T.v or no t.v? That is the question

[Fozi]

Hello

I am sure that this topic has been discussed endlessly but I would love some feedback regarding the kids watching t.v.
Overheard a conversation between two mums talking about how they refuse to let their children watch t.v endlessly and limit it to 1/2 an hour a day. (Their kids are 2&1/2) have heard loads of parents say the same or similar thing.
Needless to say I scarpered off before I could be drawn into the conversation. Now I'm sitting at home feeling like I'm such a neglectful mum (especially as I'm a teacher and should know better?) my two are 3 yrs old.

What do you all think?

Does anyone else find TV on "in the background" really irritating? In our house it's either on and being watched, or off. I can't stand the "background noise".

I tend not to have T.V. on in the background, but I don't see anything wrong with that, per se. What about Radio 4 on in the background? Is that different? Genuine question.

A bit of tv great, but childhood is so short that shame to spend most free time staring at a screen, or in an organised activity, with little time to be inventive and entertaining themselves.

We try and avoid in the week but sometimes watch a bit if they are knackered, then watch a film at the weekend, play a bit of wii/ipad.

It's not just speech delay too much tv been linked to:
Worse concentration
Higher rates of obesity
Higher flaccidity
Being a bit dull

Mrsruff- I wouldn't have anything on. TV or radio unless I was listening to it.

No tv here either. Don't see where people find the time tbh.

Today was an average day, weather ok but cold. 2 and 4 year old. Roughly:
8-9.30 - wake/ dress/ shower/ eat
9.30-12 - outside climbing trees and scooting through park. Playing football and tennis with friends
12-2- eat, play
2-3 napped or read books
3-5 outside on bike
5-6.30 they played with toys/ we read/ the drew/ play dough
We will go swimming soon, eat, bed. By this point it's 9pm

Il prob work 9-11pm this eve from home. Late bath and bed.

But that's not just TV. The same could be said for computers, video games and hand held devices. Life's too short to get worked up over viewing habits. If you don't like it, give your DC an alternative. If you can't be arsed (like me) , keep half an eye on their viewing schedule and let them self-regulate. The only thing I didn't do was let them have a tv in their room until their mid-teens, I preferred to know they weren't watching adult programmes after lights out!

Too right Jodie, aout all screen shite,

I have friends who claim their DC 'self-regulate' it seems to translate as watching fucking loads of TV, playing on ipads for ages.

I found my eldest (5) watched a fair bit when she was home with me (prob 2 hours spread out over the day), but is now at school everyday. She is a very busy/energetic girl so it was really the only time of day that she chilled for a bit/gave me a break etc. Also we did lots of other stuff during the day parks, toddler time, baking, crafts etc so I never felt guilty about the odd bit of TV.

These days she is allowed to have it on at 5pm for half an hour before dinner then another half an hour after dinner/before bath. I am not super strict with it though some days it might go on at 4pm or not at all, just depends, they are the general 'house rules'

At the weekends we will usually watch a kids/family movie in the evening at least once. Weekend mornings we have actives at the moment so no time for TV. Once the weather is nice enough to play in the garden I doubt it will go on much at all during the week.

My youngest has not got into TV yet, she is 21 months, she is better at playing with toys/pottering around (than her sister was) so we don't have it on at all. She will watch a bit with her older sister but not into any particular shows yet (she did quite like In the Night Garden a few months back, but we stopped watching it). She pays more attention if we watch a movie such as Madagascar or Frozen than kids TV.

Neither are exposed to ipads/other screens yet (we have an itouch that is used sparingly ie long haul travel or drs waiting room).

They should be jumping in puddles.

I have never limited tv for dd 2 1/2. I feel it's useful for times when I need to shower as I know she will sit watching and not get up to mischief when I'm not watching her. Don't believe for a min that it delays speech unless they watch 24/7. My dd has fab language since she was 18 months.

15 month old ds watches probably 45 minutes of t.v. A day. He only watches t.v. In English which is the language he is less familiar with.

He watches 20 minutes in the morning whilst he has a breastfeed and another 25 minutes before dinner time.

I sit with him and talk about the t.v. Program, if it's in the night garden we sing along to the songs. His new favorite thing is diggers so we have been watching you tube clips of diggers. We also watch clips of farm animals.

Ds has fantastic speach, he seems to understand nearly everything in Swedish and English, he has lots of words.

My 14 month old twin sons watch a bit of Baby TV when they eat breakfast, lunch and dinner. I find I can get quite a bit of food in them this way (one of them is very skinny so I'm all for anything that helps). They only like a few programmes/characters and if those programmes aren't on while they eat then they just stare at me or the bowl and spoon! They absolutely LOVE any songs and nursery rhymes and squeal with delight when one comes on. I sing along and they love it. I also put it on so I can jump in the shower without them getting up to too much mischief.

How can a child bf and watch tv?

He either sits next to me with my arm around him and boob in his mouth, his head slightly turned into me but he can still see the t.v. Or he lies on top of me with boob in his mouth and head turned towards the t.v.

I have big breasts and ds is a mini acrobat, ds can do an entire 360 turn whilst breastfeeding, I have woken up with him upside down, smothering me but he still had the nipple in his mouth!

It's good to watch t.v. Whilst breastfeeding because ds has a constant compulsion to move if he's not watching tv, he will run on the spot whilst feeding or put his feet on his head or try to put his feet in his mouth at the same time as my nipple, it's really uncomfortable.

My 22m old watches quite a lot, about an hour am and 30min pm. She tends to wander off and play. Or be eating.
I do have it on and am watching eg the wright stuff etc when she then plays.
I put nursery rhymes on for her at other end of room.
Obviously tv could affect some childrens language development.
Must depend on child whether they are staring blindly, understanding, just watching pictures.
My DD has very good language for her age.
But other factors are probably more important
We never put kids tv on until over 1. I dont like cbeebies and just didnt see the point but she did see a bit of cartoons, micky mouse.
Never had a dummy or sucked thumb
Was ebf until over a year
Only child so all attention
But also i think that i was putting her to bed and getting her up 11-11 so OH was around from 5-11pm so she was getting all the conversation from that until over 6m old. If id done 6-6 she would have seen OH for an hour on weekdays.
She loves the kindle looking at the picture flashcards and this has helped with words. Very rarely plaing games on it.

Each to their own really. Mine have always watched a fair amount. Our conditions have been... No adverts, stick to cbeebies / CBBC / nature / dinosaur documentaries, turn it off when friends are over, etc. I've never seen them slack jawed and drooling at a screen. They tend to play, write, draw etc while they watch and if they wander away I turn it off.

My mum is an ex primary school head teacher and she has no problem with children watching tv as long as it is age appropriate, has actual human beings talking to the children (unlike kids channels that just screen endless cartoon repeats broken up with adverts)

As for other screens... We are feeling out way along with that. Sometimes they seem obsessed with it, other times not so fussed.