To think kids TV is shite now?

[GoodnightAdeline]

DD has just discovered the delights of Come Outside with aunty Mabel on YouTube and it’s taken me down a kids TV nostalgia wormhole. What strikes me is how gentle the programs were - ‘today we’re going to find out how soup is made’ - compared to today’s dopamine-fests like Bing and Cocomelon.

AIBU to wish kids TV was a bit more gentle and educational and less hyper?

There are loads of gentle programmes and loads of fast paced ones. We watch playdays on you tube the other day and the introduction by the presenter and the theme tune etc were all very very similar to cbeebies today. So I don't think much has changed.

Almost everything on Cbeebies is educational in some way. It's designed like that.
I know Bing is disliked but that's one programme out of dozens.
Is Cocomelon on Cbeebies?

In general tv is too much ...not just kids tv. I dont watch too much tv rather prime, youtube and netflix. I was watching ant and decs saturday night takeaway? Last night, my god it was so loud, confusing, hyper, i couldn't cope with it. No wonder people are always wanting high octane entertainment, its like addiction. Give me chilled anytime...its horrendous. I was wtf just happened. The noise was horrendous, everyone shouting.

I think there was a mixture then and there is now too! There are lots of lovely, gentle and low stimulating kids TV shows today, and back when I was a kid there were also lots of overstimulating programmes too.

I think the difference is access to it - we didn't have sky etc growing up so I was stuck watching cbbc/citv so was limited to 1-2 episodes of whatever hyper-making show was on. Today, kids can watch entire series of shows back to back easily which I think makes a difference too.

Ooh yes cebeebies is fab! I really like watching "whats on your plate" 😅

Cocomelon is available on iplayer in short episodes/songs which suprised me tbh.

There are plenty of educational options available.

Ooooh what’s the aunty Mabel equivalent now?

Yes to CBeebies!

also bluey is hilarious 🤣 as an adult I can tolerate that lol

There’s loads of gentle tv programs but they don’t hypnotise kids on a phone at restaurants and pubs

The standard of tv now is miles better imo. My DD doesn’t watch loads but she seems to have learnt loads from Octonauts and Creature Cases.

It’s all gone to shit since Tots TV ended.

I do also like moomin.

There are loads of gentle and educational children’s programmes on CBeebies for little children especially. Ranger Hamza. JoJo and Gran Gran. Bedtime Stories. Hey Duggee. Sarah and Duck. One about a vet - can’t remember its name. Our House - I think it’s called - about cultural things families do.

Ah. I do rather miss The Poddington Peas, Come Outside, the quiz with a mouse called Charles Cheese, Brum and others.

But I know it’s just being misty-eyed about the kids’ early years. The programmes would probably be shite if I watched them now.

I know this was for slightly older children but the stuff on cartoon network in the 90s used to be the complete opposite of gentle and educational. More like the imagination of slightly manic illustrators pumped to the max with caffeine and weed, which often resulted in very obscure children's shows.

What my kids watch on cbeebies seems innocent enough.

I thought cocomelon was bad until the algorithm founds us and android any dragged us into the world of bebefinn and worse.

Hey Duggee and Bluey all the way!

Buzz and tell? I hated that one!

Bluey is fantastic, the Paddington series is great. There's loads of shite due to the quantity of channels and streaming services but the good ones are as good as I remember from my childhood.

Oh and all the Andy series on cbeebies are really good too.

The good stuff endures.
The rubbish stuff will be forgotten.

Alphablocks. Bedtime story. Andy Adventures. Hey Dugee
Horrible Histories. Malory Towers. Newsround.

Still lots of great stuff being made.

Even the stuff like peppa pig, bing and octonauts has its uses. (Quite often it was actually teaching them how to deal with everyday situations and regulate their emotions)

Alphablocks and Numberblocks are great.

Agree cocomelon is awful. I have not seen Bing. I do wish the crap like cocomelon would stay on youtube and not bleed into every single platform, though. I had to block loads of youtube shit from netflix.

(We are abroad and don't get iPlayer sadly).

How is Bing a dopamine-fest? I would describe Bing as a gentle show which fosters emotional intelligence and empathy. Both of which I have very little, as his whiny attitude riles me up .

There's loads of great TV. Kids are currently watching Dogs Squad on cbeebies and I love Tweedy & fluff which is on 5. That's a gorgeous gentle program.

Bluey tho.

I don't like Bing or Waffle but love pretty much everything else. I'll happily sit watching Go Jetters or Hey Duggee on my own and everything about Ranger Hamza is just balm to the stressed out soul.