How much telly is your under 2 watching?

[MouMouCow]

DS is 18 months and has started recently watching cbeebies in the morning for 30 min and then in the evening for another 30 min and DP finds it too much and is concerned. DS only used to watch 30 min in the evening until then, but discovered Bob the builder and wants to watch it every day...
I'm quite happy with DS' vocabulary and capacity to express himself, and the fact that he is now showing signs he can empathise with characters and follows stories (watched the episode of the Night Garden where one of the Tomliboos got lost with fascination, very focused though).
Is it too much telly time for such a wee little boy?
If during weekends we're out and about 3 or 4 hours every day does it compensate? It's not that he watches telly all day. He can ride a scooter like a 3 year old which I'm very proud of.
or are we making a fuss about nothing?
I'd like your views please?

Variable. Dd didn't watch much at all till the late stages of my pregnancy with dc2, when I was so knackered by mid afternoon I was grateful for some sitting down time because I just couldn't keep up. So she'd watch for up to an hour before tea time. This continued for the first two or three months after dc2 was born, while I was learning the ropes of dealing with two kids and getting dc2's routine established. I was a bit worried about her getting dependent on it, but then we moved house to the countryside, plus now I'm on a roll with dc2, and we are simply outside every day or busy with something or other so it simply doesn't occur to either me or dd to do telly, so she doesn't watch any now. The only exception was when I recently had a sudden dramatic onset of food poisoning so I plonked both children in front of cbeebies while I spent three hours unable to leave the loo. It was an absolute godsend!

Thanks All, I feel better and agree it is a biased sample who replied but thank you all the same, seems like we're in the middle of the spectrum with 30 min in the morning and 30 min in the evening. We both work FT as well and DS goes to CM so I relate to the poster who said DS is too tired in the evening to do much, it's too dark for the playground or park and it is quite nice to schmoose in front of TV together whislt we wait for daddy to get home for bath time.
As a kid I was left with my 2 sisters to entertain myself, my mum never played with me so even though we watch telly, I sing along, know all his games and we have fun together, that's much more than I got in the 70s.

I think it's good to keep 70s childhoods in mind! If ever I'm worrying about being a good mum I think back to how I was brought up - formula fed, no stair gate or car seat (hell, not even a seatbelt in those days - we all bounced around in the boot of a Ford Escort estate sitting on the wheel arches ), nylon clothes, orange squash so full of e numbers we were buzzing for hours, playing unsupervised in a disused railway cutting and not going home till dark, etc etc etc. I survived all that and had a very happy childhood; I think nowadays we do an awful lot of unnecessary worrying!

There's a difference between revised health and safety legislation though and the potential developmental effects of wall to wall tv. There was nowhere near as much tv in the 70s - half an hour before supper starting with Playschool as far as I remember.

I remember watching quite a bit of telly actually, from quite a young age on. I grew up on the Continent and could catch French and German TV channels. As a result I speak 3 languages fluently and I have a basic knowledge in 3 others. Even the lack of children's programme at the time did not seem that detrimental to my mental development as I've bagged a masters degree. How detrimental is telly exactly? Is it not small measure and all that?
Rhubarb/ the image of sitting on the wheel arches of a car in the boot brought back a flood of memories. Oh, bring back the 80s...
But back to telly, perhaps not as young as 18 monhts but from 5 to 10 years telly was definitly used as a replacement babysitter by my parents. It never stopped us achieving... my sister is a PHD afterall. So how do you measure the detriment of telly on your kids development if a history of loads of it hasn't left any particular mark?

DS (16 mo) watches around an hour per day - probably 3 15/20 minute slots. If I ever feel guilty about it, I just think about the other 12 hours I spend playing with toys, going on walks, chasing him around the beach, singing songs in the bath etc etc etc! A bit of TV every few hours gives me a precious bit of time to get myself together and ready for the next activity!

I'd probably let him watch it for longer if he was interested! The only thing I don't allow is him to kind of 'mooch around' with it on in the background. If he starts playing with something, I switch it off immediately. It's only on if he's actually interested enough to sit and watch it.

DS was watching about an hour a day until he was 22 months and then his little sister was born. From that point we mainlined Cbeebies.

4 years on we basically have cbeebies 24/7 if we're at home. I don't restrict it.

They are almost 6 and 4 now and they talk, a lot and very well. DS is doing well at school. It really hasn't done them any harm.

And we're the opposite of easytiger the TV is on all the time as background. The DC's watch what they fancy. If I want to watch the news I hide in my room with a cup of tea .

I'm similar to Meglet, the TV is generally on at home, but she isn't glued to it all day...she plays around the place and I watch it and get involved with her. She only watches 3 programmes though (Damn Tivo series link). She loves NumTums, AlphaBlocks and BLOODY BABY JAKE!! Goggy Gee-ya!

To be honest, I think it's helped her learning etc. She has known all her letters (with sounds) and her numbers since she was 18 months. She's just obsessed with them. I can write down any one of them and she knows what it is. Not all of this is down to NumTums etc, as I do sit and do them with her a lot, but it's helped.

