Honestly, how much TV / tablets are your kids watching

[Keepgoing88]

I've posted about this before but it's still a sore point for me. I have 3 kids aged 6,4 and 1. Keeping them all entertained and not fighting is so hard. In order to cope I have let the eldest two watch far too much TV than I think is acceptable but it's so hard as the baby is constantly demanding. I do things with them but I still feel they are watching a good 3-4hours of tv a day :s they don't usually watch this much. Anyone else????

I mean in 'normal life ' they don't usually watch as much as we go to play groups, they have school etc

Three kids aged 10,8 and 4. We get out every day to exercise but all three kids having ghastly amounts of screen time. It is what it is at the minute, not stressing myself out over it. I don’t like it at all though.
Don’t worry too much, it is temporary.

I am not worried.

Yes, it's much higher than usual, but so what? It's not irreversible when we get to our "new normal". I have absolutely no doubt in my mind that my current screen loving kids will choose to play with their friends when they are allowed rather than stay isolated on a screen. In the meantime, it's survival mode and getting through.

Usually my 5 year old only has an hour or 2 at the weekends. Now she’s having like 3 hours a day - an hour in the morning and about 2 later on. The 2 year old watches a bit but no set amount, she just potters about and stops to watch some.

Loads, literally absolutely loads. But as pp have said, once the opportunity is there to go out, see friends etc I've no doubt that they'll want to do that instead.

A lot.
Toddler DD has her nursery rhymes on Netflix on in the background most of the day. We do read a lot and do other activities when I have the time and I spend a lot of time with her teaching her the actions and dances to make my self feel less bad when I leave her dancing away so I can get stuff done.
Older SD (when shes with us) quite literally watches TV all day. DH appears not to give a shit that she watches TV as soon as she gets up and then watches it to fall asleep, and every waking moment in between.

Our TV is on almost all day. Its crap, it makes me unhappy, but right now it's helping us to get through the day. I'm aiming to do one "worthy" thing a day (craft, etc) and read a (toddler) book a day. Beyond that, well it's not forever.

Loads. An hour when they get up. Maybe an hour across the day while I'm dealing with baby getting her to nap etc or cooking dinner. And then a film on the night.

Doesnt help that most learning school set is online so we use computer for reading, and online activities throughout the day.

We do loads of outside time too but like you say itd very difficult with 3 kids especially when one is a baby.

Now restrictions are slightly relaxed I'm home to spend more time out on walks further away from local area.

Dont stress about it. If you can then keep tv educational, that's all you can do

DS, 11 does four hours school work, roughly an hour exercise and maybe another two hours helping in the kitchen & eating.

So out of 12 hours awake, he spends five in front of tv or computer games. I know it's not ideal but I'm doing my best. We have to stay sane.

8 year old. Some days loads, almost all day (like a Netflix and chill day) others none. Probably in general a couple of hours a day.

Way too much to be honest , but the world is a strange place and very scary to a child . He’s happy (ish) and fit and well and that’s all that matters. A few months of this won’t harm him ( he does an hour math and English a day in total, not each) he will be a bit behind when he goes back but most kids will. If he can come out of this with his mental health in tact then that’s all I can hope for even if he’s watching YouTube and playing Mario a lot, I try make time to talk to him and play the switch with him. We are so much closer than we were before.

Being totally honest, probably at least a third of their waking hours. Still doing school work, crafts, baking, jigsaws, biard games, playing together and walking for an hour a day. But there are a lot of hours to fill.

Absolutely buckets, teacher with a 7 yr old and 2 year old.

But 7 yr old keeps spouting random horrible history facts and knows that Charles Dickens died aged 58 🤷🏻‍♀️

Much less when it's sunny as I throw them in the garden. And obviously we walk etc.

A huge amount. I'm on furlough so no work of my own to do but there's only so much school work/baking/crafts you can do!

I'd say about 2 hours first thing in the morning and then another 2/3 hours in the evening while I'm doing dinner and housework.

I am keeping mine on a 9-3 school day, outside of that they can do what they want. They are pretty good and play outside / walk the dog everyday so do do other things as well.

There was way too much you tube yesterday, the weather was crap, they've done all the craft, it is what it is at the moment.

The tv goes on at 7am and goes off at 7pm for my toddler. Of course he has a big nap in the middle of the day, but I'm working full time from home so the tv is all I have to keep him occupied. I feel really terrible for it.

Far too much. I need it to keep DS occupied while I nap DD and then we get stuck in a cycle of watching until the next nappy change or meal or I can convince him to do another activity. I just don't have it in me for the argument and I only have a limited number of activities - the flour has run out and even the dog's bored of fetch!

2.5 year old and a 2 week old here. 2 year old gets a good hour in the morning (sometimes more) about half an hour midday and an hour in late afternoon whilst I make dinner. I feel terrible but she’s climbing the walls now she’s so bored!

We've stuck to normal amounts, so about an hour a day, 10 minutes in a morning, the rest after tea.
It's been a huge effort but we worked to make it stay as normal. Not being smug and if I was still working it wouldn't be the case as I'd have had to resort to screens.
It's also been really helpful that DD has suddenly found a love of reading and is getting through almost book a day. Kindle time doesn't count in screen time.

I can't believe you're worried about 3-4 hours!!

When I'm working the Tele is on all day. Literally

Even when I'm not working it's on hours now

I resent the fact that that's pretty much all she does but she needs me to direct her/play with her and I can't do that at the minute.

5 and 8 year old, probably 6 hours a day to be honest.

Shedloads. Far more than I would like, but I am at work and DH is looking after them (furloughed) and doesn't have the same feelings as I do re getting them away from screens as much as possible. And the extent to which I can complain about this is limited as I am not the one stuck at home with them during all this.

I spent a long time yesterday (and got all the dc involved, which was great as they were off screens whilst doing so) rearranging bits of the house so my youngest has non screen activities set up and easily accessible all around the house, my middle dc's things are set up for schoolwork and not for endless fornite binges, etc.

Actual lol at anyone thinking 2-3 hours telly is loads

I know that's what I thought!

I have a 9 year old and he's spent s ridiculous time on Fortnite and YouTube. I have another 2 kids do it is what it is. He plays in the garden and we go out for a walk every day . I'm not worrying about it. He speaks to his friends online so that's one thing