How often does your toddler watch cbeebies/DVDs?

[Littleraysofsunshine]

Saw an interesting blog by the-mule about it and just wanted to know different peoples experiences? My dd does like her DVD and cbeebies sometimes. Snuggling up on the sofa together. I don't feel it's impacted her in a bad way as we go to playgroups about 3 times a week, have play dates etc and she's very intelligent, can put 3/4 word sentences together, counts and does half the alphabet. She's 22monyhs. But why is it that I do feel guilty letting her watch tv, especially when I'm doing dinner or something. She plays nicely with toys too.

My dd is 13 months old and the only tv she 'watches' is the Cbeebies bedtime hour. It is part of her 'wind down' routine. She has a bath at about ten to 6 (after she has eaten tea because she gets into such a mess) and then she gets into her pyjamas. Whilst one of us is bathing and changing her, the other tidies all of her toys away and gets out her teddy bears and story books. When she comes down stairs we start to wind her down by reading stories and cuddling her teddies. Usually we read through 'Driver Dan' and 'Charlie and Lola' and then she sits and watches 'In the night garden' completely transfixed. After that we go to her nursery, she has her milk and sometimes another story (depending on how sleepy she is) and then bed. I work four days, but on my morning and afternoon off (on different days) we go to soft play, swimming or to the park. She goes to nursery where she does a lot of structured play and singing. Then in the evenings either me or hubby pick her up by 4pm latest and spend an hour playing/reading/chatting with her. We sit with her whilst she eats, play with her in the bath etc. Therefore, I do not feel guilty about letting her watch some tv. The TV will be something I allow as she gets older too, but in moderation and not in play of interactive playing. When I was a child I played out with my friends a lot and only really watched TV just before bed or sometimes on a Saturday morning. Friday evenings were 'family movie night' and that is something I want to do with dd when she gets older. Children should not be sat in front of the TV for hours on end, but I do not think a little TV hurts.

Yeah in moderation is fine I think, I'm parenting on my own as do is away until 4 weeks time

He's been away since December so its been tough and we have a 3m old also.

Dd started off with bedtime hour, we also watch a bit of cbeebies in bed if up early before breakfast. I do reading to her, play with her so I shouldn't feel guilty but just can't help it.

She loves Disney too (I have a collection from when I was a kid!)

I use to play out too, but remember watching tele in the mornings, e endings with my dad and also loved cost Saturday mornings watching it.

For those of you that don't use tv, how do you keep your children entertained?? With more than one child too

Mine watches about 45 mins a day usually

Ds watches about half an hour with dh in the morning (while dh tries to wake up) and about half an hour with me in the evening from about 5pm though not bedtime hour as ime watching tv before bed hypes ds up rather than winding him down (I'm the same).

Dd watches more now that I'm pg with dc2! Varies each day, but I try not to have it on after 8am or before 5pm. This doesn't always work...

Whenever i have things to do the tv goes on or i'd never get anything done, ds is 7mo so he doesn't really watch it maybe something catches his attention for a few mins at a time it's mostly because he doesn't like being left and it keeps him happy hearing the voices. He does watch a disney jr dvd during breakfast and dinner which he gets into.

I'm pro tv nice free baby sitting :P

None - ain't got no tv.

My DD is 16mo and just doesn't 'get' TV. We have it on to watch QI and various things and she prefers to sit on the floor with her back to it, unloading the blocks from her trolley or something. I've tried Elmo and Pocoyo and she wriggles away....

How old were your DC when they engaged with it? Find DD's attitude a bit odd.

My 2.10 year old watches it when ever he asks for it.

Some days he will want to watch beauty and the beast 5 times in the day. Some days he's not interested.

I wouldn't stick him in front of it for the whole day though.

Mine watches a lot more than most on this thread ( have a 6 week old as well). About 30 mins in bed in the mornings, about 30 mins before bed in the evenings, and on days when we're he can easily watch a couple of hours through the day. He's 3.1.

