What is your view on letting toddlers watch wildlife documentaries?

[MoRaw]

Over the past two days my 2.5 year old has been watching wildlife documentaries with me. He seems to be engrossed but I am wondering whether the scenes with the predators hunting, killing, and eating their prey may be too much for his little brain to absorb and make sense of.

I watched a lot of wildlife programmes when I was young (not that young, I don't think) and I remember always enjoying them. I don't think my impressionable mind was damaged (so she says).

I think it's ok. My dd has always loved dinosaurs and we've watched quite a few gory programmes as a result...she seems to take it in her stride, always asking lots of questions which I answer matter of factly. It's the natural world, animals have to kill for meat, you don't need to hide that from children (nature docs sound nice and wholesome anyway, I fear I may be on shakier ground with the dinosaurs!)

Absolutely fine. There is nothing wrong with understanding predation - our ancestors would have seen it in everyday life from a young age.

At least it is real - not a cartoon interpretation of the world.

It's fine, it's how the world works. I too was obsessed with wildlife documentaries from a tiny age. I grew up in a shooting, hunting fishing family and there were regularly rabbits, guinea fowl, pheasants etc hanging up in the outhouses. It never affected me badly. In fact I am now a zookeeper!
I think it's important for children to learn very early on where their food comes from and that nature is not all fluffy fluffy huggies bunnies.

my sister worked in an orphanage in Mongolia for a while. She read them winnie the pooh. The kids couldn't understand why Christopher Robin wasn't hunting the bear and eating rabbit and lost interest. They did however love 'we're going on a bear hunt.'

Glad you asked the question as I was wondering this myself. I think I'm the one who's more traumatised than dc though - the older I've got the more emotional I am, esp since becoming a mum!

I'd never given it any thought, actually. But then, I was brought up on a farm and always knew exactly where our food came from...

Ds is 3. he likes to inspect the dead birds that our cat leaves for us.. Its natural, we tell him. Its the way things are supposed to be, our cat is built to be a hunter, even though we've made him soft and playful, he still has the same instincts as a cheetah or tiger.

The same with wildlife documentaries.

Mine watch all sorts, in fact DS got a David Attenborough box set when he was about 6 and both him and his sisters are currently absorbed in various fishing programmes.
My IL's are farmers and we spend a lot of time with them. The more gruesome parts of nature are all around them bastard foxes.

I don't remember being traumatised by predation gory bits.

The only thing I can remember being really upset by was a sequence following a clutch of ostrich eggs. The eggs were laid over a period of time but all hatched about the same time, and when the last one hatched, the mother moved away from the nest and all the babies followed her. But the smallest baby wasn't as strong, and lagged behind, and eventually lost contact with the family. It was left as a heartbreaking shot of a lost baby ostrich, making pathetic cheep noises, while a hyena stopped, sniffed the air, and moved in purposefully.

Oh and all those poor baby turtles being gobbled up before they've even reached the sea made me cry too.

It's fine. Mine have always watched David Attenborough docs. I think they're good starting points for important topics.

Another family of Sir David here. As PP have said, they have to understand that predation is part of nature, circle of life etc.

It gives you the opportunity to answer questions about this kind of thing honestly and matter-of-factly. I think demonising the gory aspects (i.e. not allowing them to watch while young) will make it harder for them to accept as they get older.

DD and DS also love 'River Monsters'.

Oh Gawd, we did this, huge mistake, Attenborough DVD for 4yo DD who loved animals.

DVD was all about them shagging & eating each other. (Sigh). Some rather awkward questions...