Can I be honest here? I feel like my kids are watching too much t.v. They wake up and start watching t.v. I think they watch about an hour in the morning before breakfast. Then, we're off on our day, wherever that may take us....my oldest goes to preschool 3 days a week. I go to the gym most mornings. Then, while I make lunch, they watch another hour or so....usually Nick Jr. type shows. After lunch, it's nap time/quiet time. After nap, they watch about another hour while we wait for the baby to wake up. Then, we play, errands, sports, outside, playdates, etc. Then, AGAIN, while I'm getting dinner ready they watch about a half an hour. Of course we have a nightly routine, dad comes home and loves to watch.....you guessed it....a movie until bedtime. If you add it all up, it's about 3-4 hours a day. Am I the only one who is doing this? They are very active, we're all in great shape. I read a ton of books. I do fun stimulating activities with them every day. Please be honest with me....do your kids watch this much t.v.? I know small kids aren't supposed to be watching more than 1-2 hours a day. Can I have some feedback, advice, support in this??
YES, mine do. I too feel guilty, but it's soooo hard to cook with out it. If I didn't they would be under my feet the entire time. I feel guilty,too. I do know we are not alone!! Many of my friends do as well. I have recently felt guilty enough that we have cut down on the tv watching. I have manage to go from the tv on just about all day to my oldest watching about 1 1/2 each day. I have done this by having other kids here to play with them. They don't even care about the tv and they are so focused on playing that are not under my feet while cooking. I actually get more done! Don't beat your self up!! It's hard!! Oh yeah , one more thing, I really researched the whole tv watching controversy and it's not all it's made up to be. The actual study was smaller than most people know about and was not tracked by parents/scientist constantly. There is ALOT of room for error in their report. So there you have it. It's not going to kill your kids!! :)
My almost 3 year old son watches a lot too. He has to watch a show right after he wakes up, before he goes to school. Then when he comes home, he watches about 1-1.5 hours before bath and bed. On weekends, we watch a lot more. probably a good 2 hours in the morning and another 2 after nap. He is extremely active and to be honest, it just doesn't worry me. I know what the guidlines say, but i watched more than that amount when I was growing up and I don't have ADHD or anything else. We strictly watch Noggin or PBS, I will not allow anything more than that. He learns a lot from the shows and I can use them to help explain things like manners, safety and other daily activities. Like, "see how little bear always says please and thank you?", or "Franklin hurt his friend's feelings so he said he was sorry." When the TV is not on, my son goes in his play area and plays amazingly by himself. We are outside everyday doing something and he gets tons of exercise. I'm not saying that it SHOULD be this way, but it is for us and it works. He just started watching when he turned two and I have to say, my life greatly improved. Before that, I had no time to clean or cook!
Hi Carrie,
I have two girls, ages 8 and 4. I will tell you my opinion first but not that I follow it!!! I believe ALL TV is unnecessary (not necessarily "bad" per se but not good either). People argue that their kids are learning from educational tv shows but it's considered passive learning. They're just not getting out and exploring on their own in other words. It's not just the tv shows either....there are commercials where my kids will constantly say "I want that" everytime a commercial comes on. Both my girls are in school every day so it's a lot easier for me to keep the tv off b/c one does homework and then we play outside. They are home less. When they were young, I did put the tv on and I too only let them watch certain shows or DVD's. But if I could do it all over, I would not let them watch one minute of tv! So that's my 2 cents for whatever it's worth...it's definitely not easy and I wouldn't kill myself over letting them watch an hour per day but I would limit as much as possible. Read before bed instead of watching tv or let them play outside. It's amazing what they can find to do when the tv has been off for a while. They will be creative on their own!!
Hi Carrie...As a mom of 2 and a daycare provider to boot...we also struggle with this issue. I generally do not have the TV on for my daycare kids/room. But, because I have 3 babies to contend with, my kids will spend much of their time in the family room watching TV many days when I'm busy...noggin and PBS. While there are days that the TV does not go on, I feel that my younger son (3) is really learning lots of positive social behaviors he may not get the opportunity to learn otherwise while I am working all day in the home. But, on those days the TV is off, I keep him busy with play-doh, watercolor paint, crafts, and other learning devices to keep him on track with gross and fine motor skills. As well as giving him alone time in his room to play/pretend...which he is great at! I worry also, but I also don't think it's hurting him, as long as there is a balance. If you are concerned, try limiting the TV and getting creative with things that will keep them busy while you work. Don't feel guilty...you are a great mom and your kids are not suffering by watching TV!
