite a bit of it but neither are given any real screen time to watch kid’s programmes. I hate hate hate background noise. It gives me a headache. They are in preschool and school and DH and I work. After school is homework, music practice, extracurricular stuff, family time. It works for us. When we are at friend’s and they have the TV on I am always curious to see if my kids will sit and watch and they do for 5-10 mins and then lose interest.

I couldn’t genuinely give a shiny shit how much TV other kids watch. It’s not some parenting ‘philosophy’ DH and I have evolved. We didn’t watch much TV, we still don’t and neither do the kids. My kids are reasonably average although DS1 is very musically gifted.

sometimes 15 minutes while we cook/prepare dinner (not everyday) and 1 film on sunday 1.5 hours long. Kids are 5 and 3.

Mine are 18 months and 3.. They go to nursery two days a week and I think in the pre-school room they may watch 10/20 mins or so after lunch some days. Other than that none on those days.

The other three week days (with me 2, DH 1), they watch maybe 45 mins in the morning whilst having breakfast/I'm getting things ready. I say 'they' but the 18 month old isn't really interested and will just potter around instead. Then maybe 30 mins in the crazy time before dinner and then the 3-year-old will watch the iPad after her bath for 10/20 mins or so. Weekends the same.

When DC2 was a newborn DC1 watched quite a bit more and when they're ill it all goes out the window! I am conscious about them watching too much though and would like to cut it down a bit more.

Nearly 20 months here and the same as Matildacat. Cbeebies so we can get stuff done and get out of the house in the morning. As far as DD is concerned however Peppa fucking brat Pig is just a book character

She has lots of time outdoors, walks, nursery, playgroups on non nursery days, time seeing extended family, pretend play, lots of books too. TV is probably a little more than I'd like but she isn't glued to it the whole time, even for Duggee. If she's clearly bored and wandered away it doesn't stay on in the background it goes off.

Anything from 2-4 hours a day. DS2 is at nursery three days a week and we often have plans on my days off, but if it's a day at home (two dog walks included) he will watch it in the morning and early evening so I can get things done.

My 17 month old has never watched tv. Recommendations are no screen time for under 2s so I’ve just never had it on. We play with him and read to him instead.

I play and read to DD a lot. But if I had no TV she clings to my leg screeching (well still does anyway most of the time). I think if I got a more laidback baby I definitely would have put it off a few years! I much prefer books.

and yes op when mine were Very little i liked the tv on in the background for noise too.

I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve watched gossip girl/ pretty little liars/ Gilmore girls!

4 year old - no more than an hour a day, and there were no screens until turned 2. The teenager- a whole different story:)

No tv here before school ever. After school I usually let her watch for an hour. Sometimes more sometimes less. If it's a nice day I'd rather we were outside if we can.

(I used to let her watch way too much tv and use my phone a lot when she was little and I really regret it now. That's why we try limit screens here.)

For us it’s also that I work full time so really prioritise him in the (fairly limited) time we have together. It would be different if I was a SAHM and had to get on with chores etc/had other children to look after. He’s very much not a laid back child btw!

My twins who are almost 3 had absolutely no interest in tv until 2 or 3 months ago. They watched nothing until then (maybe the cricket or football if it was on) and now on Fri, Sat, Sun (ie days I’m at home) they watch 3 peppa episodes after lunch and 3 after dinner.

2 weekends ago my DD was really sick and lay on the sofa all weekend and I let her watch quite a bit of TV. By the end of the weekend my son had turned into a crazy person demanding TV all the time and having meltdowns about going to bed etc. Made me realise I will for sure stick to the 15/20 mins a couple of times a day.

DC are 2, 5, 8, and 10. They watch as much or as little as they like with no time restrictions, they moderate it for themselves.

My children watch as much tv as they like. I haven't got any problem with it at all. Don't really know why people get their knickers in a twist about it.

They spend hours at school, more hours doing hobbies, we often spend hours being out at shops, parks, soft play, trampoline parks etc. When they're at home why can't they just relax?

My biggest problem right now is that my children don't really care for tv anymore, they want to watch YouTube all the time. That bothers me because it's much more difficult to make sure they're watching appropriate stuff.

I'm also one for having the TV on as background noise. We are out every day at some baby group so it's not on all day.

DD ( nearly 11 months) is not at all interested in the TV unless Duggee is on ... Then she giggles and bounces along especially if it is an episode with a song.
So Duggee is limited to a few episodes here and there when I need to get stuff done - mostly in the evenings when I'm trying to get dinner ready.

Nothing until 2 years old.

He’s almost 4: gets 15 minutes in morning and 15 minutes in evening. This allows dh to get things ready and dinner sorted (i work longer hiurs than him: so he does that sort of thing)

We did no screens until 2 for both DD1 and DD2.

From 2-5 some CBeebies while I made lunch or dinner. 1 hour per day?

5+ some CBeebies/some CBBC/some DVDs (U rated). 2 hours max per day? Once a week computer time at the library for 1 hour.

DD1 is 7 and DD2 is 5. We'll look again at 8 to review.

No set rules, although they weren't particularly bothered about it - I remember having cbeebies on in the late afternoon whilst I pottered about getting dinner or whatever. These days barely any - my 10 year old maybe watches something once or twice a week but there isn't much that appeals to him & he'd rather be doing other stuff & my 16 year old watches films or series on Netflix in the evenings occasionally. I grew up in a house with incredibly restrictive TV rules and my step-dad still turns the TV on to watch one specific programme about once a week then turns it off when the credits come up and unplugs the television! I quite often have it on in the background especially when they visit, totally on purpose and I can see it makes him want to implode, which given what an utter pompous twat he is I find very amusing!

Mine (age 8&11) watch loads compared to others on here. Today, probably watched half hour but that's low.
Tbh, I don't mind as what they are watching is great; horrible histories, operation ouch, pets factor, bake-off, strictly and films (pg rating or younger)
All stuff I'm quite happy watching with them and mostly very educational. They've learnt loads on HH as have I!
Saturday mornings can be watching till lunch time

I was super strict with first and she watched hardly any and now loves it. Way more relaxed with second and she would watch anything and everything all day

None, except for the very odd episode of Bear Grylls but that is once in a blue moon. And no iPad either. (7yo DS)

DD1 is almost 4 and would watch it dawn til dusk if she could! In fact she pretty much did do that when I was pregnant with DD2 last year because I was absolutely struck down with “morning” sickness all day every day and that was all i could manage.

she’s at nursery 3 days a week so probably watches an hour or so when she gets home to chill out and then on our non-nursery days it’ll be half an hour here and there while i’m busy with the baby and probably an hour or two again in the afternoon or a short film with the whole family after dinner.

she does plenty of playing, reading, outdoor, etc and as others have said, tv has had a positive effect on her vocab and maths. i think it’s wonderful if used as an educational tool and we always discuss what she’s watching together.

Ours didn’t watch any til they were about 5/6. I hate young kids being stuck in front of it and hate it as background noise which prevents them self entertaining or even just being bored and learning how to fill that boredom. And they do need to learn that. We found that an unending supply of new story books (library) and ever plenty paper/colouring pens/crayons meant tv wasn’t necessary. We didn’t play with them massively either, so it wasn’t labour intensive, they pottered around with us at home (‘helping’) or played with toys/books/paper.

Having said that I don’t think a cartoon a day so you can have a quiet 20 mins would hurt. But what you describe is excessive and can’t be good got a child that young.