Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Behaviour/development

Talk to others about child development and behaviour stages here. You can find more information on our development calendar.

Flip

Original poster

The TV question (again) - TV is on 3 hours a day at childminder

21 replies

LuckyC · 21/11/2011 11:51

My DD is 20 months. She is very happy with her childminder. However, her childminder has recently started to turn the TV on every day. CM's daughter (nearly 4) comes back from school very tired and CM turns TV on to give her some downtime. I understand this. However, CM has small house and big TV which dominates the room in which she cares for my DD. CM has also started turning TV for DD for 30 mins while she prepares lunch. So TV is on for 2.5 - 3 hours a day.

I feel that this is too much; I also feel that young children should not watch advertising. Going to bring it up with the CM but I'd like your opinions, too. I also want to know if anyone knows where I can find research to back my ideas up? Would like to be able to present her with a reasoned argument, instead of just an 'I think that...'

Thanks.

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

mousymouse · 21/11/2011 11:58

you have to talk to her if you are not happy with this.

I personally would be happy with half an hour ceebeebies or an age appropriate dvd, but not more.

bigkidsdidit · 21/11/2011 12:00

My DS goes to a CM and I would not be at all happy with this. I don't mind a bit of telly - 30 while she makes his lunch sounds ok, although mine doesn't even have one. My DS watches Waybuloo while I tidy up dinner and his toys.

For me the problem would be when the telly is on DS is utterly incapable of doing anything else other than stare at it. If it was on for 3 hours he would be glued to it, not playing , not moving, not interacting with teh CM. And that is too long for that in one day, I think.

ChesterDraws · 21/11/2011 12:05

You don't need research to back your ideas up. You are the client and if you don't want your DD to watch tv at the CM's then tell her that.
It's lazy to just plonk children down in front of the tv and leave them. TV is entertaining sometimes but I think that CMs need to watch with children.
What's wrong with your DD being given some toys to play with if the CM is preparing food? Or even helping.

Original poster

LuckyC · 21/11/2011 12:05

From what I have seen, DD will still move around and play when TV is on - so she isn't glued to it - but she keeps checking up and watching screen for a bit, and interrupting whatever she's doing. And she seems to be getting better at watching TV - she seems to be more easily glued to it. We don't watch TV with her at home - she sometimes gets 5 minutes of nursery rhymes with actions on Youtube which we watch with her and dance around to crazily.

OP posts:

musicmaiden · 21/11/2011 13:35

I agree, you pay her so you should just be able to tell her you don't want DD to watch TV, if that's what you want. I do have to strictly ration DS's viewing at home as he loves CBeebies and would watch it all day if he could. But on nursery days he gets no TV at all, as is right as they are paid to entertain/educate/look after him. As is your CM.

That said, TV is not the devil and there are some very good programmes on if you are selective (and avoid Sky because of ads).

Octaviapink · 21/11/2011 13:52

I'm a CM and we don't have tv at all - it's perfectly possible to work without it. If you want your child not to watch, then you need to make it clear. If she says she can't accomodate it, talk to Ofsted.

BlueChampagne · 21/11/2011 14:00

I wouldn't want my 4yo watching that much TV a day on a regular basis. You could probably Google for some stats/scientific opinions.

MissHonkover · 21/11/2011 18:32

At the risk of sounding terribly ill-informed, can someone tell me what the risks are with too much telly? Apart from the obvious one of encouraging a sedentary lifestyle.

We had the reverse of this situation recently with our CM remarking "she's a real telly addict, isn't she?" about DD.

Backtobedlam · 21/11/2011 19:25

I wouldn't be happy at all with that. 30mins while making lunch sounds fine, but the rest is too much. You are paying for a service, childcare, not for her to be plonked in front of the tv. If her dd needs downtime she should get her a small DVD player, iPad or similar, and give the other children the attention and stimulation they need

Fiolondon · 21/11/2011 20:12

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

MissHonkover · 21/11/2011 20:31

Thanks, that's very interesting. I do remember the HV saying that for pre-verbal LOs it can delay their speech. My MIL and CM seem to have the TV on constantly, and it's exactly as you describe, a background noise.

tigerlillyd02 · 21/11/2011 20:36

To be honest, it looks to me like this is just her style to make life easier for her. And even you saying someting won't change that if that's what she chooses to do - she just won't tell you about it in future. I think if you're not happy with the way she does things you ought to find another childminder.

