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Parenting

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Original poster

Anyone else do more or less unlimited TV for their under 5s?

35 replies

RitaMorgan · 12/01/2012 17:46

I was just wondering if anyone else doesn't limit/ban TV?

Must admit I sometimes feel like I should but not really sure why . 17 month old DS is basically allowed to watch Cbeebies or his DVDs whenever he asks - generally first thing in the morning, and then on and off in the late afternoons between 4-7. I couldn't even give an estimate of how much he watches on average a day, sometimes it'll just be an episode of Waybuloo whereas sometimes he'll watch 15 minutes of something in the morning, then a movie (intermittently) and a couple of episodes of something else in the afternoon.

DP is even less worried about TV watching than me - we both watched lots of TV as children, and quite a lot now, and it doesn't seem to have caused any problems.

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ABigGirlDoneItAndRanAway · 12/01/2012 19:13

I have cbeebies on for a little while in the morning and then later in the afternoon and through to the bedtime hour, its pretty much a background presence in this house. Most of the cbeebies programs have some sort of educational element to them and there are no adverts so I don't see a problem with it, I wouldn't do the same with disney channel or nickelodeon though as they are one big con to sell you all the tat merchandise associated with the shows.

FrillyMilly · 12/01/2012 19:18

I don't really limit tv for DD who is 3. It's on all day if we are home. I flick between shows for me and shows for her. Often it's just on in the background whilst we do other things but if she wants to sit and watch it for a little while I don't stop her. Now she's dropped her nap we do tend to sit and watch a DVD in the afternoon.

pud1 · 12/01/2012 19:32

I am much the same. I think that if it is available when they want it they hardly bother. My dds might watch a fav program like mrtumble for 15 mins and it could be left on but they will play and not watch it for hours. I often find myself watching cbeebies before I realise they are playing in their room. I think if it's not made an issue then they just don't bother

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jellybeans · 12/01/2012 19:34

Ours is on most the time and they can watch when they want but often they are too busy playing. Never done them any harm, oldest 2 were the same and are in the g&t range so I wouldn't worry.

heliumballoon · 12/01/2012 19:51

I found at 17 months DD wasn't that interested.
However, now she is 4 and I have had to limit it, otherwise she would spend all day watching TV/ playing on my iPhone/ playing on the computer. They really hold a magic spell over her and I much prefer her to be playing in lots of different ways.
So OP you might find you need to change your stance when your LO gets older...

KnittingNovice · 12/01/2012 19:51

Mine is on a lot. But the ds (3.7) and dd (23 months) play in the playroom, on the floor and will sometimes sit and watch something special or the bedtime hour.

If we are doing something like cooking or play dough then I tend to put the radio on for me.

We only have cbeebies or thoms DVDs here. Although I will put some of the 'knowledge' channels on like discovery.

DS does also like the food channels!!

StellaAndFries · 12/01/2012 19:53

Our tv is on a coin meter so I try to ration it as much as possible but we don't have a set viewing limit. Half the time if the tv is on they are playing together without watching it.

usualsuspect · 12/01/2012 19:55

I never limited TV for mine ,they could take it or leave it tbh

Nagoo · 12/01/2012 19:56

I don't have the telly on much. Sometimes DS watches on the morning, but I don't have it on all day, it goes on after tea.

Sometimes I think, ooooh I wonder if she'll sit nicely if I put the telly on, and we'll have a cuddle, but Baby Goo just not that into it. I'm not bothered about rationing tv, and if DS wants to watch a DVD he can watch a DVD.

Maybe you have to think about rationing it if they get a bit too into it as they get older, to the detriment of wanting to do anything else. I like to get DS outside in the fresh air, or he goes a bit mental if he's had too much screen time. Does that mean I 'ration' telly?

Original poster

RitaMorgan · 12/01/2012 20:09

pud - DP and I find ourselves doing the same, sitting in front of Waybuloo while ds is playing elsewhere

heliumballoon - you could be right, but at the moment ds is out of the house or asleep 8am-4pm so I don't mine if he watches TV when he's at home. Similarly, when he's 4 he'll be at school all day so that in itself will limit how much he can watch.

OP posts:

suebfg · 12/01/2012 20:15

I've always limited it. Would never leave it on all day for myself, never mind for a young child.

BandOMothers · 12/01/2012 20:22

Woody Allen was addicted to tv as a child and spent all day watching it including tonnes of ads. He's a genius.

