To wish DS would watch TV?

[Summermeadowflowers]

Probably the opposite problem to most people. But DS is 3 in December and lovely as he (mostly) is he is a ball of energy and won’t watch TV, he just isn’t interested. And at times, I could really do with twenty minutes to sit down in relative peace!

Does anyone else have a child not interested in screens? I guess it’s a good thing but it’s exhausting!

do you try watching together?

Well, no, because he won’t watch it! He just wanders off.

aw bless him
does he concentrate on his playing

he is not even 3, i wouldnt worry, but you could sit while he plays?

He’s a whirlwind. Charges around the house rifling through drawers and throwing the contents on the floor, bringing toys from one room to another, it’s exhausting. I do just really wish he’d sit quietly for a while.

Be careful what you wish for.....my now nearly 9 year old is really hard to get off a screen now and barely looked at one till she was about 5!

I know - moderation is what we’re all looking for I think!

I had one of these- there are specific programmes that may work. Try Thomas the tank engine or old Tellitubbies.

I used to barricade the room, move the sofa against the cupboards, so nothing could go wrong while I sat and zoned out/dozed for ten minutes.

Whirlwind children are a challenge!

Have you tried games on a child’s tablet? Some are really good, encourage learning and he might find them more engaging.

can you sit together and so some play?
playdoh?
cooking
puzzles
reading?

@Willmafrockfit we can but what I’m saying is sometimes I need quiet time where I’m not ‘on.’ (Plus, he doesn’t tend to do sitting in many capacities, so no, but anyway … )

He used to like Teletubbies, Something Special and mr tumbles nursery rhymes but now he isn’t interested. It is a pain!

I could have written the same thread ten years ago.

I used to try and get child to sit and watch something so I could at least get a drink in my body, it was so mad and just trying to stay hydrated was difficult.

I had a day a few weeks ago where I didn’t get to go to the toilet but I didn’t need to as I hadn’t eaten or drunk. It’s relentless!

My youngest has never been big on screens I'm so thankful. I never have issues with going outside etc. In the next few years it will start to get a bit easier, and don't forget school! Then you will have some more time to yourself. I know it's a struggle. It goes by so fast tho! These are crucial years! We want to set them up the best we can. Do you spend time cooking/baking together? Working on colors/numbers/alphabet? Read poetry books for kids! Discuss the pictures, relate the book to your lives. Activities going on at your local library. The whole sit and do a craft thing gets overwhelming very fast for me. I have found these other things to be a bit more relaxed while being very beneficial!

A trampoline with net around it?!

To be honest, no! We spend most of our time out of the house, but it’s particular points in the day - after tea and first thing in the morning when I really wish he’d watch a bit of CBeebies.

My son is 3 and exactly the same. He won't ever sit and concentrate. Sometimes i put paw patrol on so i can do cleaning jobs or cook tea but he won't watch it, he comes to me with his toys to play. He also won't play independently...
I don't really know what the answer is I'm afraid... i can sometimes give him an activity like colouring to do and he will sometimes do things like that for a while....

Mine will play independently briefly but only briefly (normal I’d say) but it is full on.

My ds was like this, I feel your pain, he just didn't do sitting down at all.

If I needed a bit of time, I used to set challenges e.g. you have 5 minutes to build 3 lego dinosaurs or find 10 different green things in your bedroom, obviously I then had to spend 30 minutes putting it all back 🙄so it wasn't really a winner.

Once he got a bit older, he would watch factual / science stuff so that helped a lot.

The trampoline was a life saver 😁

He has a trampoline but it’s not really helpful for dark mornings and evenings!

Can you get up a little earlier so you have time to yourself before waking ds up? This could be done assuming a bed time routine is in place.

Are you cleaning up after tea? Or is it just tiring at that point of the day?

I have a 10 week old so to be honest I need every bit of sleep I can grab. Until very recently DS woke extremely early - often before 6, generally 530-6. This has mostly stopped but he’s still 6-7. Plus, it isn’t the time to myself as such, it’s what to do with him. This morning for instance he woke at 6, we were out of the house by 930, but that’s still three and a half hours. I’d love a lazy Sunday morning but it won’t happen for a good few years anyway

Do you have a partner? If so, where are they in all this, especially at the weekends? You definitely should be getting time to eat and drink.

Yes, DH got up with DS today. I got up at 730. We both struggle with keeping him occupied in the house, to be honest.

I remember posting this in lockdown.

It was a stage, like most stuff.

Eventually she would watch but only her thing. So it was dinosaurs. Andy prehistoric dino adventures. On repeat.

Then we progressed to the good dinosaur film, would you like me to recite it for you

Siblings would watch anything.