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Original poster

I know it's been done before, but please tell me...

30 replies

emkana · 14/11/2004 20:11

... how much TV your children watch per day on average(am having a paranoid Mummy moment in which I need to know that I am/my children are normal)

I will make it easy for everybody
Do your children watch
a)less than an hour a day
b)between one and two hours a day
c)more than two hours a day

And if you want to add the age of your child(ren), great.
Dd1 who's 3.5 watches between one and two hours a day - it used to be more, but we've cut down a lot. It could be even less if she didn't watch so much at her grandparents, but that's another thread .

OP posts:
blossomhill · 14/11/2004 20:13

dd - 5 and ds - 6. On average about 1 hour per day. They are at full time school though!
When they were about the same age as your dd I would say about 1-2 hours. Sometimes more if it was a really horrible rainy day or one of us was ill.

tortoiseshell · 14/11/2004 20:14

Ds used to watch loads more, but we are trying to limit him to 1 hour a day. However, it usually ends up being more like an hour and a half on average. Some days he doesn't watch any, but he doesn't usually watch more than that. He is 3 btw. Dd who is 15 months doesn't watch any - she just isn't interested in it yet.

emmatmg · 14/11/2004 20:15

Ds1-5.7 yrs
Ds2 3.5 yrs
Ds3 13 months.

Ds2 is by far the worst of the lot and would sit in front of the tele all day if I let him.

I'd say they watch waaaaay over 2 hours per day.
(excluding Ds3, he only watch a a few minutes here and there.)

Tinker · 14/11/2004 20:17

Must be more than 2 hours (daughter is 7). She gets up at the crack of dawn to watch 'Dick n Dom' and I'm not getting up that early just to say "No television". This will also include watching videos as well. This is one of my 'Don't cares'. She does other stuff, is pretty well-rounded.

blossomhill · 14/11/2004 20:19

TBH - Mine are far more interested in the computer these days!

Original poster
emkana · 14/11/2004 20:41

bump

OP posts:
codswallop · 14/11/2004 20:43

more in winter
? 2 hours

ponygirl · 14/11/2004 21:00

Well, having scanned the posts so far, I feel much better! Ds1 (5.11): 1 hour on a school day, probably 1-2 at weekends. Dd (3.10): loves telly and probably watches 1-2 on playgroup days and 2-3 other days and weekends. Ds2 (21 mos): probably only about half-an-hour in small bits all day. They all do lots of other things (even dd! ) and in fact, I've found that not making an issue out of it (unless it's getting really out of hand) they're more likely to walk away of their own accord.

Original poster
emkana · 14/11/2004 21:01

Come on people! Just a, b or c!

OP posts:
Original poster
emkana · 14/11/2004 21:01

Sorry, ponygirl, posts crossed.
Keep them coming!

OP posts:
joanneg · 14/11/2004 21:03

ds 2 - b I think. Sometimes a little more (if watching a film like Nemo) sometimes less, if we are out. more in the winter

Angeliz · 14/11/2004 21:04

Depends.
DD probably watches more than two hours as it's on at 7.30 am for the wiggles. She is at nursery every morning now though then has a very active social life, (she's 3 and nobody warned me how busy i'd be when she started nursery ), so i really don't mind her watching it in the evening too as she is usually knackered by then.
Mind you today she's hardle watched it at all as she's halped daddy in the garden for hours, (while i cooked in peace and watched Eastenders )

Gobbledigook · 14/11/2004 21:05

Depends,

If ds1 is at nursery (mornings) some days it can be barely anything cos we'll then do stuff in the afternoons too (ie going out)

If don't go out in afternoon, TV is often on and ds's watch it in short bursts then carry on playing.

If ds1 not in nursery and for some reason housebound all day, they probably watch more than 2 hours worth. Often they watch cbeebies bedtime hour after tea while I bath and feed ds3 - keeps the house calm for this time.

Cbeebies tends to be on but they don't watch it solidly, they like it on in the background but I'm getting better at switching it off and just saying no. Recently I've started switching the TV off completely and putting music on instead and they quite like that.

I don't get too hung up about it to be honest. It won't kill em.

Hulababy · 14/11/2004 21:08

DD is 2y 7m. And on average she watches about 1 to 2 hours a day. However the TV is on more than that, but she dips in and out. Some days - when we spend the whole day at home for example - it can be in excess of 2 hours that she watches. However, I do choose the channels she watches and pretty much limit it to CBeebies programmes now. I am not keen on her watching cartoons yet.

She also watches videos/DVDs and listens to CDs.

Tommy · 14/11/2004 21:11

My DSs are 2y10 and 14m and they certainly watch more than 2 hours a day - if only between 6-8 am sometimes! But TBH, it's often more than that - we have the breakfast burst, the after lunch burst and the tea time burst - unfortunately, on CBeebies, that means watchihg the same programmes 3 times a day!

northstar · 14/11/2004 21:16

ds 2yrs7mths - 1 hour in morning before playschool, and videos in the afternoon (if we're at home. Tues mornings could be 2hours, we cuddle on couch under blanket as nowhere nicer to be with your ds when its winter and you're pg

PicadillyCircus · 14/11/2004 21:31

DS is nearly 1 and watches less than an hour a day.

Original poster
emkana · 15/11/2004 08:46

bump for the day crowd

OP posts:
elliott · 15/11/2004 11:14

ds1 is nearly 3 and ds2 is nearly 1. Ds1 only watches videos rather than TV. 90% of the time he asks for the same one which is rather tedious... He's at nursery 3 days a week, on those days he watches for about 20 minutes in the morning. On days we are at home it is probably less than 30 mins, sometimes none at all. Ds2 doesn't really watch at all but he is usually in the room when it is on.
Tbh I'm surprised that we aren't watching more by now, but we just don't seem to need to, and I'm certainly not going to start forcing it on them! I'm lucky that both ds's enjoy playing by themselves so I rarely need to use it to keep them occupied and out of the way.

marialuisa · 15/11/2004 11:25

3.5y and around an hour a day max. But quite often none at all in the week. This is probably because we leave the house at 7.45 am and don't get in until 5 pm and have a no TV until after dinner rule.

Babblan · 16/11/2004 12:00

Ds 2years and 10 months less than an hour video a day. Does not like TV programmes.

moosh · 16/11/2004 12:42

Ds ( nearly 5yrs) during the week about an hour a day, a bit of Channel 5 or Cbeebies before school and CITV in the aftenoon. Usually plays with toys once CITV has finished. But at weekends it can be up to two hours usually a video or Diggin It!
Ds (8 months) none at all except for about 15 mins of Tweenies or Boobah Video sitting in the high chair while I clean and wash up after lunch.

Easy · 16/11/2004 12:51

ds aged 5 watches about an hour all told on school days, but more than that on weekends, depending on what we're doing.

If he's really tired after a busy day I think it's a harmless way to keep him entertained. I do restrict his channels tho'. Cbeebies, Nick jr. and Boomerang are 'His channels' and he doesn't watch anything else (except gardening or wildlife programs with me, oh and he LOVES Fred Dibnah).

I wouldn't let him watch Power Rangers, or anything violent. I don't count TOM and Jerry as violent BTW.

jennifersofia · 16/11/2004 22:04

None - don't receive BBC. Children 3.5 and 2. We do watch a video at the weekend sometimes if it is rainy though!

hana · 18/11/2004 11:56

dd ( 3)
a