Thanks Scarlet, Meglet and Easytiger...
At 18 months DS can count to 5, he can name all kinds of trucks, fruits, animals, objects and is starting to express feelings rather than tantruming. He knows the names of all his friends at the CM. Also when he's not at the CM, during weekends, we tend to have the telly on a bit more in the morning and evening so that he has the illusion of having the company of little people (we're sad I know but he will not have any siblings so hearing voices of little people soothes him somewhere).
He's now watching an hour in the morning...what I dislike about telly is the addiction of it... He wants it on in the morning and in the evening... he can just about be diverted to something else but as adults we are usually too tired to fight that battle and just give in.... I know bottom of the parenting class again!

I really think the common sense approach of 'everything in moderation' is probably the right one with so many parenting issues. If you think your LO is watching too much TV then they probably are and you should look to reduce it. If not, then it has its place but perhaps sit with them and explain what's happening and interact with them. I certainly know that my DS had no idea what a mammoth or dinosaur was until he watched Ice Age 3 - and now he pronounces both words beautifully and also recognises them in books (because yes, we read to our DS as well as allow him to watch TV!)

Yes, there have been studies on the impact on development and behaviour of watching TV. There have also been studies that articulate the negative impact of going to nursery full time prior to the age of one. Equally, other studies will be conducted that will apparently disprove what previous studies have found.

Do what feels right for you. If your child is happy, healthy and developmentally 'normal' then you're probably doing pretty well. End of.

No TV here at 3yrs old - not for want of trying though! She gets over involved - shrieks at the tombliboos if they take they trousers off (they should be wearing them apparently) hates the pinky ponk, tears when nightgarden ends. Had hoped it'd give me 20 mins peace but is more hassle than its worth!

Huh, finding this thread interesting. I do think there is a bit of holier than thou going on with the no TV thing. Surely no one sees it as ideal but we all make compromises somewhere. I have tried distracting DD13 mo with TV when I needed to do something but she really isn't interested. I will often leave it on in the background while we play and she takes no notice.

DS is 14 months. He never watches 'live' TV - I hate the idea of sticking Cbeebies on and leaving it on all day. I sometimes will choose something for him to watch on iPlayer and put it on, maybe on a weekend morning.

Apart from that he loves Bob the Builder so watches one episode with DH while I get ready for work. They watch it on Netflix so as soon as he sees the Netflix logo now he says BOB BOB! So ten minutes a day usually.

I have the tv on all day every day. Dd aged 9 years watches a fair bit and ds 5 months enjoys looking at the colours.. however I'm constantly talking to the children. I never leave them with it except maybe ten mins here and there if I need to fold up washing etc.. and we also listen to heart music tv a good bit, I sing along to ds with it.

I think all this nonsense about tv is crazy. My dd always watched lots of tv and she is top in her class and an exceptional reader.

But then as I say I never just leave them with it and I'd never have tv in the bedrooms.

I think it's what they watch thats more important than how much. We have cebeebies on quite alot in the background but my 22 mo gets bored very quickly. I don't mind because i'm sure numtums has got her counting to 10 and backwards from 5-1! Also we use the sign language around the house. I wouldn't let her watch other channels as they have adverts which i think is very damaging to children. Also i'm aware of role models. I discourage peppa pig as peppa is very spoiled and often mean towards george. I love dora as i think she's a great role model for little girls. I avoid too much girly princessy things as i don't want my little girl to think thats how girls have to be. Cebeebies is very well balanced and rarely gender specific. We watch dora on netflix so no adverts.

We have the tv on about 1.5 hours a day. More if he's ill and less if we are out. Ds is 18mo. He has a wider vocabulary than any other 18mo I've met. He doesn't seem damaged at all.

IMO long and varied E. MouMou It's how and IF you interact with your DCs; T.V. is only a problem if you don't give a shxx what yr Dcs do or eat. Our 3 Dcs are all clever one is `G & T and all watched T.V. DH worked in it without us making a fuss about it. I banned it in bedrooms though and always discussed the adverts with them (this was the 80s pre ban of course)

The concentration problem is more to do with eating a bad sugary diet IMHO.

But back to telly, perhaps not as young as 18 monhts but from 5 to 10 years telly was definitly used as a replacement babysitter by my parents. It never stopped us achieving... my sister is a PHD afterall.

Sudden change of tone, and getting a PhD says nothing about social development etc

We do have a rule that the tv shouldn't be on if it isn't being watched.

The argument that watching tv takes time away from doing other, more worthwhile things is very strong (and not only for little kids). Tv is pleasurable because it puts us into a state of concentration where we stop noticing the passage of time (psychologists call this "flow"). Achieving flow doing other things is often harder, but key to discovering what we enjoy and what we are good at. I think that there is a danger in getting so used to the instant absorption provided by tv (or the internet) that everything else seems too hard, especially when we are tired.

I honestly can't see the point of watching tv with your child. Half an hour spent reading books together is surely more satisfying and barely more effort. Using tv as a babysitter otoh is something that most parents resort to at some point (including me). I think we shoud be honest about that and not pretend that we're doing it to "educate" our kids.

None. We don't really watch television. I watch Downton, Merlin and Dr Who and sometimes at a weekend we'll watch a film with dd (who is 5) but largely we don't bother with the television.

Yes me as well jolly I hated it in MIL's house they always left it on I couldn't work out why. Maybe it's a generational thing they'd got theirs to watch Our Queen crowned and hadnt turned it off since . DH is very bright too so didn't affect him either.

My parents banned it completely and I was always left out of conversations about popular programmes at school and hated them for it. BTW although we're not idiots we're not G & T either!!