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?

My DD (3.5) is allowed to watch tv only on the weekend and only DVDs at that. In theory she can watch as much as she wants, in practice we limit this to a couple of hours each day. As soon as she stops watching, I turn off the tv, I absolutely hate having the tv on in the background. We've chosen the DVD route because I don't want her exposed to advertising/product placement/pester power on tv figures (like Peppa Pig etc).

My son, who is 14 months watches no tv at all and I'll try to postpone his tv watching as long as I can.

Interesting about 'flow' cheaspicks, this explains what I've kind of beeing feeling, but haven''t been able to put into words.

I try and do mending and stuff like that while watching cheap I DO hate the time wasting feel of it otherwise.

It's not just about the educational merits of what they're watching or whether you interact with them during it. Watching tv can cause physical changes. Here

I recently had a second child and DS1 watches Baby Jake and sometimes Peppa Pig. Sometimes if I'm struggling to feed him I put on Baby Jake. He loves it. The programme is 11 minutes and 5 seconds ad he always insists on seeing it all - even the credits.

I think TV viewing is an area most people lie about - we know one very competitive mum who claimed her children never watched TV then we all went away for a weekend together and something came on and her kids knew all the names of the characters and were well acquainted with the programme. Ooops!

Oh, good idea about mending! Next time I resort to telly I might finally get some buttons sewn on. Except that usually when I resort to telly it's because I'm trying and failing to get the tea prepared. I'll definitely keep that in mind though should the opportunity present itself. Ta.

Interesting reading all this. My 20 month old DD loves Peppa Pig (sings the theme tune, knows the family characters names) so she does watch that avidly in the evening for the half hour it's on Nick Jnr. Sometimes at weekends we watch a film or have the TV on kids programmes (when footy isn't on!) sporadically.

My problem is mostly that when I get home from work with her we're both exhausted so half an hour sat together cuddling under a blanket in front of Peppa Pig (which is a great programme despite what people say here), can't
be that bad, can it?

None. But then DH and I work full time so it's not very hard is it? I barely watch TV myself. In the evenings, we put DD to sleep, cook, eat, do a bit of chore and it's nearly time to bed. If I have time, I play with the computer and read a bit. Occasionally it is TV time together, like Dr Who. In the weekends, we are too busy to watch TV as well.

Oh and I'm not a saint just because we haven't got TV on. After work, I'm exhuasted and just leave DD plays with her toys (and our stuff). I don't interact with her that much. I just prefer not to have the TV noise in the background!

I don't know, I'm split. I feel guilty for giving in especially as I see how quickly the 30 mins permitted are turning into 45 minuteso or sometimes even an hour.
As for the time wasting or the flow, when you work FT and pick up your DC in the evening after work, you quickly realise that you are both too tired to do much. Someone suggested reading instead, well funnily enough we sit on front of ITNG and have a great big book next by and DS flicks through the pages and points at the various animals, objects he knows and then gets drawn into the programme as and when there's a song or noise. or, he know manages ot follow an entire episode if he empathises with the story (liek the Tomliboos getting lost, that fascinated him)
I have to admit I feel guitly becuase DP doesn't like DS watching telly at all but then I do the donkey work in terms of childcare, I don't use telly as a background during the weekend, we're out of the house by 8AM Saturday and Sunday, so a little bit of time wasting actually gives me 5 mnutes to restore my batteries before attacking the next activity and running like a maniac behind DS when he storms down the road on his scotter (he is 18 months).
but on the other hand I'm tired of feeling guilty for letting my son watch telly when he's an early bird in terms of speech and mobility. His best friend at the CM is a 4 year old boy and they share a combined interest in bob the builder. DS can sing the tune song. Does this really make me a bad mum?
He's not left alone to watch ever and he gets more attention and affection then I ever had as a child.

Hmm, yeah, we tried the no telly thing but really, it's hard to see the harm and seems a bit precious. So yes ours do watch a bit of telly. Similar to yours, maybe a bit more. Generally goes on after we come in from the park and again in the evening before bedtime. Octonaughts and Tilly are the current favourites. We occasionally watch a movie with them too, Wall.E was a big hit.

I guess you wouldn't want it on all day, drives me a bit spare after a while to be honest, but the occasional break for everyone is good surely?

Oh god, Cbeebies is a permanent fixture in our house. I didn't realise it was so frowned upon. DS 18 mo doesn't really sit down and watch it, he just likes to have a dance when he hears some of the intro tunes and loves Tree Fu Tom (he even does the spell dances).

If I turned it off I doubt he would care too much, except when he's having snack. DD, 5y would watch it ALL day if she could and has been known to watch Home Alone 1 & 2 back to back at the weekend. Bad bad bad mother.

Ds1 - almost none.

Ds2 - LOADS of telly.

Fwiw, ds2 has the higher level of concentration and academic intelligence. YEs, I am aware this is anecdotal, but it works for me!

