6 year old on YouTube Kids all the time

[Catwoman76]

My wife and I take it in turns to spend the day with DD6. My wife is great at teaching DD and does a few activities with her. She let's her watch YouTube kids on TV.

I am looking after DD today and she is not engaging in school work. Managed 10 mind this morning. All she wants to do is put YouTube kids on.

I switched Internet off so she couldn't use it.

Am I getting myself all uptight for no reason

Shall I just let her so she is happy?

I don't want to be the bad cop all the time.

a child still needs supervision on YouTube kids - there can be unsuitable stuff on there.

you need to find other activities that will engage your child. If she don't want to do school work, then do cooking or painting or go for a walk or tell stories or something. All those can build academic skills (e.g. weighing ingredients for cooking) without seeming like work.

We have no screens between 9 and 3 (unless it's for work). I think a rock solid rule like that is easier that having battles daily. But yes, prioritise wellbeing. Just not with screens as I think that's counterproductive in the long run.

I'm up for a bit of bribery.
DS gets CBeebies of a morning and whilst were doing homework but no YouTube until work is done / lunchtime.
We do a school task or two every hour and he's allowed free play in-between but often has it off and plays with his toys

@parietal

a child still needs supervision on YouTube kids - there can be unsuitable stuff on there.

you need to find other activities that will engage your child. If she don't want to do school work, then do cooking or painting or go for a walk or tell stories or something. All those can build academic skills (e.g. weighing ingredients for cooking) without seeming like work.

Ive do all those activities with her.

I just get really wound up with her watching rubbish. Yes, I supervise her with it.
It's driving me up the wall.

I will need to tell my wife to have boundaries re tv

What does she watch on there op?

I will need to tell my wife to have boundaries re tv you'd get your answer if I was your wife. Whilst she is teaching and looking after her, you don't get to make the rules unless something she is doing is dangerous / inappropriate. When you teach / look after her then you get to set the rules.

Ask your wife how she gets DD to do her work

Discuss with her whether lockdown has mean Ian increase on screen time and of you should cut this down

Do not tell her the new rules you have made up for how she is to care for your child henceforth

I agree with you, there is no actual benefit to a child watching it, so if you want it to stop just stop it.

We put the telly in the loft for a while when it got too much. No one was harmed, two days later it was like it had never been there and they found other things to do.

A few months later we got it back out, no recurrence of the problem. Sometimes it is just a phase.

She watches Trinity and Suzannah. 2 sisters playing etc

Oh - I sort of missed that you need to discuss this with your wife - yes discuss first properly of course!

Am I being unreasonable then to get so wound up by this?

My 7 year old is barred from youtube, we deleted the app from the TV and he has no Internet enabled devices.

This is due to a severe youtube addiction. He had even started sneaking downstairs in the middle of the night to watch it!

She is 6, be the parent

Yes, probably.

What's actually happened? You've said come on its phonics and she's asked to finish her programme and you've said no and turned it off so she's moaned? You've said let's work and she's screamed in your face? You've finished all the work and now you want her to relax on a manner of your choosing?

Too little detail to know iyabu

If your wife is good at teaching her maybe ask your wife for some suggestions?

No screens on weekdays here for our 4,7&8 year old and then a few hours on the weekend only

Mine pretty much watched Netflix and YouTube for 8 hours a day in the first lockdown because I needed to work (we don't have freeview or any normal tv, and dh can't wfh so it was just me all day every day). It's not ideal, but it can be necessary if you need to get things done and you need them to just be quiet for a meeting.

If, as it sounds like it, you are taking turns not working so that you can be with her, then I think you are able to put more boundaries in place. Can you just remove the youtube? That's eventually what we did as I can't be around to supervise all the time. Ours (who is 8) can watch Prime or Netflix, but there's no YouTube anymore on the tv. I think small blocks of work, mixed with fun, colouring, reading together, modelling clay, etc. and getting outside, even for a short walk, makes it easier. If you need her to watch something so you can work, just put restrictions on what that is though.

Well yes, the problem is you’ve noticed there is a problem (too much screen time) and instead of being a parent and dealing with it like your supposed too, instead your going to blame your wife and tell her she is to ban screen time so it makes parenting easier for you!! Even though your wife is quite successful in her parenting being able to get the child to do her school work.

So Yh, that’s a problem really, why not ask her for tips, I’m sure she would be delighted in explaining it to you.

I think you and your wife need to agree on boundaries around the tv; my DD loves kids you tube and after lunch she can choose to watch something on tv or kids you tube then we move on to another activity

Think I was having a moment when I wrote this.
Anyway my strategy was I gave her 30 mind to watch her program and after the 30 minutes we were going to do some activities together. Everything was as calm as can be!
Thanks to all you posters xx