Do you structure your pre-school age kids' TV/screen time?

[WildWombat]

Really trying to find a system that works for us. I feel like 3yo DS got to rely too much on the telly while DD was a newborn and I was exhausted. I need to wean him off it a bit and try to introduce some time boundaries.
Obviously everyone's family routines are different, but I'm interested in hearing what works well for others. Do you do an hour after tea? Ten minutes here and there as you need it? A family film night?

Blanket rule for DCs 3 and 7 of no tv in the week - the mornings are too chaotic anyway and they’ll happily go and colour or read before dinner. Family film night on Friday. We’re pretty relaxed at the weekend - they’ll often have an hour while we’re cooking breakfast, for example, or DC3 might get a couple of Paw Patrol episodes after lunch to reset if grumpy, but probably not more than a couple of hours across the weekend.

We have half an hour whilst they eat their breakfast and then half an hour after dinner. Weekends they might not get any extra, I try not to but DH likes TV so might watch a baking programme and they can join him or play. Kids are 4 and 3.

For DD (almost 4) we have no TV on nursery days (Mon-Thurs) but then we’ve been fairly relaxed on other days. There might none if we’re out and about but usually a couple of hours each day. Most often there will be an hour in the morning whilst we get ourselves ready to go out and/or some TV time to wind down before dinner (freeing me up to cook).

The general rule we have is that TV doesn’t go on before we are up and dressed/teeth brushed.

I’ve needed to rely on TV a lot more than usual due to pregnancy and newborn. DS is 9 weeks old. We also have ended up doing less due to Covid - it was much easier to get out of the house and go to a cafe, the library etc before.

We try to look at it in the context of a well rounded day - have we played, read books, been outside, socialized, done some creative/sensory play? Usually we can say yes to all these things.

One thing that does annoy me is that when I’m solo parenting, I usually use TV to allow me to get on showering, making dinner, tidying etc or setting up an activity. DH likes to use the quiet time to relax and read the paper….

My rule as preschoolers was basically I only let them watch CBeebies. Ideally from 4pm but like another poster as long as we'd read and played outside sometimes it went on at 11am if I needed to get lunch and they were being particularly grumpy.

At 8&7 now we have half an hour of horrible histories on a school night. Friday evening and Saturday mornings are a bit of a free for all. But by 9am it's off and they're doing homework/rugby/parties etc. Saturday afternoons in the winter are for family programs. We like things like Our Yorkshire Farm or films like The Secret Garden.

We've always done "no TV (or other screens" after food. So they can watch TV in the morning until breakfast then it's time to get ready for the day. And then after school can watch tv until tea then it's time for bath, relax & bed. It's a case of finding what works best for your family, every family is different

We do an hour first thing on the weekend (so I'm getting up at 7 not 6), and sometimes a movie after lunch or while I'm making dinner.

During the week if at childcare (school hours) it's at most 30 mins while making dinner if they're killing each other.

For a 3yo at home with me I'd do an hour or so after lunch to give me a break and maybe still the 30 mins at dinner prep time.

We have CBeebies on a lot of the time, my three year old doesn’t just sit and stare at it though, it’s kind of background while he does other things. I think this is probably frowned upon here but he’s very articulate, excellent behaviour (most of the time) and has learned some really interesting things from children’s programmes, we have a lot of discussions about places, people and things we couldn’t experience at home. I grew up with background TV though so I find it odd to not have something on.
In terms of timings, on days at home it’s on for half an hour in the morning, then off till lunch time, then on for a while, maybe all afternoon and off after clangers. I hate in the night garden and try to not have screens in the hour before bed.

I have a 2 year old and a 5 year old. They tend to get TV while I’m in the kitchen cooking dinner and the youngest has 30 mins of after lunch when she hits a tired spot as she nolonger naps.

No TV after dinner so it doesn’t impact on sleep.

My three year old has tv on from 1-1.30 (after lunch) and 5-5.30 (while I make dinner) - on nursery days (twice a week) he isn't here at lunchtime so only has the half hour in the evening. I wouldn't say we've got the balance right, though - he is obsessed with the tv and asks for it loads and far prefers it to any other activity, which saddens me a bit. I'm not sure whether to stop using it at all but I feel a bit hard done to if so - most people I know have a lot more tv on and have children who aren't nearly as obsessed with it!

No real timing rules here apart from no TV after dinner so it doesn't impact on sleep. On nursery days he generally comes in and watches some whilst I do dinner as he is knackered.

As a PP said if in the context of the day if he's also been outside, done some reading, played with his toys and done some sensory play or colouring then I don't see any problem with him watching TV.

He's at nursery 5 days a week, there isn't really time for TV on a weekday.

At the weekend, he tends to get an hour 4-5 to bridge that pre dinner slump. We don't have it after dinner to allow him to wind down before bed.

I found this after I had my second DC so I did it where DD watched some tv in the morning when we first woke up, then she could choose some kind of screen time after lunch as I made this into our “quiet” time once she dropped her nap and then around dinner time when I was trying to cook if often let her watch something. I often put music on during and after dinner especially if she’s asking for the tv as then she can do a “show” to the music. Once I went back to work and she was at nursery in the day I’d let her watch tv when we came home in part because she was exhausted

TV is on most of the time tbh as I like the background noise and flit in and out of watching as I'm doing other things. Never limited time kids have tv to watch, mix of educational and entertainment shows. Younger do have a limit on their tablets but teen does not on tablet or phone.

I’m more relaxed than a lot on here. DD (3) will have up to an hour mornings & evenings and weekends has more. But she spends 3 days at preschool which includes lots of outdoor activities (it has amazing outdoor grounds) and a day with her granny when they always do a National Trust type place / beach day / other outdoorsy activity plus lots of gardening (granny is an avid gardener).

DD also swims twice a week, does Rugby Tots & we do lots of family walks and bike rides, so overall I’m happy she has a very balanced life & everyone comments how ahead she is socially & in terms of speech etc.

I used to beat myself up about it, then I realised life is too short. Plus I watched loads of telly growing up and turned out fine!