DD watches in the night garden in the morning. She wakes about 5/5.30 and we put her in our bed for a bit and she dozes until half six so I put it on then to keep her occupied until 7 at which time I can just about function! I have series linked it

Getting a bit worried reading some of the other posts on here . My DS is 12 months and loves Postman Pat. My husband and I are telly people and as i'm on my own most of the day, I like to have the tv on in the background, however, he only watches when it's kiddies programmes which I let him watch in the morning while I eat my breakfast, prob for around half an hour then in the evening he might watch an episode or 2 of Postman Pat with my OH while I clear away dinner things. My DS is very clingy with me and so it's the only way I can leave the room and get stuff done. I don't see what harm it does as long as you interact with with your children the rest of the time. After he's had his half hr of tv in morning I then sit and read a couple of books with him and play with him, the same goes before bedtime. Singing is also a big part of our together time!

Peppa pig is an amazing programme ! One of the perks of having another dc is getting to watch it all over again !

When ds was 2 aboutn2x30 min slots morning and just before bedtime. My bugbear was not having tv adverts, and I hate having tv on as background noise. Ds now 7, we usually watch something we've tape or on catch up tv after homework/ dinner and before bedtime, and tape match of the day to watch on weekend mornings. Tv very much seen as "one of many" entertainment options - we were on holiday last week and never got around to turning it on. All things in moderation, methinks

I'm on maternity leave and in the house most of the day alone with 8mo DS1. The TV is on almost all day and I find it feels a bit quiet otherwise. Sometimes it's radio channels, sometimes cooking programmes, sometimes cbeebies. DS rarely actually pays attention to it, he'll look up if a sound has caught his attention but is more interested in his toys/books/singing with mummy. We break up the day going for walks and go to a baby group once a week. Do you think it's affecting him? Should I turn it off? :/

I hereby join the ranks of "bad Mothers".
Ds (20mths) is a big fan of CBeebies, there are programmes that completely hold his attention which we watch together & join in with like Numtums & Alphablocks and ones which he will request like Tinga Tinga then get his amimals out, name them and give them cups of tea. He fetches his toy lion to hold whilst Raa Raa is on and associates Baby Jake with the baby growing in Mummies tummy.
I don't use the tv as a baby sitter per se but equally am not afraid to have it on if I am getting a few jobs done.
Ds is very active, attends 2 music/toddler groups each week, has a vocab of over 100 words and is very close to being able to count from 1-10.
Incidentally I was adamant that he wouldn't watch tv until he was 2 and wouldn't eat chocolate until he was at school & found out what he was missing.
Time for a bit of Baby Jake & a chocolate button then Boo?

MouMou if you go on to have DC2, you may find yourself laughing about the fact that you worried about DC1 watching 1hr a day at the ripe old age of 18mo. DD (my first) didn't watch any TV until she was one and only ITNG and Waybuloo occasionally (mainly as I hated them!) until she was two. Then she discovered Peppa & Postman Pat at around the same time as I had really bad morning sickness with DC2 and TV turned into a saviour. For the past 12 months, she's had 45mins - 1hr most evenings but it will be of a DVD or Sky+ as I find that this means we don't just endlessly watch it as nothing comes on next & I can fast forward the adverts - and escape ITNG! At the weekend, she'll have another hour on the morning that DP is in charge and, if we have friends over for lunch who don't have children, she may have another 45mins - 1hr then, usually of her "songs" which she gets up & dances to and sings along with. Interestingly, in the past few weeks, DD is a lot less interested in the TV and, if she's not enjoying a programme, will go off & play whereas she used to just watch it regardless.
DC2 is 5mo and, due to his sister's influence, is an avid fan of Peppa & Ben & Holly and discovered 3rd & Bird for himself. He learned to roll very early purely so, in my opinion, he could better see the TV as I used to position him on the far side of the room facing away from the TV which he clearly thought was a stupid idea!
Sometimes I interact with what DD is watching; other times I leave her to it.

Its not just telly that is the problem now though is it? IPhone and ipads are the newest in thing apparently.

I remember a colleague stating on facebook that she was preparing for taking her 7 month old on holiday by filling the ipad with tv shows that the baby enjoys. And I know of a 16 month old who apparently has 'favourite' games on the ipad.

DS is 14 months now so he does watch a bit more tv (eg. he wakes earlier now so will come in bed with us sometimes and watch some cartoons) and I have noticed that he is much more interested in cartoons/cbeebies stuff more than anything else. I am going to be a bit more aware of the tv from now on as I do tend to have it on in the background and I have turned around a few times now and seen him staring up at it.

But I only found out what channel cbeebies even was a few weeks ago, surely when they are very little (and they are a pfb so you dont have any other kids to deal with) watching telly is just not necessary?

I have heard parents saying 'oh my 4 month old just loves In the Night Garden' - really.....?!

I have kid apps on my phone for my DD to play if she wants to - why is that a big deal? Technology is such a huge part of all our lives now they're bound to be interested in it if we are.

Although, I do love the look on DD's face when she picks up DH's phone and it doesn't 'swipe' open like mine as he has an old brick for a phone

What's the biggest cause of sedentary behaviour in under 6s????

Because if anyone else has found a way to keep them still for half an hour+ at a time when they're conscious please tell me.

My DTGs (21 Months) and DS (3.3) watch as much or as little as they want. I take them to baby groups every day, DH and I take them out at weekends, DS goes to pre school Mon-Fri with full school days on thurs and fri. Theyre away from the home/tv enough and arent glued to it like zombies. They have plenty of toys to play with and plenty of interaction from DH and I and other family. Im not worried. I dont see it as an issue tbh.