Watching cartoons in the nursery

[doart3]

Today I caught my DD watching cartoons on one of the carers cellphone when I arrived at the nursery to pick her up. She is 18 months. I picked her up within the period where the nursery is active, at 17:30.

Is this normal?

I see others have said it, but its not uncommon for nursery workers to put cartoons on if they are about to close and need to clean up.
Also, I know you said it's not a phone, but some nurseries have their own nursery mobiles for taking pictures and updating learning journeys.

My DD is in nursery full time and I'd be very unimpressed if they were showing her cartoons. I just can't imagine it ever happening. The most they do is look at the photos taken of the children on the iPad, go through naming them etc.

Seriously MindyStClaire ?
You'd have an issue with a child watching TV or cartoons for 15mins out of a 10 hour day ??

Absolutely I would, at nursery. Not at home with us, and not at all if someone was doing us a favour and watching her. But every day at nursery that we payb for? I wouldn't be ok with that at all. She's there five days a week and I want her to learn other coping strategies for when she's tired or grumpy than watching a screen. I was actually discussing this with some friends recently, one of their friends had mentioned their nursery doing this, and we all agreed it'd be a deal-breaker for us.

MindyStClaire You send your child to nursery 5 days a week and refuse to let her have any wind down time there? You want her to learn "coping strategies" for when shes tired? Can I tell you the kids I look after who are in 5 days a week get absolutely exhausted and they don't have coping strategies because they are toddlers. And yes at the very end of the day when they have had enough we put the screen on for 10 minutes whilst parents are picking up. It helps distract them from the fact that their mum hasn't arrived yet.

Next time you get home from work and kick off your shoes and watch a bit of TV, have a word with yourself get back up off that settee, and learn some other coping strategies instead!

Completely agree @missyB1. If the child doesn’t 2 mornings a week then no I suppose I wouldn’t be happy with them watching cartoons but after a 10 hour day (5 days a week!!) I don’t see a problem with watching cartoons for 15 minutes. Poor loves.

Does 2 mornings ** not doesn’t

By coping strategies I mean wind down time. In DD's nursery they give them a cuddle, sit them down with a quiet toy, read them a book etc. The way children have always wound down for the centuries TVs and smartphones didn't exist. I don't "refuse" to let them use cartoons, they just don't because it's not appropriate in a professional setting. And fwiw DD isn't typically tired at the end of the day anyway, although I'm sure some are.

The recommended screen time for under twos is zero, so I would expect that to be adhered to in any professional childcare setting and I think most parents would think the same.

Oh and my daughter doesn't need any sympathy for being in childcare (9 hours a day, very happily).

Technology etc is actually part of the EYFS now and the use of iPads and using technology is encouraged to help them learn (just saying)

Hardly encourages that children just be plonked in front of a cartoon though.