To put tv on first thing in the morning

[EdgyCrow]

As a family, we have always been quite firm with screentime. I am a teacher and have experienced lots of negativity to do with screen acess in the children I have taught. My children (4 and 7) do not have devices and only watch BBC programmes. We have always had the rule of no tv before school and they used to play beautifully but now squabble and make mess and its stressful getting out of house and I'm wondering if I'm needlessly making my life harder. If I just put on Cbeebies, they would give me peace to get everything done but I feel guilt... what are peoples thoughts on tv in the mornings? Am i being unreasonable by putting ut on?

I let mine watch TV in the mornings and don't think twice about it. It's fine.

I see the merest mention of the BBC is bringing out the right wing loons. The OP is talking about CBeebies! Which is, frankly, the best TV for young children and worth the licence fee on its own.

OP, I am pretty lax about screen time compared to most, but I stopped morning TV after worrying it was affecting my DD’s concentration in school. And it was - her teacher remarked on the noticeable improvement in her concentration that term and the only change we had made was stopping the 10/15 mins of morning screen time we used to create time for us to get ready and out the door on time. What we have used instead is a Yoto player. She listens to the daily podcast or a story which gives us the time and calm. We also make sure she has lots of puzzle books (kids’ sudoku, crosswords, mazes etc) so she can do that calmly while waiting if she prefers.

I’ve been trying to reduce screen time lately. It is a bad habit we can fall into in the winter - both my children love being outside but it isn’t practical most days at the moment. It is the TV, not iPads or phones, and I’m trying hard to encourage things like Alphablocks rather than less educational content; unfortunately my two year old loves Cocomelon so we’re not brilliant really.

I do put it on first thing though as I do get disturbed overnight and a lot of the time I’m really tired.

I can kind of relate to the mum though @TheBroonOneAndTheWhiteOne although I guess if you’re opting for a childminder you do expect a certain amount of ‘normal mum stuff’ but I wouldn’t be thrilled if I was dropping DD at her nursery and the TV was on.

Thanks everyone! Sorry I didn't mean to imply they only watch BBC news. I meant they watch Cbeebies, not Netflix etc so the shows are aimed at young children and vaguely educational. I think my worry is that it will entirely stop the play which is so lovely (building marble run and train tracks together) if tv first thing is an option which is why I have been resisting it. But at the same time, our mornings have felt very grumpy recently because I just haven't had any time to get ready/ sort breakfasts etc because they're fighting and saying they're bored. Its a tricky balance but think I'm just making life harder by insisting on something that maybe would help all of us start our day hetter

Thanks everyone! Sorry I didn't mean to imply they only watch BBC news. I meant they watch Cbeebies, not Netflix etc so the shows are aimed at young children and vaguely educational. I think my worry is that it will entirely stop the play which is so lovely (building marble run and train tracks together) if tv first thing is an option which is why I have been resisting it. But at the same time, our mornings have felt very grumpy recently because I just haven't had any time to get ready/ sort breakfasts etc because they're fighting and saying they're bored. Its a tricky balance but think I'm just making life harder by insisting on something that maybe would help all of us start our day hetter

I always put the news (breakfast type program) on for me and DC actually picked up a lot about world events. Surprised their teachers a few times. At that time of day my choice!

Would they listen to an audiobook instead? Personally we do 0 screens because I don’t want it to become a battle/habit so I’d look for other options but I only have 1DC who entertains herself, so not sure what I’d do if I had 2

I see people with kids who sit and watch TV doing nothing else and I'm mystified. Mine watch TV while doing other things so they'll have hot wheels or Lego or the dollhouse or the toy picnic basket out and have a game going on while pausing now and again to watch a cartoon and talk about it.

Yes I'd love another cup of pretend tea, hey look ubicorns telling us about new Zealand.. mum you went there right?

I can kind of relate to the mum though @TheBroonOneAndTheWhiteOne although I guess if you’re opting for a childminder you do expect a certain amount of ‘normal mum stuff’ but I wouldn’t be thrilled if I was dropping DD at her nursery and the TV was on

Just first thing, to get them all ready for school etc. Not all day.
So exactly as the OP describes, in fact.

Yes, but she isn’t providing childcare in a professional capacity. I think that’s the distinction.

Why don't you try radio instead, some gentle music, or an age appropriate audio book, nothing that would over stimulate them early in the morning. Something for them to listen to while having breakfast or colouring in, playing with dolls etc rather than sitting glued to the telly.

You HONESTLY think that putting the telly on for a short time will mean they never play? Did you play as a child? My children were always allowed the telly on and they played around it, watched it, ignored it etc. they are now in their teens and very well rounded, fit, intelligent children.

This is the same for us. We've compromised and let them have it only once they've finished breakfast, dressed, teeth brushed as otherwise they're so distracted and it takes forever to get them to do anything!

I am on the other side and trying to get back to TV-free mornings!

My eldest is glued to it so tries to sneakily eat breakfast in the living room whilst watching TV instead of the dining room table and makes a right mess of the sofa and cushions. Eldest will also bring school clothes down to the TV instead of going upstairs to get dressed, but is so distracted by the TV that the clothes get put on an one item every 5 minutes at best and then doesn't want to leave the room to brush teeth as well.

It used to help with the youngest's tantrums on waking and act as enough distraction to put clothes on a grumpy toddler later, but now it's making everything harder as they also don't want to leave the living room to eat and don't then want to leave the house to go to nursery because they "just want to stay at home and watch [XYZ programme]" which results in me having to man handle them out the door and carry them kicking and screaming to nursery.

It's a total battle trying to cut the TV time down again now though but we're making slow progress!

We have no screen time before school. No screen time in the morning at all. I just pretend they don’t exist. I think it’s important to set the healthy habits for life, ie, do healthier things in the morning like interact with people/read/get jobs done/exercise. Longer term i feel they will have healthier habits as adults as a result of this. The only exception is if they are very ill and we have to work from home whilst caring for them, but often then I will put an audiobook on and they doze whilst half listening.

it was hard when they are younger but has paid off now they are teenagers and it’s not even a conversation we have at all.

We both had parents who had (still have) wall to wall TV on. Then there were concerns we’d all get square eyes.

Conversely DH and I have never really had TV on at all before evening. Probably a backlash against our incessant TV ridden youth!

However with small DCs it definitely went on for a good period during the morning and was a godsend.

Whichever is fine and none of us are broken.

We have it on a lot in the mornings. It goes off if they start to slow down with getting ready. They will also still play and if I notice them getting really invested in play then I might switch it off, but they’re at ages where they don’t play well together at all so it is easier to have one watch tv while the other plays! Our youngest also sleeps terribly so I don’t have energy at 6.30am to entertain them. Not noticed any issues with eldest at school, neither complain when it’s time to turn it off and leave

You’re worrying too much. Turn the tv on and breathe a big sigh of relief. My youngest had several months of getting up at 5am when the clocks went back just after she turned 1. CBeebies didn’t start till six. Frozen has six songs pretty much back to back from the beginning so I used to stick that on and lie on the sofa trying to doze a bit while she sat on top of me happily bouncing along with the music. I think I could quote the entire script of that film by the time the clocks went forward again. I would say it kept me sane, but nothing kept me sane at that point, but it kept me marginally saner than I’d have been without it.

We need er had tv in in the morning - but I don’t remember there actually being time! It was up, dressed, breakfast and out the door. I got dressed before they got up.