We avoid watching TV while our son (8 months) is awake - I'll sometimes watch something recorded when giving morning breastfeed or, rarely, if partner is watching sport during the day it's when baby is out of eyesight of the TV. We're going to try to stick with that until he's at least 2.

We keep him amused on his own, by setting up a play area with toys, if We need to do something e.g. Spoon and pots, bowl with plastic objects in to take out/put in. Otherwise we play with him, do singing games - I got the ukelele out this week and he loves that. Or he's still happy to lie in his cot watching a musical mobile if I need to do something in another room for a while.

I also do a running commentary if doing chores around him e.g. hanging up clothes, making tea, tidying up. Seems to keep him happy but bit embarassing when I do it out of the house...and he's asleep!

My 22 month old loves tv. He usually watches a little bit in the morning when we are getting ready for work and then a little bit (say 20 minutes) at night when he is winding down and I am trying to prepare dinner. I just put on DVDs of playschool or Bananas in Pjs or something else like that. He usually runs around, watches a few minutes and then comes back to it. At night he will sit calmly and watch it for 15 minutes while he has his milk.

I am pro tv in moderation. I certainly watched tv when I was young but we never had it on at dinner time and never in the mornings before school. Plus we read every night so I think it was quite controlled. I plan on doing the same with my son. However, without some tv he would go nuts as would we.

We don't have the tv on at all during the day while the children are around. My daughter is 3 this month nd my son is 7 months. It started out as a conscious decision for her not to watch tv but now it is just habit, it just woukdn't occur to me to turn it on. she used to go to a child minder two days a week where she would watch it but she never really got into it. When I was pregnant with my son I did put it on for I the night garden but it never held her attention for very long.

DS is 20 mo and he watches a Baby Einstein dvd (about 25-30 mins depending on which one) each evening before we start the bedtime routine. I first sat him in front of one at about 3mo as a way of getting some respite - he was a high maintenance baby! He is, strangely, completely uninterested in tv other than Baby Einstein.

We sometimes put e4 on in the early evening for us and she loves big bang theory theme tune but won't watch it. DH put barney on YouTube on the tv the other day and she was transfixed so he immediately turned it off. I don't think tv is of any benefit to her at 8 months so we never have it on really, DH more likely to put it on than I am but never kids programmes. However am sure if we have dc2 that'll all go out the window as I'd want to breastfeed on demand again as I have DD

Well it's not slowing down my dd! She watches half an hour in the am while I get ready and up to an hour on the evenings while I cook etc. she seems to need the wind down time too.
I absolutely agree with limiting tv time and bring conscious how much they watch - I only allow cbeebies and the c5 cartoons in the am. If we have a visitor the tv goes off no exceptions (but that's a hangover from exp having no manners).
Dd at 2.11 can nearly read and is extremely articulate. She is also very outgoing and adventitious.
When she was smaller I really panicked about tv but she seems to go out and about enough to apply things in real life. For example since she saw peppa pig she is all about jumping in real puddles - this kind of thing happens a lot - tv has actually broadened her horizons

We put the bedtime hour on most evenings for 20 mo DD as part of her wind down routine. On my good mummy days I'll sit and read with her until Night Garden when she has her milk, but if we're all a bit frazzled or she's really tired it goes on for Driver Dan.

DVDs, rarely. But she does love the Sing and Sign DVDs, which I'll use if we're having a slow day at home and she needs a bit of stimulation and I need to read MN a break.

I put stuff on for me sometimes in the day, but she mostly ignores it unless there are animals or babies on, or there's music playing.

I put cbeebies on for an hour in the morning and an hour in the evening. Dds are 2.7 and 8m. DD1 likes some of the programmes and plays and chats while it's on. It's off the rest of the time and she never asks for TV. DD2 never looks at it ,so far.

I have a Timmy Time DVD and the muppet show for if she's ever sick and use it to keep her occupied when trying to cut her nails or hair.

My 16mo just watches 'In the night garden' every night. We have watched it this afternoon as we had a bumped head and needed Iggle Piggle to cheer us up. But that is an exception.