All my toddler wants is to watch tv

[Kiki91]

Every morning every afternoon everytime we come through the door
my 3 yo just says ‘mummy can I watch tv’ it’s the only thing he wants
he has toys, we play together, we do arts and crafts and playdoh but all he wants is tv

does Anyone else have this?

we find him a very hard toddler he’s very sensitive
i love him dearly but I’m exhausted from the battle of no tv all the time

Yes, but we say no and he stops asking and finds something else to do.

My son would spend every minute gaming, if he could. Set a TV time limit and the answer each time your toddler asks to watch TV is, “it’s not time yet”, then divert him into something else. In the early days, it may be a struggle, with tantrums and breakdowns, but he will get used to the new normal.

Yes, TV later. Go and play at the moment.
Get them physically active before coming home.

Say it’s broken and don’t have it in for a few days.

I think you need a fixed routine e.g. only TV before breakfast so he knows he can't just have it when he wants. I would do a visual timetable to show when it happens and point at that when he asks, along with saying 'TV only before breakfast, now it's toys time' or whatever. He won't like it and you will have to be certain not to give in whilst he gets used to it.

It sounds like you need to reset expectations of tv. I agree with saying the tv is not working and having no tv for a week. After that pick a time of day when you are happy for them to have tv and stick to that. My dd always had one programme in the morning after breakfast, so only 20 mins. The tv just never went on any other time. It was only once she started school that the time changed, but it was still one episode of something after school then it goes off. It sets a precedent that they have to find something else to do once they’ve had their tv time.

I think it’s pretty common, I find having a routine helps so they know when to expect tv and learn it’s pointless to ask for any extra.

I agree with others that you would benefit from a total reset. Turn the tv around if you can so it’s obvious that it’s not going on for a week or so and then set some boundaries - half an hour after school or before dinner or whatever makes sense in your schedule. You’ll probably find that his behaviour improves a lot the less tv you have around.

also important is what’s on the telly when it’s on - my daughter did really badly with anything really loud and frenetic. We stuck to octonauts and calmer options

I looked after a toddler addicted to cocomelon. He wouldn’t play or look at anything else, just the tv. Mum told me to leave it on for him or he’d get upset.

It’s a tragedy.

Remove the TV or cover with a sheet while your toddler is awake.

I agree about a routine - no tv in the morning half an hour before dinner for example, or whatever works for you. Mine used to get tv when I was making dinner and on weekend mornings

thank you all, so we actually have a blanket ban on tv at home
he only ever gets it if we were to offer which isn’t often as he’s like a zombie when it’s on

Unfortunately Grandparents & friends aren’t respectful of this rule 🫠 and just feels like a constant ask
hes good when you say no he’ll go off and play but then still ask not long later and again accepts it but he’s always asking it’s just so sad

We stuck rigidly to half hour slots before breakfast (at the weekend), after lunch and after tea. So 90 mins per day, which is still quite a lot. We used a timer so there was no room for negotiation. Never once had a tantrum over it. Set boundaries now and he'll soon work out he gets tv on your terms and will accept it.

Why don't you let him watch it for a set time each day? I can't imagine parenting without tv!

Yes, at certain times and in a another language which will be useful when they get older. Children will pick up languages easily when young.

I thought from your op he was asking and fully kicking off and refusing to do other stuff, but from your update he's asking (probably because he's had it with grandparents or whatever and it's a fresh novelty) accepting a No and doing other stuff? If that's the case I don't really see the massive issue to be honest.

I’m also not sure what’s going on or what the problem is.

If you have a blanket ban IMO you should get rid of your telly altogether. I don’t see how it’s fair that you can watch some things and he can’t.

My 3 year old watches telly some days and not others. He has favourite programmes he loves. He’d rather be outside playing given the choice and can take or leave the telly. That comes from balance. Your child is obsessing about it because he gets to watch it with his grandparents but not at home. Maybe loosen up a bit about it.

usually no massive kick offs but it’s just all the time

he does something else for like maybe 5/10 mins and then will try his luck again
(of course there is the odd times there’s a tantrum but when isn’t there 😂)

hes a TV zombie I find and just wondered if others found similar with their littles

that essentially they just want tv even though there’s other activities offered

You are giving a toddler 90 mins of TV a day. 20-30 mins is plenty. No wonder he's expecting it with every meal.

Er, not sure what you read! I'm not the one whose toddler is demanding tv - quite the opposite if you read my post. They have it before or after meals, not during. Maybe you thought you were replying to the OP.

You are giving your toddler TV 3 times a day. Either before or after every meal. That is a massive amount of TV for a toddler.

No, this isn’t our experience with our 3 year old. He can ask for tv at any time. We don’t have television channels but we can stream something if he asks for it. If he asks, he’s allowed to watch something unless it’s right before we’re heading out or right before bedtime. Some days he’ll ask to watch something, some days he won’t.

Only being able to focus on an activity for 5 or 10 minutes before asking again is unusual and, I think, concerning. My son will play independently for half an hour to an hour. It’s also strange that he’s obsessing about it when you say you don’t allow any tv whatsoever.

What do you mean when you say he’s a tv zombie?

I don’t think 90 minutes of tv is a lot, if not every single day. My 3 year old spent the entire morning at home playing without any tv, then spent 4 hours on the beach with me. We walked there and back with him on his scooter the whole way. After dinner he was tired so he watched 3 Julia Donaldson programmes back to back which is about the same amount of time, and had a cuddle with me on the couch before bed. After all the activity he’s done all day, I just can’t see the harm in this at all.