Don't worry too much. You are not alone. I was one of those people that said I would never let my kids watch tv for a long time. Then I became a mom. The tv was about the only way to get my baby to sleep for about a month or 2. I think he liked the colors or something. Now that he is 2 he still watches tv but he is not engrossed in it for the most part. I only have the "educational" shows on and most of the time he is playing with his trains or cars while watching. It just lets me get a break and get some things done around the house. We do a lot of other stuff too so I really try not to feel guilty. If I can get 1 hour of sanity a day, I am happy.
I think it all depends on what your kids are watching. I have a 4 year old daughter, who is very active, and she watches T.V. all the time. She's like a sponge and it amazes me the kind of things she learns from watching t.v., she's picked up more Spanish from watching Dora then I did taking it in school for 6 years.
But your there mother and if you think there Watching too much TV then they are. Most cable/dish companys have settings so you can limit the times when they can watch tv and what they can watch.
All in all you sound like a great mom, and I don't belive your doing anything wrong.
My kids used to watch TV like crazy when they were that little too. Now, they are 5 and 7 with school and other activities, they hardly ever watch TV. I wouldn't sweat it too much. It's something they will most likely grow out of. It will be replaced with some awful video game that must be regulated. As long as they're healthy, able to socialize with peers and make good choices, I really don't see how Nick Jr. is hurting them. My daughter learned so much from watching Nick Jr. and PBS shows. She would just spout off little facts that she learned on Dora. I hope this makes you feel better. Trust me there are worse things they could be doing.
Jen
I would say you are balancing it out well. My tv is usually on all day. We aren't always watching it but I need the background noise. We sit and play and when Dora or Deigo comes on she plays with them, while I get a little cleaning done. Or we will watch together and talk about what we are watching... My daughter has speech delay so anything that gets her talking is good stimulation and she has begun talking to the characters on the tv, so we sit and play the games with them.
Hey Carrie -
Congrats on another on the way!
I wonder if you could shave the time after quiet time off? If you're waiting for the 2 year old to get up, could the older two sit at the kitchen table and do play-doh or color?
I feel a lot like you - I tend to turn to the television (Rosita is singing to Luis as we speak!) when I need 20 minutes to get something done. Mine are (almost) 5 and (just) 2 and I feel that I can finally trust the 2 year old to not eat play-doh, crayons, etc. so it's been a lot more easy, not-too-messy art projects at the table while I work on dinner, unload the dishwasher, etc.
About a year ago, I gave my older child 2 tickets (scraps of paper I had cut into little rectangles) and told her that they were TV tickets. Each ticket was good for 1 show and when her tickets were gone for the day, she was out of TV time. It worked really well and made her pick the shows she wanted to watch instead of just watching another show because it came on before I could get there to turn it off! It also taught her a bit about budgeting and saving - if she wanted to watch Cinderella, for example, she needed to save both tickets because it counted as two shows.
I think if you're concerned about the TV, then it's probably too much for your family and your beliefs as a Mom. Try cutting down bit by bit - your older boys are definitely old enough to both understand and find other activities that don't involve a ton of mess!
Good luck!
Christy
You are not alone! And thank you for this post, I needed to read the responses as much as you. My son is two and with me at home full time. We get out every morning for a few hours but then usually stay at home to play (inside and outside) during the time between nap and dinner. I try to keep his TV to 2 hours a day but sometimes it is more. It is on right now!! A bit in the morning, a bit after nap and , of course, while making dinner. He loves to "read" (look at books) so I often say "read a book then TV". And that shaves a few minutes off each session. My husband and I talk about it a lot since I feel so guilty about it but we both feel that I am doing so mcuh with him during the day and a little TV so I can check email, clean and get myself together is okay. I also try to watch as much of the shows with him as I can.
Hope this helps.
First I want to say all those boys wow????? as far as watching tv I know the doctors say to limit tv but my 18 month old loves noggin. On saturday morning I get about an good 1/2 extra in the morning and when I am cooking I let dora and diego help me. I am a TV junkie and I turned out fine. I think if that was all they did it would be a problem but it sounds like you have a lot of mommy time with them learning so whatever works to keep your household quiet is cool. With another baby TV might be your only chance to keep the older boys quiet
Bless you, Carrie. You have your hands full and you sound like a wonderful mother. I can totally relate. I feel like I spend my time with my children trying to keep them away from electronics of all kinds (TV, play station, game boy, dvd). My kids are older - 13, 10 and 5. I'm pretty strict as far as rules (no electronics during the school week and 2 hours on the weekend.) However, every day, the rules seem to bend. And, because my husband likes to watch TV, they end up watching way more on the weekends and sometimes during the week anyway.
