Will anyone tell me the truth...

[Toddlertwinsmum1]

...about how much kids TV your DC's actually watch? Since having twins (now 1) my DS seems to watch more and more. On an average day it's on in the morning for breakfast time for an hour or so while they eat and I get ready. We then are usually out and about during the day but then when we get home, it's on while I make tea, we eat and until they get ready for bath and bed - possibly another hour and a half. The DC's don't actually sit and watch it that whole time, they are busy playing but it's on in the background. I know I should be interacting with them and I feel bad about it. So, am I a terrible mother? What do other people do?

About the same as you. Some days more, some days less, and I dont have one year old twins! DD is 19mo and is a great little talker and didnt watch any lids tv til about 13/14mo. But now that she has discovered Peppa Pig, she watches tv about the same as yours.

I dont feel guilty about it at all. For the remaining nine hours of her day, she spends 2 asleep and the rest playing toys, games with me, jigsaws, running arpubd the park.

I think our TV is on quite a lot but I justify it to myself because we go out every morning and afternoon to a park/class/swimming etc. Mine are 3 and 1. Total honesty here - this is when it is on:

7am - 9am - We have breakfast together from about 7.30-8, in the kitchen. No TV.

1pm - 2.30pm - DS1 watches a DVD while DS2 has his lunch time nap. I spend at least half an hour with DS1 away from the telly doing craft/lego etc that DS2 is too young for.

5.30pm - 6.30pm - After dinner we are all too tired to do much, DCs normally play a bit aimlessly and I sit with them on the floor with duplo etc but TV is normally on.

I really don't think there is anything wrong with TV if there is a balance. Of course if they do nothing but watch TV it is bad - but TV in itself isn't bad. There are lots of good programmes out there for children.

When ds was a baby I was quite strict on limiting his viewing time but am far more relaxed these days. Its on in the mornings when I'm not working, prob for an hour, maybe a little more on a weekend. We usually do stuff out & about in the day, then we usually put tv/a film on again after tea until we get him ready for bed, approx 1-1.5hr, occasionally longer. He's getting into animation films at mo so he'll watch any chance he gets!

Ps. Ds is 3.

Most mn'ers who's smugly state their children don't watch tv's tend (sweeping statement) to discount time spent on iPads or that old favourite tv's in bedrooms but only for DVDs ( as if that's better)

Hth

True Laboot

Also, my dd is just as likely to ask for "Corrie" as she is "Holly Kingdom" so she just has her little favourites regardless if a cartoon or not.

She only likes the credits to.corrie which she singsalong to

I"m not ashamed to say that my 2.9yo DS watches tons of TV!! Well, it's on a lot anyway. So when I'm not playing with him, or he's not playing on his own in his playroom, he'll watch it.

We're out of the house a lot at playdates, visiting grandparents, going to library, museums etc - and two days a week he's at nursery - but when we're in the house I'd say it's on almost constantly.

Thank heavens for it is what I say! Especially now I have a 7 week old to tend to. And, without wishing to sound boastful...he's a happy, clever, articulate little boy. (Not that I'm saying that's because of the TV - just that it hasn't harmed him. In fact his brilliant role playing I'd say IS partly because of the TV).

You are already making me feel so much better. I don't know why I feel so bad about it, other than worrying that I'm the only one not spending all my time doing activities with DS. That, and the fact that before the twins came I did do much more with him.

Same as most others, an hour first thing and then again before the bedtime routine. Oh, and another 45 minutes for me to watch Pointless but they don't take much notice of that ...

My DS is 2.2y and watches a fair bit. We have sky plus so I limit each session to 2 or 3 recorded episodes of his favourite programs about 3 times a day. So that's half an hour in the morning, half an hour while he wakes from his post nap stupor and another half an hour before bath and bed. I feel it is a lot and he is OBSESSED with it - asks for the tv more times a day than I can count.

