Toddler Watching TV When Cooking Dinner

[ScreenTimeQuestion]

Hi

My daughter is 20 months old and I am thinking of buying a TV (haven't had a TV for 10 years!) just to entertain my daughter for an hour while cooking in the evenings. I didn't really want DC to watch screens too much at this young age, but I'm struggling and have sometimes given her my phone to watch Peppa Pig and the likes, but definitely don't want her to get into the habit of holding a tiny screen so close to her eyes. I often get her to 'help' with cooking, which has been very successful, but in daily life it's sometimes not very practical... What does everyone else do with their toddler while cooking?

Thanks!

I think it depends on the setup of your kitchen. We have a breakfast bar, and at ther far side we had a small platform she could stand on. So she could watch or do something like play with play dough, do water colouring books etc. We do also quite often use the tv. She knows she only gets about 30 minutes, once a day, only at the weekend and usually it's when a meal is being prepared.

DD is 16 months old and I usually put her in her chair with a toy and she watches me and we "talk". Sometimes I let her open drawers and cupboards and she plays with her plates and bowls (so not dangerous).
I've also got some magnetic toys that stick to the fridge and she plays with those too.
But yes, it is challenging to cook and have a tiny person to supervise as well.

30 minutes of screen time and only on weekends was kind of how I thought I would be when I became a mother too. So far I'm a bad mother... I do cut the limit at 1 hour though. Apparently they're not meant to have any screen time at all bevies 2 years old because of their developing eye sight!

*before

30 minutes a day and only at the weekend 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Only on Mumsnet.

The TV goes on from 4pm til bedtime in our house, my two (3 and 1) watch bits, potter, watch some more, "help", potter etc. To be honest by 4 I'm done for the day and so are they. They perk up when their dad gets home around 5 and play with him etc so I don't feel bad but they certainly have a lot more than 30 mins a day since we also have it on in the morning whilst I'm getting them and everything ready for the day, again they potter/ watch. They're great kids and I don't think it's done them any harm and definitely better than trying to get stuff done with them whining around your legs.

Mine is nearly two, but he’s helped with cooking for about a year.

He probably watches an hour - 90 minutes of TV a day but I wish it was less and I’m trying to make it less, but it’s a personal
preference. He has it on for 30 minutes in the morning, 30 minutes in the evening and then probably 30 minutes on my phone during the day if I need to bribe him into his pram or something.

Glad to hear it 😂

TV is on whilst I cook tea/prep lunches, do bits & bobs. Sometimes she's engrossed, sometimes even if its her fav (Peter rabbit & In the night garden), she'll potter around by me & beg for scraps whilst I'm finishing off cooking lol

Tv is on 4-5hr most days, but that's over the 12/13hr day (maybe 2/3hr child specific). With lots of outings, playgroup, woodland walks, playground, laundry 'helping', soft play, more walks, lots of eating lol.

My eldest didn't reliably watch TV for long enough at that age, I would put it on and she'd watch 5-10 minutes then come and scream at me at the kitchen baby gate the rest of the time. Very stressful but our kitchen is tiny and I didn't think it was safe to have her with me in there.

I can't remember if we put the locks on the cupboards after that point but I staeted letting her in the kitchen with me around the time she turned 2. I would get a couple of pans, plastic cups and bowls, few big spoons etc and some of her toy food from her play kitchen and she would sit on the floor and play cooking with them. That was usually pretty successful but I did have to be super careful in our tiny kitchen moving hot pans about and whatnot with her there on the floor. She was quite good by then at listening to and following instructions.

With DC2 his attention span for TV has been longer from a younger age so again would use the telly and it helps that DC1 is there to talk to him too. Or if telly is off sometimes they will play together. Occasionally they will play separetely but usually then still in the same room. Other times he will just stand at the gate and scream and ignore DC1's best efforts to engage him. We don't have so many locks on the cupboards in the kitchens now, he's just turned 2 and does more silly things than DD like constantly wanting to stick his fingers in all the kitchen bins and throw stuff out of the unlocked cupboards. She really didn't do things like that at that age. So I still don't feel I can keep him safely in the kitchen with me yet. Even if I lock up more of the cupboards again he'd probably just spend half his time playing with the bins bleurgh.

Not sure what is so hilarious about that. Sometimes it is more (e.g. when poorly or very tired), but usually not. It helps that the TV is not in the room we spend most of our time. Also, she has never been determined enough to work out how to use the remote control herself.

DD is now 5, and sometimes she'll listen to CBeebies radio, or music, but at age 5 it is much easier for them to occupy themselves with colouring etc at the table.