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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To be struggling with too much TV in the winter?

12 replies

screenstruggles · 11/11/2025 13:57

My first DC wasn’t really the sort of child who’d just sit and watch TV as a toddler but has got more into various shows and films since turning four. He’s now in reception so he’s in school most of the day. Then I have a two year old who would watch TV all day if I let her. I don’t but I am finding it’s on way too much. In particular I’m struggling with it after school. We can easily clock up three hours in an evening and I feel I should be doing something more productive with them, but my go to is outside and it’s dark, cold, often rainy … help!

OP posts:
ShenandoahRiver · 11/11/2025 14:00

Mine loved water painting at that age - a basin with washing up liquid and water. I used to get them to paint the garden walls! Took ages.

screenstruggles · 11/11/2025 14:19

They can’t really do that in the dark, though Smile

OP posts:
ShenandoahRiver · 11/11/2025 14:48

Do you have a patio or outdoor area with outside lights maybe?

screenstruggles · 11/11/2025 14:48

No … it’s really one for summer.

OP posts:
Ionlymakejokestodistractmyself · 11/11/2025 14:51

We had a tuff tray and stand which was great for playing at.

You could try, off the top of my head:

Arts and crafts
Board games
Throw and catch games
Lego / duplo
Building blocks
Teddies tea parties
Kitchen disco
Cooking together
Hide and seek
Dress up
Wrap up warm and go for a local walk with torches
Play with lentils / sand and tools
Play with water in the sink

IsoldeWagner · 11/11/2025 14:51

Don't they do colouring or painting at the kitchen table?
Do they like baking?
Board games? - mine loved card games and board games, they'd play for hours.

screenstruggles · 11/11/2025 15:04

Neither of them are interested in colouring particularly or baking. Little one too little for board games. I do need to introduce some structure. They both play quite well independently but together fight.

OP posts:
Tryingatleast · 11/11/2025 15:06

I think we’ve all forgotten how we can get by without tv. Just switch it off and tell them to go check out their toys

IsoldeWagner · 11/11/2025 15:07

The 2 year old can play Snap or Sneaky Sharks. There are loads of card and board games for very young children. Mine played those things from a very young age.
Why don't you read a story to both of them, then they draw a picture about it?

Snorlaxo · 11/11/2025 15:26

When my kids were at that age they had a drink, snack and 1 hour of tv after school. I switched it off and they went off to play while I cooked dinner. I would fit in 10 minutes or so of reading with each child before dinner was ready.

NaranjaDreams · 11/11/2025 16:22

I've got a four-year-old, although he's a later birth, so he's still in preschool.

If he asks for the TV, I put Cbeebies on for an hour or so in the evening, and turn it off when he stops watching. We don't do Netflix or anything on demand in the evening (sometimes we'll watch Paddington or something in the morning, and will get that on demand).

Recently he's been coming home to play with Megablox, or his wooden play kitchen, making us all food. He's not massively into colouring yet but he's getting better so I'm going to try that more in the winter. He loves stickers so we do lots of them, and he loves to bake, too, although I never find it takes long! To be honest that tends to be a weekend activity here, although I'll occasionally buy icing pens and biscuits and he decorates them.

Today he's been home since 4ish. He wanted to play in the garden but it's wet and windy, so I wrapped him up and let him have half an hour, and then he's come in and is now playing Megablox. At 5:30ish I'm going to encourage him to have a bath, then he'll probably dance a bit or play with baby sister, and then it'll be bedtime at 7 for about 30 minutes of stories. Hopefully he'll be asleep for around 7:30.

No idea if that helps at all! Our smallest is 6 months, so a bit different.

We sometimes go and collect things in the day - leaves or conkers, and he'll stick them onto things - we did hedgehogs last week with leaves we'd collected on the walk home, gluing them onto cardboard shapes. We do have a tuff tray that's much loved, too, although I need to come up with some ideas for it that are baby safe too!

Bimblebombles · 04/12/2025 21:35

my DD loves night time walks. It’s grim yes. But we go and look at people’s Christmas lights and it’s nice time together-we have good chats on those walks. Probably we do it twice a week, whatever the weather. Then home for a warm bath and then she plays nicely after that.

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