But I won't restrict it any more than that or I'd never get a cup of tea in. And I wonder if he loves it so much because I have restricted it - when its on he is utterly engrossed and can't acknowledge anything else - having it on in the background while they play seems less of a big deal to me, I wouldn't worry at all. I do worry however that, when at home, DS seems to only think about beebies. Once we're out he's the most active little boy there is, but in the house, despite thousands of toys, he only wants beebies :(

No idea with dd2 who's 3.4. Some days loads. Some days none. Will watch it until the very second I try to do something. Has had obsessive peppa and fireman Sam phases and various films on constant repeat eg Monsters Inc
She's my third and I worried with the other two (ds 15 and dd1 12) but they haven't grown two heads and are both doing great at school and are not tv watchers at all now (too busy with Facebook and texting and playing computer games)
Meh

I've got a nine yr old that would watch tv all day, everyday. I have to lever her away from the tv. She watches LOADS of tv, and I've given up caring. My 6 yr old would happily not watch any. As long as they are both getting plenty of exercise and can hold a conversation with me then I don't really worry about it.

my 11yo ds is glued to the tv...my 8yr old goes between thr tv and xbox...i've given up trying to shoehorn them off the couch/xrocker...

Today was a typical day. Breakfast around 7.30-8.30am - chatting and a bit of dancing around to Absolute radio 90s...switch tv on around 9am when I want to shower and get ready and do a few chores. By the time Mr Tumble is finished, me, ds1(4) and dd(2) are ready to go out. Park or soft play or play date then come back after lunch for dd to have her nap. Ds1 watches Kung Fu Panda or Cars on DVD (slightly obsessed!) whilst dd sleeps. Around 3pm we either go out again (short shop stops and maybe a treat stop or a play date) or we just play in garden if its a nice day. If we stay in, they dip in and out of Peppa or Sponge Bob but generally are more interested in playing. Tv usually is the back drop to the day but tbh not much is watched until after tea when they chill out on the sofa before bed. Today though, ds wanted to make masks instead so that's what we did. In normal terms, it's quite a lot but its balanced with one if not two outings a day. Both dc sleep 12 hours a night and go to bed knackered so I'm happy they're getting enough stimulation and exercise during the day.

That's a good point, shoot. DS is 3 and IMO has a good vocabulary, in fact he will talk for England. He has started to quote various CBeebies programmes now (current favourite is Peter Rabbit) which is what started me off worrying.

I have a 3 yr old and a 7 month old. TV has increased since the baby arrived! I just find so useful to occupy my eldest and keep her out of trouble while I'm breast feeding, cleaning etc.
Most days- between 7.30 and 8.30.
On for Mr Tumble 9.45
Then again at bath time 6.00 til 7.00 ish
I think as the baby get older it might get less again (I hope!)
If my husbands in charge it's on ALOT more. She just zones it out after an hour though.
I am quite careful about WHAT is on.

shootfromthehip I know what you mean. Ds never shuts up, even when he's watching tv. I took him to the cinema when we were on the ferry to France and although he'd never been before, I really think it was a learning experience. I told him he couldn't talk during it but he kept whispering (think stage whisper) to check he was understanding the narrative. And he really did.

If he was a lumpen lard arse who never wanted to go out then I'd be worried but he runs around like an Olympic gold Tasmanian devil when we're out so I'm ok with the tv thing.

None, zero, zilch when Im in charge (most of the time) and probably 1/2 hour a week of Octonauts on You Tube when his Dad is in charge.
DS is 2.2

When dd was little ds watched loads of tv as I was so tired.

Now they probably both watch about an hour a day at the weekends and on my day off. Ds will watch more when his sister is napping.

I think they watch too much because they're just like zombies and it isn't really that educational. I'd rather they learnt while doing but there you go! It is the world we live in.

My DS watches none. How I wish he might find an interest for 15 minutes even so I can do such things as dry my hair but no he prefers to dismantle the tv speakers and empty the cupboards on the tv stand so parental supervision required at all times. He is 14mo and has no interest whatsoever.

Ds1 used to watch more tv than he does now, and the tv was on a lot more when dd2 was a newborn, just to make my life a little easier. Now we mostly have it on first thing for maybe an hour, while they drink their milk, then I turn it off and we're often out and about during the day so sometimes it doesn't go on again till the bedtime hour 6-7pm on cbeebies. Sometimes he doesn't want to watch it at those times and plays with toys instead, and sometimes we watch it during the day for half an hour while I feed dd2, or we watch a dvd in the afternoon as a treat. So, pretty variable - sometimes as little as half an hour one day, another day might be a few hours.

During school term, DS (4) watches TV after getting dressed and having breakfast from about 8.15am for half an hour or so, then maybe half an hour before tea, and half an hour before bed.

During the holidays, TV is on more, so he maybe watches two to three hours a day if we aren't out for the day. He always watches it when it is on, I don't like it on in the background, so if he loses interest then it goes off straightaway.

Loads.