That's the risk you take when sending them to a childminder I think. My ds went to a childminder when I worked. She was very, very good with him but the tv was always on when they were at home. Not something I agreed with either, but my choices were to continue sending him where I know he's happy, remove him and send him to another childminder where he might not be so happy (and might still use tv a lot but not be so open about it) or send him to a nursery where I knew full well that tv's aren't used at all (and then also having him not going on lots of outings like he did with CM).

I decided to leave him be where at least I knew what was happening. I thought that should I make a complaint, she just wouldn't be as honest about it. It didn't last long anyway as I gave up work after 4 months :)

Jergens · 21/11/2011 22:15

I'm watching this with interest as I have similar concerns with my CM. However, my DD seems really happy with her so wouldn't like to risk moving her...

Wailywailywaily · 21/11/2011 22:23

I had similar concerns with my CM, the TV was always on. I did mention that I wasn't very happy about it but she just brushed it off.

When at age 2 DS had no words at all I may have slightly over reacted but I took him away from the CM and put him into nursery. He is now 26 months, still only has two or three words and always has a virus.

BUT he loves nursery and I'm much happier with the efforts being made to bring him on. I made the right choice, I'm 100% sure of it.

Octaviapink · 22/11/2011 07:00

Your CM should have a written policy about television - you can ask to see it (in fact you can ask to see her policies at any time - they are there to tell you how she works). I really would say something - it is up to her to work with you to bring on your child. Your DD MUST have a folder with all her progress on the Early Years Foundation Stage written up - you can ask to see it and you can discuss progress. TV at this point (particularly for what is about 30% of her day) could really limit her speech development as well as her imaginative play and her concentration span. There is solid research to demonstrate that under-2s really should have strictly limited access to TV.

However the point of childminding is that it is childcare in a domestic environment (not an institutional one like nursery) so to some extent you have to go with the way the childminder brings up her own children, but you could always find a new childminder. The website childcare.co.uk is very good.

Backtobedlam · 22/11/2011 07:29

Just to add my cousin is a cm and so was my mum. My cousin almost never puts the tv on, and my mum used to let the children watch one programme a day (kids one so about 15mins). Just because the care is in a home environment it doesn't mean it should be of a lower standard.

Original poster

LuckyC · 22/11/2011 10:00

These are all very interesting points. My CM is excellent in most respects and she has formed a good proper bond with DD, who loves her, so I would be reluctant to move her. I think I could trust her to be honest with me in future if I did ask for less TV. The idea about the CM getting her daughter a little DVD player is excellent - great suggestion backtobedlam

I have done a bit of Googling. The consensus is that TV for under 2s is not good - it can limit verbal development, limits the interaction with people which is vital for development, impacts cognitive development in other ways, affects concentration span, and starts habit-building. In older children, too much TV linked to obesity. I must add that there is also evidence that some TV done the right way (ie you watch it with them and make it interactive) for under 2s can be a positive influence and help with numeracy and literacy, so... as with everything, as long as you put the effort in...

I am going to raise it with her and see what she says - will only be on Thursday or Friday though. I will report back.

OP posts:

krustyloaf · 22/11/2011 22:32

My DS is 4 mo and already gets distracted when the TV is on, so all this is great advice. One positive thing though, is that whilst the Simpsons was on he rolled over to the side for the first time to watch...

Jergens · 23/11/2011 12:00

Today when dropping off DD at CM's, CM was in a rush to drop off two of the mindees at the school across the street. I offered to wait at her house with DD so that she didn't have to get the pram out. Whilst she was gone (5 mins max) I turned off the TV (which is always on whenever I drop off/pick up DD). I felt a bit cheeky doing this but didn't want DD watching it. Hope I didn't offend.
Will bring up the subject next week...

Octaviapink · 23/11/2011 16:58

She probably turned it on again when you were gone. Does she say how long it's on for?

Greedygirl · 23/11/2011 18:11

I went to a lecture by Prof. Robert Winston the other day and the TV question came up and he said that he wasn't worried about the effects of TV on children's development (except in extreme cases when children are unsupervised, lots of violence etc.) BUT the point really is that you are paying your CM and if you are not happy with three hours of TV then she should be open to working around that. I also had this issue with my CM before my DS started nursery and I never had the courage to address it. Will be interested to see how you get on.

Flip