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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think this was a nice day for toddler …?

216 replies

Owlatnighttime · 02/03/2023 16:35

Wakes at 5.

Comes in bed for cuddle with parent a, won’t go back to sleep, Parent a puts tv on. Has breakfast around 8, goes out with parent a at 9. Toddler group, then a run and play on the park. Home for lunch, naps 12:20-2:20, watches some tv for maybe an hour, plays outside in the garden for an hour. Now playing with toys until tea at 515, will then watch another hour of CBeebies then bath and bed.

OP posts:
moveoverye · 02/03/2023 16:37

It sounds fine, perfectly enjoyable, I would cut the TV personally.

Stichintime · 02/03/2023 16:39

That's a lot if box! Up to 4 hours a day potentially.

ShirleyPhallus · 02/03/2023 16:39

well yeah, but toddlers aren’t known for their reasoning so not a surprise if they act like you’ve poisoned them

(breakfast at 8am after waking at 5 would send mine absolutely loopy though)

MeinKraft · 02/03/2023 16:40

Sounds fine! Are they actually watching tv all that time or like my toddler, watching 5 minutes of it then running off to find some havoc to create?

NewtoHolland · 02/03/2023 16:41

Seems Ok and lots of nice activities but mine would be starving by 8 if they'd woken so early

roarfeckingroarr · 02/03/2023 16:41

Yes but I bet he's raging because he's a toddler and they hate everything we do?

BellaJuno · 02/03/2023 16:44

It’s way too much screen time but sounds pretty standard otherwise

AliasGrape · 02/03/2023 16:50

Sounds like a nice day.

It is a lot of screen time but I can’t pretend there aren’t times my DD has a similar amount - I just try to balance it with days where she gets none.

LucyLeave · 02/03/2023 16:51

Sounds fine to me. Even the screen time.

Arebella · 02/03/2023 16:55

Nothing wrong with it. You don't need to be entertaining your toddler 24/7, if sometimes a bit if TV keeps them occupied whilst you're busy too then so be it.

moveoverye · 02/03/2023 16:57

Toddlers shouldn’t have more than 1 hour of screen time.

5-8am, an hour in the afternoon and an hour in the evening is 5 hours.

But as a one off it won’t do any harm.

As a daily routine it’s more of a problem.

Marchforward · 02/03/2023 16:59

Sounds good except for the 3 hour wait for breakfast and too much screen time.

FlounderingFruitcake · 02/03/2023 17:01

3 hours of TV in the morning is too much. I’d do an hour max then get up have breakfast and play. I think I’m pretty lax about TV, the hour after nap and before bed I’d be fine with, but that much in the morning is too much. Unless it’s a one-off because you’re ill or something.

LeatherSkirt82 · 02/03/2023 17:01

Sounds like a nice day but too much screen time and a long wait for breakfast. It may be a great day for a toddler (one they would enjoy) but not sure how good for them it is.

FoxInSocksSatOnBlocks · 02/03/2023 17:02

Way too much screen time.

LuckySantangelo35 · 02/03/2023 17:05

moveoverye · 02/03/2023 16:37

It sounds fine, perfectly enjoyable, I would cut the TV personally.

@moveoverye

perhaps that’s when op has a bit of time to herself or does jobs
not every hour of the day has to be focused on what’s optimal for the toddler

LuckySantangelo35 · 02/03/2023 17:06

i Don’t think toddler needs breakfast at 5am!

Paturday · 02/03/2023 17:08

OP I once read on here to have a box of breakfast things you can have beside your bed and the kid can have pre-breakfast at 5am 😁 then normal breakfast when you’re ready. Brioche, maybe a fruit pouch or something, I don’t know I haven’t done it. But an idea 😁 5-8 is a long wait for breakfast, he’s probably hungry from 5:00. my 5 year old is currently waking at 5:30 and think it’s cos he’s hungry.

But yes, a nice day, and I assume they’re playing etc while the telly is on so I wouldn’t worry about it. You can always use Spotify, a Tonie etc if they just want background noise.

moveoverye · 02/03/2023 17:09

LuckySantangelo35 · 02/03/2023 17:05

@moveoverye

perhaps that’s when op has a bit of time to herself or does jobs
not every hour of the day has to be focused on what’s optimal for the toddler

Show quote history

Yes, quite possibly it is. No doubt nap time or playing could be also. OP doesn’t mention that.
She just asked if it’s a nice day, and I said it sounded fine.

JenniferBarkley · 02/03/2023 17:09

Way too much screen time for everyday (assuming yours is like mine and cbeebies acts like a magic pause button, not that they're running around ignoring it), but fine for a weekend, holiday day, sick day etc.

If the other parent is criticising you, do they ever spend time one on one with said toddler and understand how bloody tough it is? Can they take over for the evening TV session?

If it's the toddler criticising you then you have no hope, there is no pleasing a toddler Grin

LucyLeave · 02/03/2023 17:10

OP ignore the 3 minute a day screen time posters. If it keeps him happy at 5 in the morning, it's all good.

Excited101 · 02/03/2023 17:11

Far too much tv/screen time. Even once a day isn’t necessary

saltwater1985 · 02/03/2023 17:16

We've always had the TV on in the background. I have ADHD and like it.
My kids (seem to?) be reasonably well adjusted!
What happens if a kid has more than an hour (😆😆) of screen time a day?
My 17 yo got 11 grade 9s in her GCSES so can't have pickled her brain too much to have grown up with CBeebies

Fivebyfive2 · 02/03/2023 17:16

Sounds like a nice day but agree about the long wait for breakfast! With the screen time, we've recently been able to cut ours down a bit. Our Ds is an early riser and we had alot of telly in the mornings because at 5am I just couldn't be doing much else. But we've had some success at keeping him in bed by laying with him listening to stories on his Tonie box instead. We can often stall for about 40 mins doing that, then go in to the other parent and we all sit in our bed for a bit playing before we all go downstairs about 6.30 for breakfast then some telly while we sort ourselves out for work/nursery etc.

Needmorelego · 02/03/2023 17:18

That sounds the most normal toddler day ever.