While yours are young, it's smart of you to think about this. My gripes about TV, etc. are that it seems to decrease imaginative thinking and play, they seem bored when they aren't allowed to watch TV, never want to play their many board games, etc. It sounds like you're doing a good job finding other things for them to do. I wish I had better specific advice, but if you can, steer them away from it now. The younger ones end up watching what the older one or dominate-personality one wants to watch (so in my case, my sons have seen more pre-teen Disney type shows than they ever would have wanted). You are so smart and conscientious to think about this!
All that said, Carrie, you've got to take care of yourself and throwing on a good DVD for them can often be the best thing for you, especially while they are so young (in my opinion.) Don't exhaust yourself or feel guilty! It's better for them to have a well-rested, calm mother and watch too much TV than a worn-out, frazzled mom whose keeping them constantly entertained, you know?
Good luck and best wishes for your family and your new baby,
Leslie
Personally, My son watches tv a lot too! Some days he watches more than other BUT I feel that he learns a lot from it. He watched baby einstein still. He watches Sesame street and others. He watches Noggin and sometimes the disney channel. He's only 2 years old but he learned his colors, shapes, and numbers by doing this. Of coourse with the help of us reading him books, but it reinforces what we teach him. To an extent, I think TV is ok, it just depends on what they are watching.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no more than 2 hours/day of TV and/or computer use for children 2 and older and none for those younger. I realize this may be a challenge to address and there is a gadget called TV ALLOWANCE that helps with this.
Alternate activities for children may consist of listening to music in the early morning and doing some exercise prior to having breakfast..the children can lead themselves in this; or, quiet activity of reading, or looking at pictures if too young to read, doing puzzles, etc.
I have 4 children, now adults, and they were only allowed to watch an hour of TV/day except for Saturday mornings when cartoons were allowed prior to doing family chores.
Good luck with this challenge
I have to say I'm in the same boat. And it's always good kids shows like pbs kids or something, and we do a lot of other great stuff too. I may be rationalizing, but I think as long as it doesn't take the place of other great activities it's okay. Sometimes it's just plain necessary so mom can get something done (cook) and it keeps them out of mishcheif.
We only have one T.V. in a back bedroom. So T.V. watching becomes a planned family activity rather than an all day affair. This is how it has been since we moved into our house in 1994. Your family has to be committed to changing the T.V. habits.
We originally let our son watch Baby Eistein videos and some PBS, so we could have some time to get things done. I started to become alarmed when I'd look at his face, glazed over and glued to the TV. Then I read an article with a recommendation from the American Academy of Pediatrics that said no TV, videos, or computers until the age of 2, and after that it should be very limited. It turns out that they are not sure what the rapid movement and flashing light of the screens do to developing brains. We stopped everything. It was tough at first, but our family has adjusted nicely. I can't help but believe that it has been beneficial for our son, who is now 4 1/2. He is calm, easily able to focus on detailed tasks, and spends most of his time exploring his world and interacting with us in a daily rhythm of play, meal prep, and household chores. I hope that this is helpful.
I am presently trying to ween my little girl of TV. My parents have the TV on from the moment they wake up til they go to bed so over holidays like X-mas our daughter gets WAY too much. I have gotten it to 4 hours a day right now (compared to the 9 + she had at grandmas) and feel pretty good about it. Another problem for me is that we didn't own a TV until about 6 months ago and it is too big to put anywhere but the main room. Thankfully, the TV is our roommates so when they leave in 2 months so the the TV.
Mom, Can I be honest here?? Who has control over the activities in your home???? If you are worried that your kids are spending too much time in front of the TV-SHUT IT OFF! While I have to say there are many entertaining educational shows for kids, there are also many other things they can be doing while you are cooking. A 5 year old can set the table, a 4 year old can put out the placemats and napkins and the 2 year old can can learn to count while the bigger boys count out the napkins and placemats and silverware. If you are needing them to be in one central location so that you can keep an eye on them while you are cooking, any kind of floor game will do that. Involving them in your daily chores will lead them to be responsible and good little helpers. Kids love to dust and sweep. They may not do a perfect job, but they will learn as they do. Even a 2 year old can fold underwear! And don't worry that they are boys doing girls jobs! If dad is concerned that his boys will turn out to be sissies, dad needs to turn off the TV, forget the movie and be Bob the Builder with the boys. It sounds like his "hands are on the remote" if he watches movies until time to go to bed. Hands on beats eyes on TV any day. TV should be a reward not a babysitter. Pick a night that's movie night. Make it very special with snacks, special seats and everyone getting to pick a movie when it's their turn. Prepare the snacks together, cuddle up on the couch together and clean up together. With a new baby on the way any help the boys can give you will be greatly appreciated and it helps them feel that the baby is theirs, too. Two year olds are great diaper getters and the older boys can focus on what mommy needs. Knitting your family together with chores and activities will give them a sense of ownership and pride that TV will never give them. With 5 males in your house you can be the slave or the queen....you decide!