If you don't use TV for quiet time, what do you use?

[blushingmare]

I don't have a big thing against TV, but I do find DD is more difficult to motivate, more whiney and tantrummy and generally harder work after a bit of "screen time", whether TV, iPad or phone. She's 2y5m and I think it's just hard to tell a child that young that they're only having "a little bit" of TV.

She's dropping her nap and I really need to have a couple of hours in the day to sort out my 6mo DS and also so all the household stuff, mainly making dinner for that evening.

So I need her to have some quiet time, but would love it to not only be TV. What other activities do you use for 2yo quiet time? She will sometimes lie in her bed listening to CBeebies radio, or looking at books, but calls out to me a lot and I'm always up and down the stairs - something I can't do when feeding and settling DS. It's only really TV that keeps her absolutely quiet!

Mine won't use anything else. At almost 4 she is still too active, distracted and loud for anything except TV to work. I can sit with her and use books or what have you but playing alone quietly is a dream.

I do use the kitchen timer for TV time. When the alarm goes off, so does the TV. She will listen to the timer rather than me!

We don't own a TV.

Ds's are 3 and 4. After lunch they have quiet time either on sofa looking at books with blanket, listening to story CDs ( well downloads as on iPod/ speakers), or draw at the table. They usually do for around an hour, and sometimes fall asleep

Mine doesn't really do quiet time, I wish the telly made him sit still! So my 6 month old basically has no routine or set naps as, like you say, settling a baby with a toddler calling you is impossible.

We do have quiet time after dinner before bed and that is books and puzzles, but daddy is also there for interaction.

With TV, our DC only rarely watch live TV. Instead, they watch something off Sky+ or a DVD as then I find it easier to control how much they watch. Where it goes wrong for me is if I say they can watch X and, as X finishes, I am, for example, emptying the bin & the subsequent programme starts as then they want to watch that one too.

I agree, switching to DVDs/pre-recorded shows helps with the turning off. My dd is a bit older (2.8) and will play quietly with "big girl" toys like playmobil whilst her little brother naps. Sometimes "reads" books to herself (the ones she knows the story to). Mostly it's tv though. I think it has value in moderation and she's learnt lots of things from the shows she watches.

Toys in a room with a baby gate...so in my case it's the lounge for her with the gate on. She won't give me even a minute to myself as a rule so it's sadly necessary and more importantly DS naps and if I don't keep her quiet she'll wake him up. She's loud and he's a light sleeper. I bring a selection of her favourite toys down. But I do also put the tv on alongside and she'll watch it if she's tired, or simply play and it's on for company in the background. When I've got things done I sit with her.

(She's 2 years 4 months)