How much tv does your toddler/preschooler watch-honestly!

[SuperAmoo]

My DD1 watches so much tv and I'm always reading about how watching more than two hours of tv per day is bad. But the fact is after being out at preschool or a friend's or the park etc in the morning, she watches tv for the rest of the day because she's too tired to do anything else, even play on her own. Does anyone else have this problem?

At the weekends my 3 and 4 yo have a drink of hot choc and watch Toonattik and think themselves very grown up. It does last a couple of hours depending on when they woke up - but thats their TV for the day then and we do family stuff after that. If they don't watch Toonattik we may watch Robin Hood or similar before bedtime.

Weekdays we have about 30 minutes each morning (never mind the children, I LOVE Bert and Ernie!)and that tends to be it, unless they have a lot of friends round after school in which case some calming cbeebies may be deployed for part of the bedtime hour.

It's needs must in our house.
DS (2.5) watches more tv than I would like him to but it's the only way I can get jobs done around the house without him clinging on to me or putting himself in danger, like climbing up on and jumping off the work surfaces - honestly! When I'm not busy with chores I do loads with him so I try not to feel guilty.
As someone else said, bully for all those whose children sit and play quietly by themselves for ages. But all children are just not like that! If I had my way the tv would barely never be on but I can not spend my whole day entertaining DS - stuff needs to be done. And I am aware that the tv watching will probably only get worse when DC2 arrives in a matter of weeks [hmmm]

DD is 2.5 and doesn't watch any at home, only at her cousins'. Like RamblingRosa's DD, she's never really asked to - only once or twice. Occasionally DH has the TV on during the day and she'll go in there and watch a bit with him (assuming it's child-friendly) but that's not very often.

At some point she's going to cotton on that children's television exists and that we have a fully-functioning DVD player, though...

We live in a country where the children's TV is really good quality, so there's no real reason why she shouldn't start watching it, but I'm still hesitant. I'm not sure why - maybe it's a floodgate I don't want to open? She's fairly good at entertaining herself at the moment and I'm worried she would lose that.

I don't think it's harmful. Some of my happiest childhood memories are of watching TV - and that's not just me, when you get talking to people about the TV they loved as a child people get so passionate - far more than when they talk about that time mummy made them do a collage of autumn leaves or whatever...

I love TV - I got a scholarship to film school in the US to do my MFA and worked in TV for ten years before I had DS. DS also loves TV and movies.

Who are these kids who sit quietly and look at a book, or listen to a story tape? And who don't get properly started 'til 9am? I did start reading early as a child, but I only read a book once, and it only took me an hour or so to finish any new one. That leaves another 12 hours to be filled. My day starts at 5am with a taped episode of 'Little Bear' with DS, and TV plays a big part in our routine.

You don't have to go back too far in history to come across the argument that reading novels was rotting women's brains. Whatever is the most populist form of entertainment usually gets tarred with the brain-rotting brush. Such baloney. TV is great. I love it.

Maybe 45 mins max on a Friday night, and then perhaps an hour or so on Sat and Sun ams. Sometimes a bit of Strictly. And occasional exceptions.

They are 2 and 5.

I was looking out of the window with my 3 year old DS two days ago, wondering aloud whether it might rain because of all the dark clouds in the sky and when my DS started to speak: "yes, because the water goes into the air from the river and the sea up to the sky and makes big clouds and then the clouds get so heavy with all the waters it drops it on us with rain"
"Wow, that's clever! How did you know about that? Did daddy tell you?"
"No. I watched it on Big Cook, Little Cook".

TV is not harmful. In fact it can be positively, wonderfully educational (see above) - just don't overdo it.

DS is two next week. On days we are at home, he'll usually have 10 mins or so after nap time, and then another 15 mins before bathtime. It sometimes goes on in the morning too if we have to get stuff done but not for more than 10 mins. The TV is rarely on as background noise.

DS is another one that won't play by himself for any length of time. He's always been clingy and we're working on encouraging a bit more independance! But if I want to use the loo for example, it's either put Cbeebies on for 5 mins, or have DS at the bottom of the stairs shouting "Mummy coming!" until I'm done.

He watches Cbeebies or DVDs almost exclusively but caught a bit of X Factor the other afternoon and loved it - "singing! Lady singing! Clapping! Yay!"

Interested reading.
DD (2.4) watches too much TV probably. But we do have pseudo excuses- she has a medical condition which requires an early morning nebuliser (takes ten mins- only way to make her sit still is TV), 20 mins physio before 9am- again- TV only thing to keep her still, sometimes more physio after lunch (TV again) and last lots of physio always before bed (20 mins of TV again). So between 50 mins and 1.2hrs. But saying that she only watches children's DVDs or David Attenborough documentaries on DVD, and watches the same things again and again which I have read, somewhere, is supposed to be better for them. She has an older brother (4.5) and he watches only the same amount of TV at the same time.

TV is never on as background, it's one of my pet hates. The DCs do occassionally watch longer stints of films if poorly/exhausted etc., but this is rare. Both won't sit still usually for more than 20-30 mins anyhow!

Our TV is tuned into CBeebies whenever we are at home. DS is out most mornings, so mainly afternoons and evenings. DS doesnt sit glued to it, infact he spends alot of time wandering about, playing cars on trains or on his bead table.

He is autistic and at a echolalia stage. Its lovely to hear him copying things he hears on the telly, or singing along with songs.

Great post MabelMay - really made me smile.

I let DS watch about 3 hours a day if we're at home all day, sometimes more . I also have a 15 week old and wouldn't get anything done if I did't. I'm dreading winter as he loves playing outside and can be out there for up to a couple of hours each time. How will I subsitute this time when it's wet and cold out???

