19 month toddler on Cocomelon

[limpim]

My 19 month toddler is very demanding, throws a massive tantrum when he doesn’t get what he wants. The only thing to calm him down is Cocomelon on the tele. So when changing nappies we put that on, sometimes at 2-4 AM he is not sleepy, he throws a tantrum and the only thing to calm him down is Cocomelon on our mobiles.
He is our first and only child - should I be worried?

He's a toddler, of course he's demanding. But cocomelon is dreadful, and have that burning into his eyeballs in the early hours instead of working on his sleep routine is really lazy parenting.

I would avoid screens for as long as possible , especially at night , the bright screens are very addictive .

Sorry, I think you already know it's not a good idea. You'll have to nip it in the bud now, it'll only get more difficult.

I agree to not create a rod for your own back with cocomelon its absolute garbage. I would just stop making it available, especially in the early hours.

Its also okay for kids to have tantrums, they don't need to be instantly placated, I'd try distracting him with some play instead of telly during the day and just cold turkey the screens in the early hours. It will be hard at first but when he realises its no longer an option he'll stop trying to get you to put it on. Xx

At 19 months old he really should not have been exposed to enough TV to have a favourite show.

And of all the options, Cocomelon is one of the worst. Have you done any research on this at all? It is too fast paced & overstimulating.

At the point he’s having tantrums over not having Cocomelon that REALLY needs to be your wake up call to stop, immediately, to reset. Giving in to tantrums is a slippery slope. I get it, I also have a 19 month old, she also has tantrums, but that doesn’t mean we just give in and let her have whatever she wants because actually I’m the parent, I know best.

Think of cocomelon like chocolate, he's learned that if he tantrums he'll get chocolate so of course now he tantrums all the time because he wants to eat chocolate 24/7.

Of course he’ll have tantrums if every time he does he gets rewarded with screen time. Toddlers have tantrums, it doesn’t mean you have to give them what they want.

And Cocomelon is one of the worst offenders in terms of overstimulation for young children. Best to avoid screens altogether but definitely avoid Cocomelon.

Thanks to all for your frank and honest replies.
Yeah totally agree, I am not doing him a favour by putting on Cocomelon.
But a lot of times, push comes to shove, like I need to change his soiled nappies and unless he is still

You will get quick at changing a nappy. Waiting for the tantrum to end could work or distracting him with something which isn't cocomelon like a book or a really interesting toy or something he isn't usually allowed like an old remote control.

If you're managing to justify cocomelon to yourself you're not going to make any progress. For changing, say he needs to change his nappy so does he want to be carried or walk to the mat? If he has a tantrum you say ok, I'll choose for you this time, I'll carry you. And then on the mat, one of your legs over his belly if he won't lie still (give him a toy to hold if he wants it but if he's losing it he probably won't) to keep him there, sympathise with him that you understand he doesn't want to get changed, and crack on. Then play after.

Unfortunately you have to put the effort in to teach him cooperation. In the long run you'll save loads more time. It's OK if he isn't calm all the time. You can ignore a tantrum if he's safe. Change him in the bathtub or standing up holding onto it if you are worried about mess.
If you want to cut screens out cold turkey you're still at an age where you could do it in a day or two. My 8 year old hasn't had my phone in her hands ever, and she hasn't even tried to get it since she was two (she doesn't have a tablet and she watches TV on the weekend only). A hard boundary takes more initial effort, but it pays off for years and years.

Its fine if you actively wish for your child to not learn to regulate his emotions and instead require a screen to do so. Otherwise its a really bad idea.
Sometimes they just have to do things they dont want to and we have to listen to their complaints about it. Thats life isnt it?

Not very long ago, when children who are still at school now were babies/toddlers, we didn't have screens and cocomelon and they just had to feel their feelings.
It was ok though! They survived, we survived.
Sometimes you have to just pin them down and do a quick nappy change, sometimes they are just a bit bored and whingey sitting in the buggy or you have to sing them a song when they're grumpy etc.