How much tv does your 3-5 year old watch?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Still none. He’s 3.5. I know we will introduce TV at some point but haven’t yet. Plus we have a 14 month old we don’t want to watch yet.

+1. A one and a three year old. It’s easy not to turn it on when they’re little.

Why the eye roll? It is easy since they have no clue it exists! They don’t ask for it or miss it. I know it’ll be harder if not not impossible to regulate when they have friends talking about games or shows but for now it is easy.

Some parents/posters are very sensitive to this and felt they had absolutely no other alternative but to introduce TV. Best on DCUM to never mention that your kids have never watched TV or you’ll get accused of being privileged.

+1.

[Anonymous]

My 4.5 year old watched a full length disney movie while I worked out while the toddler slept. That is the only chance I get to exercise and shower after. That is the upper end of normal for us. I prefer to keep it to 45min a day. I wonder how many of the zero screen time families have their kids in daycare for 8-10 hours a day, or have domestic help, and if they don't, how they manage to do housework and exercise. I am pregnant and need to be in bed at 10 or 11, not waking myself up exercising. My husband works from 11am to 8pm at home (I have to keep the kids quiet), and he likes to stay up playing video games so of course I am on childcare duty from 7am to 8 or 9pm. If you don't have help I would love to know how you deflect the PLAY WITH MEEEEEEEES.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My 4.5 year old watched a full length disney movie while I worked out while the toddler slept. That is the only chance I get to exercise and shower after. That is the upper end of normal for us. I prefer to keep it to 45min a day. I wonder how many of the zero screen time families have their kids in daycare for 8-10 hours a day, or have domestic help, and if they don't, how they manage to do housework and exercise. I am pregnant and need to be in bed at 10 or 11, not waking myself up exercising. My husband works from 11am to 8pm at home (I have to keep the kids quiet), and he likes to stay up playing video games so of course I am on childcare duty from 7am to 8 or 9pm. If you don't have help I would love to know how you deflect the PLAY WITH MEEEEEEEES.

I’m the PP with the 3 and 1 year old who have never seen TV. No daycare and no nanny. But I only work part time from home and do most at night. My kids just play - I don’t know how they do it but they don’t ask for TV because they’ve never seen it. I work out before they wake up. DH is currently still working from home but doesn’t seem to mind the noise. Admittedly I don’t do much housework or cooking (DH does it) and we do have a cleaning person once a week. 3 yr old is in morning preschool when he doesn’t have a cold.

TV just never came up as an option. When the older child asks me to play with him, I usually do or tell him when I can.

Btw, I don’t think there is anything wrong with what you’re doing or TV for a 4.5 yr old.

[Anonymous]

Not all screen time is bad. My 4 y/o learned a new language by watching between 2-3 hours of you tube while school was closed last year (We work full time). She is very proud of herself

[Anonymous]

My first child didn’t watch any TV until she was 2.5 yo and her little brother was born. Then she started watching maybe 45 mins a day bc it made my life easier. Now she’s almost 5, little brother is 2.5, and I’m pregnant again. She watches maybe 1.5 hrs a day and he watches maybe 45 mins. We have no family help, and I also just want some peace during the day. I honestly don’t see the harm - they are both social, verbal, creative, well behaved, get a lot of exercise, etc etc. And they only really “veg out” in front of the TV if they are tired from a lot of activity. A lot of times they will play with blocks or dance around or something even when TV is on. It just keeps them a little distracted and like I said, gives me some peace. I think it’s fine.

[Anonymous]

We were no screens until 1.5 yrs. now it’s one hour a day for our 3 year old. She winds down after daycare while we make dinner and play with the baby. We eat at 5:45 or 6, then play until bedtime (which is late - around 9 for her).

[Anonymous]

Not the same I know, since we had kids before iPads, but my now 14 and 15 yo did almost no screentime until they were 5/6. (Maybe 30mins a week and a bit more on plane rides). They are now among just a handful of teens we know who read for fun and are able to easily read complicated texts in high school. Their friends struggle so much just to read a few textbook chapters, I kid you not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Still none. He’s 3.5. I know we will introduce TV at some point but haven’t yet. Plus we have a 14 month old we don’t want to watch yet.

+1. A one and a three year old. It’s easy not to turn it on when they’re little.

They probably have a nanny for 10hrs/day, of course the kids don’t watch tv.

Or not and they just never turned on the TV. Little kids will find something else to do and they don’t know what they’re missing.

Yeah, you have to be patient and let kids get bored and then find something else to enjoy. When my kids were in K and elementary school they could spend hours playing on their own, or reading. We only had a part time nanny and for the few hours I had them there was really no need for TV.

[Anonymous]

My 3 and 5yos probably watch about an hour a day, when the nanny is cooking dinner. Almost exclusively Wild Kratts or Octonauts, both of which I find minimally annoying and somewhat educational.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not the same I know, since we had kids before iPads, but my now 14 and 15 yo did almost no screentime until they were 5/6. (Maybe 30mins a week and a bit more on plane rides). They are now among just a handful of teens we know who read for fun and are able to easily read complicated texts in high school. Their friends struggle so much just to read a few textbook chapters, I kid you not.

Yeah their friends must have just been glued to the TV all day as 3 year olds. Give me a break.

[Anonymous]

It varies. Today? None. Grandma was over and they would always rather play with grandma. Some days it’s 2 hours because we’re watching a film.

Honestly, through no effort on my part, my kids just aren’t that interested in screens. We’ve never had to restrict or take them away. They naturally lose interest after about 20-30 minutes most of the time and wander off to play with magnatiles or to color or something. They are 3 and almost 5.

[Anonymous]

I have 2 and 5. They do 45-1 hr or so a day. In two chunks. One am before breakfast so i can get ready since they are up at 6. And one around 5:30 just before dinner. Oldest is in K and loves to read and math. Its all mostly pbs kiids or cartoons in our home language. Some days its none but they do ask for it. Scheduling screen time is helpful so they know when it can happen.

[Anonymous]

Maybe I’m an outlier. My 4yo (younger sibling) watches for 30-60 mins in the morning before daycare, depending on how early she wakes up. Then for another 1-2 hours in the evening, either side of dinner. She’s typically doing other stuff at the same time (coloring, etc) but likes to have it on in the background. I have no issue with it. She’s smart and well-behaved and doing well in her pre-k class.

On weekends it’s probably more, depending on our schedule.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not the same I know, since we had kids before iPads, but my now 14 and 15 yo did almost no screentime until they were 5/6. (Maybe 30mins a week and a bit more on plane rides). They are now among just a handful of teens we know who read for fun and are able to easily read complicated texts in high school. Their friends struggle so much just to read a few textbook chapters, I kid you not.

Sounds like your kids just picked not so smart kids.

[Anonymous]

My 3 year old basically just watches TV on sick days. But apparently only Lilo and Stitch because no other movie is as good. Probably 4 times total?