I have a very vivid memory of watching sesame street and having a Eureka moment when they were doing one of those segments where they phonetically read out the letters of a word and put them together. It was a sudden, so that's how it works experience..I then wandered into the kitchen reading out one of my books out loud. So I fully credit Sesame Street with teaching me how to read!

DD (2.5) watches it now and is definitely picking things up from it. Her normal TV watching is about an hour a day, usually some Sesame Street after lunch when her baby brother is napping and then some at bedtime - depending on whatever the current enthusiasm is (ITNG, Curious George, Charlie & Lola)

About an hourish? I don't know. I don't care, in all honesty.

MabelMay is right. It isn't all crap cartoons (though Ds watches those occasionally, I'll admit.) Some of it is very educational.

TheInvisibleHand where can I get Sesame Street? DH and I adored it as kids and I was gutted to find out that they aren't doing back episodes on DVD, all they have are character-specific videos, not simple episodes.

A lot

dd is just 2 and loves tv. She sleeps only 10/11 hours at night, with no daytime nap. So she goes to bed at 7, but is up at 6 at the latest. She is still tired and grumpy so she has breakfast then sits curled up ont he sofa with me/dh for 1 maybe 2 hours (some days less, epends on how long it takes her to come round)

but the TV then goes off until about 2ish and we go out, to toddler groups, dancing lessons, friends houses etc. We come home at 2 when she is tired but won't sleep. She'll watch a dvd for an hour perhaps, then have a snack and then we'll go out, rain or shine to walk he dog for over an hour, back for an hour of quiet activity like cooking or painting, then tv is on whilst I cook tea, then she eats tea, dh comes home and she goes up for bath/bed.

However, her speech has always been ahead of her peers and we sky plus a lot of TV so she will only watch things that we are happy with her watching, or that she is particularly "into". If she is not watching and wants to play then the tv goes off. Sometimes we do have the tv on at other times, but mostly on radio stations when we make up dances. I am perfectly happy that my dd is not "scarred" by her huge amount of tv watching, and we have a very happy home

"Those who said kids don't need activities all the time are perfectly right. They'll pootle for a bit, help/play in line with a (little) bit of housework etc. Especially if that's what they've always been expected to do."

Just wanted to say that it is only now, at 2.9, that my son will do the above - before that he just wouldn't entertain himself at all. Basically from about fourteen months he lost the capacity to pickle around happily and wasn't interested in doing things WITH me unless they were his choice. He was bloody hard work tbh, and tv was often the only chance I got to do housework type stuff.

I'm with humphreycobbler. No chance dd will do anything I want, and yes she has always been expected to do things with me, she just won't and forcing her gets both of us upset, and nothing done

DS1 watched none until he was about 2.4

DS2 watched it from day one

They used to watch on average 40 minutes a day,

now I am suffering with morning sickness badly and they wake up at 6am they are on about 2 hours aday.

I feel a bit shit about it and it has massively effected their ability to play for hours on their own.

ime the more they watch they less able they are to self - entertain.

More than 2 hours is way too much, tv viewing is directly linked to obesity and general unfitness, poor concentration.

Doesn't mean all kids that watch alot will but it means they are much more likely to than kids that don't. Also sets them up for bad viewing habits when they are too old to control.#

sorry. rant over!

Mine watch pretty much no tv

Like cloud, I've really noticed that in periods when the tv is on more, the ability to self-entertain goes right down. also there is usually a period of adjustment after a lot of tv watching. Its not worth it to me.

What I also find interesting is that my child who is by far the most interested in tv is also only child who saw it much (maybe an hour a day) at a young age (various reasons but comes down to him having 2x younger siblings). He is the only one who will watch it if it is on. Dd1, at 4 1/4, shows pretty much no interest in it, and neither does my younger daughter who is 19 months. If I had my time again, I'd keep the tv off.

About 45 minutes before bath and bedtime to settle them down.. They're 3 and almost 2.

All three of my kids watch masses of tv. anything between 2 to 5 hours a day but all of it is either cbeebies or nickjr or mtv. it is not ever game shows or chat shows or this morning. if i want to watch in the day then it is cooking shows or lion man etc. they have never watched anything i havent viewed either before or with them. all three of my kids are advanced for their ages with the oldest who has watched the most two years ahead of her year group with a reading age of 11 (she's 6)

its not how much they watch, its what they watch and do you talk to them about it?

All three of my kids watch masses of tv. anything between 2 to 5 hours a day but all of it is either cbeebies or nickjr or mtv. it is not ever game shows or chat shows or this morning. if i want to watch in the day then it is cooking shows or lion man etc. they have never watched anything i havent viewed either before or with them. all three of my kids are advanced for their ages with the oldest who has watched the most two years ahead of her year group with a reading age of 11 (she's 6)

its not how much they watch, its what they watch and do you talk to them about it?

I am completely indebted to Mister Maker. I've recorded episodes and this lets me have a shower in peace every morning - and I really don't think it would matter if it was the same episode every time. The boy is OBSESSED!

Apart from that, ds has up to an hour max in the morning while i faff around and attempt to keep the house clean.
Never on in the background, never on during mealtimes.

TV is so great to have as a last resort, emergency situation diffuser. I'll be tearing my hair out, then, like a light bulb flicking on, i suddenly remember that i can have 15 mins time out by putting cbeebies on for him. If it was a constant background noise this wouldn't work.

When I think about it ,our little fella watches about 2 hrs most mornings,and its all CBeebies.No ads',great programmes and gives me/mum time to do jobs around the house,what else would you be doing.Then off untill the other 4 have home work done.No MTV,or junk mind numbing kid soaps.They enjoy 'Today in Parliament' or CNBC senate hearings.....I'm taking the mick now...but serious on some music channels...