Do you let your baby watch tv?

[lollpenn497]

I let my 5 month old watch coco melon when I’m doing housework for around 45-60 minutes does anyone else or should I not do this?

45 mins is too long I think. Tbh I used to put DS in the corner in his jumperoo to watch me doing housework - now aged 2 he is obsessed with hoovering so maybe it stuck! Your little one is still small enough to find you the most interesting thing going so don't feel you have to put on entertainment. (Also, our jumperoo was £40 secondhand but I would gladly have paid full price in retrospect as we got so much use out of it.)

Yes, she's oy 7 weeks but she loves the TV. Doesn't matter what it is she is fascinated and it's the oy thing that settles her at night sometimes. 45 mins is fine. Not sure what people think will happen to their children if they watch a bit of telly everyday. They won't spontaneously combust, or become telly addicts 🤣. Also gives you a break from being the only source of entertainment for them all day. That can be very draining.

Oh and she's my third, and I'm a childminder. Once you've had more that one you realise that these things aren't going to turn their brain to mush or melt their eyes. Right enough I wasn't like that with my first either.

DD is 15 months, and she sometimes watches a CBeebies episode (about 10 mins). It's useful when she's being bolshy and I want her to snap out of it! We've never done more than that really.

Sometimes. He’s 4 months and I’ll let him watch 20 mins or so of baby sensory some days. Personally I think 45 mins is a bit too much, but it’s totally your decision. It’s not going to be seriously damaging or anything.

Doesn't seem much point with a 5 month old, wouldn't they be equally entertained just sitting in a bouncer/jumperoo or in the baby pen with some toys?

My 1 year old doesn't watch TV by herself. My 4 year old watches it, so the little one inevitably ends up watching bits and pieces but not for more than 10 mins or so before she gets bored and starts wandering.

No, though we do online baby class at the moment and I'm not sure I could tell you how that's different really, except I don't get the chance to do the housework! I doubt it will do any harm as long as he's doing other things as well, which I'm guessing must be the case if he's just watching while you do housework.

I used to stick In The Night Garden on if I needed my son to calm down and drink his milk when he was younger. Hes 1 now and I havent for a while, but im totally not against it!

Yep my 5month old watches TV whenever I need a bit of time off. As long as they aren’t literally sat in front of it all day I agree with what other poster said- their brains aren’t going to turn to mush from watching a bit of tele and don’t let anyone make you feel like it will. Parenting in a pandemic is hard enough as it is

Yep I did with mine although mine would last 10-15 mins max before getting bored at that age, plus my mum says all my siblings and I all did and absolutely nothing wrong with us. They find the patterns and colours fascinating and cocomelon has great tunes in it. Don't feel guilty, we need to get things done too.

Yes he watches hey baby sensory sometimes, if you need to get stuff done then you do it and it's not like you ve got it on all day and aren't talking to them.

It's fine OP

Is your baby sitting in a seat watching it? I didn’t really let DD watch tv until she was over a year; I used to watch my own shows a lot but I just didn’t put baby tv on as I didn’t really see the point. I used to just take her round the house while I cleaned - she’d be on a play mat while I cleaned or in her chair playing with toys. Luckily both my DC were happy with that; I guess if she’d screamed while I did it etc then I might have used the tv to entertain her

My son has watched TV for a while now and he's 9 months. It means I can eat hot food or clean up etc

I also let him watch something after he's just eaten to keep him still

It won't hurt them, and there's no trophy for never relying on TV, do what you need to do OP

We like twirly woos and Tee and Mo

DD is a bit older now but I don't think she did at 5 months, I don't think there would've been much point. From about 8/9 months she was watching night garden each evening

Wow I have the TV on a lot compared to u all

I was so anti letting my DTs watch tv, and used to knacker myself out trying to keep them entertained. Eventually I realised that CBeebies was much better than I am at it so started relaxing my anti tv rule. I did try not to let them watch too much.

They used to absolutely love watching the washing machine go round, luckily that was on at least once if not twice a day so they’d watch that whilst I did chores. DS once started crying furiously when the cycle finished so I had to put it on spin 😂

@FruitLoopzz same!

I had baby tv on all day except when DH was home. Obviously she didn’t really watch it and we would be playing or whatever but I always have the tv on and would happily put something on that would entertain her.

I usually only game while DD (4 mo) is sleeping but sometimes if she's awake and settled I sit her on my knee and talk through what I'm doing to her. She seems to like watching the colours at first, but after ten or twenty mins she gets bored so I set down to play with her directly.

I wouldn't leave her unattended watching a screen at her current age.

I’ve basically always got the tv on all day long so it would be hard for my 3.5 month old baby to not watch it! If I think he’s been looking at it for too long I’ll turn him round and entertain him with toys & books but personally if it keeps him happy for a bit so I can do other things that’s fine with me!

Although I did let him watch Frozen with me this afternoon, he seems to enjoy it 😂

What with lockdown not a lot else to do! I had my baby last may in the first lockdown and we just watched tv so it's always on so eventually she ended up watching it! Don't get why it's a big deal we get out, we do activities and now she goes nursery but when we were all at home locked down it helped with sanity for sure!

Yes of course as I'm assuming you fill the rest of the day with lots of stimulation and play and one to one time:) don't put too much pressure on yourself x

Also why do people assume everyone's babies love watching you do housework!!😂 mine never did and I don't blame him..

Needs must sometimes and nothing wrong with alittle television IMO, so many educational programs too! My babies both much preferred to watch me do the housework rather than watch it though when they were that age so there was no need. They especially loved watching hoovering and washing being loaded in and staring at the washing machine! I wish it was that easy now but my 1 and 4 year old want to take over!