My toddler gets 1-2 hours of tv per night

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP I am 60 and grew up in Minnesota. From the earliest ages I watched a couple hours of TV a day: Romper Room, Captain Kangaroo, cartoons. So did all my friends. Our parents didn't give it a second thought.

It was fine. Today's parents are out of their minds, and raising a generation of kids who can't cope with life.

TV shows are so different now then when we were kids. The images flash so much faster. Plus the AAP recommendation is no tv before two.

Plus, how good did we really turn out? I am also 60 and tv shows have never helped me “cope with life”.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How old is he?

I’d try to keep it down to strictly an hour or less. I understand as I SAH w a preschooler (4.5) and toddler (2.5) and need the break sometimes too but 2 hours every day seems excessive. My 2 year old no longer naps (?) so tv time is a time for her to get a little rest too.

Why can’t your two year old simply have quiet time reading or playing in her room for an hour? Or a half hour or whatever time works for you.

Have you ever met a 2 year old? They do not do this. IME and that of my friends, this kind of independent play starts around 3.

[Anonymous]

I think it’s way too much tv, OP. Can you afford a babysitter/mother’s helper to play with your toddler instead?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP I am 60 and grew up in Minnesota. From the earliest ages I watched a couple hours of TV a day: Romper Room, Captain Kangaroo, cartoons. So did all my friends. Our parents didn't give it a second thought.

It was fine. Today's parents are out of their minds, and raising a generation of kids who can't cope with life.

TV shows are so different now then when we were kids. The images flash so much faster. Plus the AAP recommendation is no tv before two.

Plus, how good did we really turn out? I am also 60 and tv shows have never helped me “cope with life”.

.

That's not true. Daniel Tiger, Tumble Leaf, Sesame Street and others are all very gentle, slow paced, educational, and developed by child education experts. If anything I would guess that tv is better than when you were a kid, not worse.

[Anonymous]

My sibling watched at least 6 hours of tv a day, no joke. Maybe 8+. Starting as a toddler.

Sibling is now a big shot Silicon Valley executive... making huge money off of other people’s screen time addictions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP I am 60 and grew up in Minnesota. From the earliest ages I watched a couple hours of TV a day: Romper Room, Captain Kangaroo, cartoons. So did all my friends. Our parents didn't give it a second thought.

It was fine. Today's parents are out of their minds, and raising a generation of kids who can't cope with life.

TV shows are so different now then when we were kids. The images flash so much faster. Plus the AAP recommendation is no tv before two.

Plus, how good did we really turn out? I am also 60 and tv shows have never helped me “cope with life”.

.

That's not true. Daniel Tiger, Tumble Leaf, Sesame Street and others are all very gentle, slow paced, educational, and developed by child education experts. If anything I would guess that tv is better than when you were a kid, not worse.

Sesame Street in particular hasn’t changed much.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My toddler also watches around an hour or two at night. If not she will expect me to play with her or read to her. She spends around 5 hours at school and no TV in the morning

Your poor kid. We don’t turn the TV on after dinner because we want to play with and read to our kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP I am 60 and grew up in Minnesota. From the earliest ages I watched a couple hours of TV a day: Romper Room, Captain Kangaroo, cartoons. So did all my friends. Our parents didn't give it a second thought.

It was fine. Today's parents are out of their minds, and raising a generation of kids who can't cope with life.

TV shows are so different now then when we were kids. The images flash so much faster. Plus the AAP recommendation is no tv before two.

Plus, how good did we really turn out? I am also 60 and tv shows have never helped me “cope with life”.

.

That's not true. Daniel Tiger, Tumble Leaf, Sesame Street and others are all very gentle, slow paced, educational, and developed by child education experts. If anything I would guess that tv is better than when you were a kid, not worse.

Sesame Street in particular hasn’t changed much.

There are some slow paced shows, most are not. We do minimal television in our house, but Daniel Tiger and Seasame Street are good ones if you are doing screen time.

Regardless of your thoughts on screen time, I really would try to get out of that habit of using it so you can get things done. Teach your kid how to play independently. Do this by engaging with them to get them started, and then letting them continue. So, for example, play trains or paint for 15 minutes and tell your child "I have 15 minutes and then I have to start dinner" and then do it. It's okay for kids to be bored and figure out something to do on their own.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My toddler also watches around an hour or two at night. If not she will expect me to play with her or read to her. She spends around 5 hours at school and no TV in the morning

Your poor kid. We don’t turn the TV on after dinner because we want to play with and read to our kids.

I know I’m terrible. I read to her daily but I simply don’t want to spend 1-2 hours playing with legos and coloring. It amazes me that other parents do this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP I am 60 and grew up in Minnesota. From the earliest ages I watched a couple hours of TV a day: Romper Room, Captain Kangaroo, cartoons. So did all my friends. Our parents didn't give it a second thought.

It was fine. Today's parents are out of their minds, and raising a generation of kids who can't cope with life.

This. TV shows are very different from the smaller screens. Those are what you need to worry about. We already know that watching TV doesn’t mess you up.

[Anonymous]

I assume you’re doing lots of activities with your toddler earlier in the day so it’s not nonstop tv. Some
downtime in the evenings with an age appropriate show(s) while you do dinner prep and help older kids seems fine to me. 1-2 hour is basically a movie.

I have a 4 y/o and 2 y/o and also rely on it for 30-45 min while we settle in after work and start making dinner. Then the oldest usually gets another show after the younger one goes to bed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DS said he got 6-12 hours a week of screen time. He said a lot of his classmates got 20+ hours. They are 10.

My third grader probably hits almost 20 hours a week. In class. Thanks for the optometrist bill, FCPS!

[Anonymous]

Mine gets none, but I also WOH. We are both home by 5 latest and dinner on table at 5:30. If one of us is later, toddler goes in high chair and starts dinner while one of us cooks. Can you maybe make enough to have leftovers and try that some nights?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Mine gets none, but I also WOH. We are both home by 5 latest and dinner on table at 5:30. If one of us is later, toddler goes in high chair and starts dinner while one of us cooks. Can you maybe make enough to have leftovers and try that some nights?

Oh, I also help older one with HW/practice after dinner. Other parent engages the toddler. If your partner just isn’t there to help, have you considered hiring a mother’s helper from the neighborhood to come over for an hour or two?

[Anonymous]

Mine watched about 5-6 hours a day from age 3-5. Doesn't watch tv at all right now, just tablet or video games.
1-2 hours is nothing.