Withdrawing tv. Out of sight out of mind?

[NoToastWithoutKnickers]

We don't have a tv license so the only tv that DD (2.3) watches is a couple of dvds or Charlie and Lola on you tube.

Recently she's been wanting to watch dvds with more and more frequency and I'd like to put a stop to it by locking the tv away in the hope that without it's presence she'll give up asking for it. (I wouldn't completely stop her from watching it, just not every day).

So my question is this: do I just put it away one night when she's in bed or let her see me put it away and explain why?

TIA

I switched mine off at the plug socket one day, d thought it was broken when she tried to switch it on and it didn't work

Mine's always switched off at the wall! I'd really like her not to be able to see it so she stops asking.

Can I ask what you are trying to achieve? Don't take it as bitchy or rude please - genuine interested question!

My dd is 4 and I'm AMAZED what she has learnt from tv programmes for her age group! It's not on 24/7 and she does loads of activities but it is a surprisingly useful tool.

Yep, what Grassisgreener said.

But in answer to your question - I'd just piupup

Argh...

I'd just put it away one night. I don't think this will stop her asking totally though.

I wouldn't put it away. I'd just persevere with saying no. She has to learn that she can't have it on all the time.

We don't have a licence, and use our set as you do - for dvd's. DS is 6 now and knows when he is allowed to watch DVD's and that we have the occassional rainy day/poorly day treat of extra viewing in the afternoon.

How much does she watch a day though?

I agree with queen. Kids need to learn they can't have what they want all the time. I think banning anything whether it be tv or sweets or whatever just makes them want it more. As hard as it is just keep on being firm and saying no. Distraction might work, when she asks offering another fun activity you can do with her. I think tv or dvds like most things are fine in moderation

Thanks for the replies.
Firstly, I'm not trying to ban it altogether, just to limit the amount of time she spends asking for it.
I know I can just say 'no' but I'd rather she didn't ask for it in the first place, that it's something I can offer rather than something she requests.
Grass as we don't have a tv licence she doesn't have access to all those programmes so that wouldn't make a difference.

Thanks again for the replies. I think I'm still going to put it away just to see what happens

We also don't have a licence and DVDs are limited to weekends. The DCs know this and don't generally ask during the week. Explain to her the difference between workdays and weekend days.

We have a no television on a weekday rule. DVDs are allowed at weekends if we're not busy with other stuff. I'd never hide the tv. It's just a tv.

I must admit dd asks for it a LOT at the moment. Ds2 is 4 months old so we are just emerging from the newborn mummy feeding all the time phase when I jsut stuck the TV on. Saying No causes a fair few tantrums but she'll get over it in time . Ds1 is 5 and hardly ever asks, he just sits down with lego. TV is still overused after school though. Ds1 is shattered and grump, dd just wants to play with him, he gets cross, she can't do anything without him shouting at her and they end up screaming at each other while I am trying ot cook dinner and deal with ds2 who is screaching at me as that is his super fussy time of day when he wants to be fed and joggled nad rocked and fed and jiggled. TV time! A few more months and I'mm wean them off it again .

No advice to offer, but very interested in the discussion. Our son is 6 months old and we've decided to avoid TV until he's at least 2 (as per American Pediatric Association's guidelines) www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090113074419.htm

But after that we will need to find a way of limiting the viewing. I like the idea of TV is for weekends, but even then do you have a limit on screen time? e.g. you can watch 1 hour, so which DVD would you like?

It's actually been quite good for us as parents cutting down screen time, because the only time we watch TV is when he's asleep or when I'm feeding him for his long feed in the morning. And like giving up alcohol when pregnant, it's amazing how much you don't miss it when you've gone without it long enough. We're out and about much more during the day time and at weekends, reading books, playing and chatting with our baby...talking to each other!

When I was school age, I was off sick quite a bit and the only TV on during the mornings then was "Schools and Colleges" TV - the worthy TV programmes about science, reading, maths, etc. I learnt LOADS from watching those but I was probably about 8 or 9 years old.

We've put a ban on weekday TV too - 9yr old DD was getting a bit too attached to it, watching too much rubbish & seemed to think she could just help herself to it I'd also noticed that she was picking up phrases from TV that I wasn't happy to hear she's been using at school, but was initially flummoxed as to where she's got it from - turned out calling everyone an "Idiot" is a favourite of Sadie J - so we put a weekday ban on it & weekend viewing depends on her behaviour during the week - She doesn't complain & I've noticed a massive improvement in her behaviour, its also lovely to see her finding other ways to occupy herself :)

We've never been anti TV, I very much agree with the posters above who say it can be a great learning tool, DD counting VERY early was solely down to Fimbles - at 16 months I hadn't bothered trying as thought her too young, so was I was pretty shocked when she accurately stated counting things like stairs up to 20

I agree with limiting it though, but don't hide it, your DD needs to learn young that YOU are in charge of the TV (& everything else) & that NO means NO this is an important time for instilling those rules into DCs, hiding the TV simply robs you of an opportunity to teach her that you call the shots - we did that & I firmly believe that is why DD has never complained about the more recent ban, she just accepts that how it now is & finds something else to do :)

I got fed up with dh or dd idly flicking on the television and channel hopping. Or watching something nobody was particularly interested in because it was on. And I'd ask a question and people would grunt at me. I'm not anti tv at all and though I say no tv during the week, if we were at a loose end and fancied it and there was something on, it'd go on. DH and I watch a couple of things in an evening each week but that's it. And it's really lovely I've found. Nobody misses it. We actually congregate in the kitchen instead now and we talk, draw, build, craft, laugh etc. 10mo ds has never seen the tv on, I'm not sure he knows what it is tbh. We rarely watch tv at the weekend even. It just sort of gets forgotten about.

Indith, at 10mo ds's fussy time is still around the time dinner's due. I've started cooking something after his morning nap (when he's happiest) that I can just bung in the oven (lasagne, fish pie, cottage pie etc) or putting the slow cooker on in a morning. Means I only have to serve up. Sorry if that's patronising guff, but it's save the fraught dinner time behaviour.

That sounds lovely :) I think I could handle it with your age gaps, tis the addition of dd in the middle that seems to lead to violence between the big 2 as soon as I turn my back . Not that it happens all the time, if it isn't raining we are in the park with friends from the moment we get back til dinner time with all the parents popping in and out of their houses to do cooking/fetch ice lollies/make cups of tea. I do the slow cooker thing too when I can, I just don't get long between getting home from school and picking dd up from pre school.

At the weekends though we end up watching shaun the sheep together, I do love watching something we can all giggle at .

Oh yes. We watched ooglies the other day and all laughed like drains.

I was aware that I sounded like I was over simplifying things. I reached rock bottom at about 6 months with every dinnertime being a horrid nightmare. I couldn't put ds down, dd needed help with homework and some attention as she was tired and had just had a long walk home from school and was just grumpy, no clue what time dh would get in each day etc. I know I don't have a middle one complicating things, I take my hat off to you. I was out so much with bfing cafe, peer support, toddler groups, school runs etc that I didn't have time to do stuff during the day. But I rejigged and have just found it that much easier knowing I don't have to be preparing food from scratch during the post school, pre bed crankiness.

At least my dh is either here or not here, takes some of the guesswork out! It is just the dynamic between the big 2 really when both tired. It makes just cooking spaghetti to go with the bol sauce into a nightmare involving pan boiling over, pasta sticking, pan boiling dry, pasta overcooking and so on because I keep having to break up fights. Still, dd's room is now built. Just needs plastering and painting then I can separates them . Until then, octonaughts!