UP but 3yo watching too much tv - any ideas?

[mumstrosity]

Hi, I'm new to mumsnet (posting at least, I've been lurking for ages!) and would like some advice from other UP-style parents.

I have ds's 3yo and 4mo, and have been at home during the snowy weather, with a broken-down car, and mastitis, so I let 3yo watch loads of tv (DVDs only as have no actual tv).

Now he watches as a default setting, i.e. if he wants to play and I'm doing something else, he'll say "I want to watch something!" and go ahead and watch - sometimes for hours though sometimes he'll switch off himself.

I want to avoid just saying 'NO!' and have tried all the usual - play with something, go out (not helped by the fact he's developed an unhealthy phobia about going out), activities... Sometimes this works, but tbh I don't want to spend all day distracting him from the tv.

Also, I obviously have to spend at least a small amount of time nurturing neglected 4mo. Any suggestions welcome - thanks! And sorry for long post.

what does UP mean?

unconditional parenting?

I am not UP but resorted to a LOT of TV for my dd in the latter stage of my pregnancy and first few months of ds's life.

They are now 3.6 and 8 months and to my amazement dd has started to self-limit her tv, she just switches it off and says 'that's enough tv'. I think she reached saturation- plus she realised I was fobbing her off with no attention...

Not sure how common this is, but thought i'd share my experience of basically not setting any limits on TV for a few months. Even though I wasn't happy with it at the time, it seems to have worked out.
dd has been going to nursery part time throughout this period so I felt she was always getting a lot of stimulation and exercise outside of the house as well.

oh yeah - just remembered I know someone who got fed up with constant demands for tv so moved it out of the living room into their bedroom and the kids pretty much forgot about it once it was out of sight.

VinegarTits - Unconditional Parenting, Alfie Kohn's book - though I kind of did it anyway but the book crystallised my ideas - basically 'working with' your children rather than 'doing to', avoiding rewards and punishments etc ...

caughtintheact - thanks, that's what I was hoping for! Hopefully he will do the same. We're going abroad for the summer and won't have tv there, so that might break the habit - or just start it again when we get back...

He doesn't go to nursery yet so the pressure's on for me.

Good idea about moving it but lwe're living in a tiny house so there's nowhere else for it to go.