My DC haven't been limited at all and they are now pretty uninterested in it...they are 3 and 7 and come home from school and generally play instead. We have the TV off in the day usually (I work at home) and I forget to put it on...the kids don't seem to ask. We did watch a lot when they were very small....

wigglesrock · 12/01/2012 20:23

I never limited it - but if its on and they're not watching it, it gets switched off. Its either CBeebies/ CBBC or a DVD (nothing with ads ). My 6.5 year old can take it or leave it now, she'll watch a dvd but she'd rather draw, my 4 year old watches a bit more but she's at nursery until after 1 now.

Nagoo · 12/01/2012 20:24

Once I had noisy, jabbering DCs I found I can't deal with 'background noise' any more.

debka · 12/01/2012 20:25

Not limited here but they're not really interested. DD1 (nearly 3) may watch 1/2 an hour of Cbeebies snuggled up to me after her nap, but that's about it,

Shakey1500 · 12/01/2012 20:26

I never limit it. DS is 4 and at school now. We'll have Cbeebies on before he goes to school and when he comes home if he wants. Quite often though he'll put Cd's on. He's obsessed with numbers and like to listen to the songs even if it is DH's crappy OMD one and see how long they are

msbuggywinkle · 12/01/2012 20:26

Me! DDs are 5 & 2 and we home ed.

They tend to watch an hour or so in the morning, then rarely watch any more until they are starting to get tired. We have the occasional day where they watch lots, usually if one of them is ill, or if they have something new to watch...we had a Thundercats marathon recently which has sparked lots of role play games!

JinglingAllTheWay · 12/01/2012 20:30

Not limited at all here. When dd1 was little (12 now!) I used to find that her friends who has limited or no tv at home would want to come round and try to glue themselves to it where as dd wanted to play dress up etc.

For the record, I would switch it off and tell them to play, not let them watch tv all day

Still find that now, when the dc have friends over afte school, they will maybe watch one thing and then want to go play, can be very hard to drag some of their friends away from the screen!

InmaculadaConcepcion · 12/01/2012 20:31

I reckon the most important things to avoid for tinies when it comes to TV are adverts (loads of research showing how susceptible LOs are to the messages that come across) and things that are likely to frighten them and translate into unnecessary fears in other parts of their lives. (I remember having disturbed sleep for months after being allowed to watch some inappropriate TV).

There is a school of thought that suggests screen time should be severely limited or even avoided entirely for the under-twos, but you'll most likely find loads of MNers who reckon it hasn't adversely affected their DC's brain development etc. (or indeed their own).

My DH refuses to allow a TV in the house because he was brought up on severely rationed TV and now he can't tear himself away if one happens to be on in the room he's in. My parents had a more relaxed approach (but the telly wasn't on all day by any stretch) and I don't have that problem.

gamerwidow · 12/01/2012 20:34

DD is 18 months and I tend to have tv on in the background most of the time but cbeebies is only before breakfast, after lunch and before bed.
Quite often I'll be playing with DD and she'll turn the telly off if she thinks I'm not playing proper attention so I'll just leave it off then until she has a nap.
She goes to a childminder 3 days a week where there is no tv so it's not like she's in front of the tv all day every day.

I do feel a bit guilty sometimes about how much she watches but she does enjoy it and we do go out and do other activities too.

Meglet · 12/01/2012 20:35

I don't limit it at weekends for my DC's (5 & 3). They only watch Cbeebies and are usually playing at the same time.

If cbeebies isn't on then 24hrs news is on.

headfairy · 12/01/2012 20:35

No limits here either. Ds is very bright and articulate, tv often fires his imagination for playing games. I will turn it off if I can think of something better we can do or I think they've had enough. No protests from them usually as they know they can have it back on when they want.

Must admit though that I do feel smug when we've had whole days at home when we haven't turned it on but done lots of lovely creative things nevermind the horrific mess

suebfg · 12/01/2012 20:37

Would second limiting access to adverts. When our TV is on (for limited periods) we either have Cbeebies on or watch programmes recorded on Freeview and skip the adverts. We never get pestered for the latest toys etc.

notquitenormal · 12/01/2012 20:37

DS, nearly 4, can generally watch whenever he wants but he knows he has to ask first so i can put something on for him and he's pretty well trained to turn it off when the program finished or if he starts doing something else. Rarely watches more than 20mins at a time.

He's been known to turn the telly off on me if I leave the room, because clearly I'm not watching it

If he started goggling all day, I would start limiting it.

miaowmix · 12/01/2012 20:38

I don't limit TV either, and find that DD can take or leave it. I don't have it on as background though, that is a step too far!
I was TV deprived as a child, including the old ITV banning crap, and consequently I am a telly addict so I am taking the opposite approach.

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