My kid loves TV. Like a lot.

[albert123]

I have a 3.5yo son who is extremely bright, imaginative, social, and funny. I have zero concerns about his development and think he’s pretty well-rounded imo. But folks, this kid loves watching tv. He goes to daycare everyday and when he gets home he’s usually wiped so we got in the habit of just letting him chill on the couch in front of the tv until dinnertime, playing with his cars here and there.

On the weekends, TV is often the first thing he asks for. He’s an early riser and is up by 6 so I at least make him wait til 7/7:30. We try to keep his viewing to shows that are relatively educational (he likes Magic School Bus, Bluey, Blaze, Clifford). If it’s a lazy day at our house (e.g. partner and I have stuff to get done at home or are just tired from the week) he has it on all day. He will play and do other things but still spends a fair amount of time just zoning out. He typically doesn’t throw a big fit when the tv goes off. He might whine/complain a bit but we can usually get him over it.

I’ve read the research and we make it a priority to regularly get out for other experiences to balance out TV. We go to the park or library most weekends. We have zoo memberships, go to museums, visit family - all the things.

We don’t do any other screens yet besides the occasional Paw Patrol on mom’s phone while we’re trying to finish a meal out with friends or something. Not opposed to educational games on iPad (he’s done them at the library and loves them) and have considered offering that as a way to get him to do something more interactive if he’s asking for TV.

Anyway, I guess I’m just looking for advice/solidarity if you also have a small human who loves TV. Am I overthinking this? Is cracking down on TV worth it if I’m really not concerned about his development?

 

[kms00]

@albert123 Honestly, I wouldn’t worry. If he was having absolute meltdowns when TV isn’t available or it’s time to turn it off, that would be a little concerning to me. But the amount of screen time you are describing sounds like less than I had growing up, and I’m more or less a functioning adult.

If left to my own devices with nobody around, I’ll park my butt in front of the tv at night and watch a few episodes of something much less wholesome than Magic School Bus sometimes you just want to turn the brain off!

Keep up with the balance of screen free outings, maybe offer to play some kid friendly podcasts for background noise, or even just audio of favorite shows. But I wouldn’t worry at all.

 

[albert123]

@kms00 Thank you! My partner and I have talked about the same thing - we watched lots of tv and turned out fine. Love the idea of podcasts for background noise.

 

[craighah]

@albert123 if they're going to be watching tv, put the captions on. might as well learn to read at the same time! and honestly, i think kids like to veg out in front of the tv sometimes too

 

[david321]

@albert123 I'm in the same boat as you with my 2 year old and can totally relate to the feeling. It's hard, though, when working full-time to not need some screen time. To me, it sounds like you are doing just fine and balancing everything out. Just keep doing the other activities, and as long as you don't see any behavioral issues, keep doing what you need to. Like I keep telling myself...try not to compare too much to others and do what's best for your situation and family.

 

[tomtresh]

@david321 Yes! I have a 2.5 YO and I always question myself as a parent when she wakes up in the morning and says she wants to go to the living room to "watch teebeeeee". We are deep into Bubble Guppies at the moment but she seems to be learning from it so....? lol.

 

[david321]

@tomtresh Right!? My little guy is using new words constantly and I'm like where the heck did he learn that...ohhh, Bluey! Haha

 

[boy243]

@albert123 I have thoughts.. but I dunno.. I get people worrying about screens. I worry about them all the time. My almost 6 year old has had access to educational videos and games in an unlimited manner, (when home only) for at least 2 years. She is out of the house 10 hrs a day all week. I do not allow electronics to go with us when we leave the house, and on the weekends we are always out for at least a few hrs a day, but she definitely has more screen time on the weekends.

She’s always used it like a safety blanket if that makes sense, it helps with emotional regulation if she is upset, or certainly is entertainment if bored, but she’s not glued to it, and if any kind of game or any activity is offered she leaves it in the dirt!

This is my thought about it, I think that “iPad kids” or anything equivalent can be problematic, Sure. But there is an extra layer there that many kids with behavioral stuff where they only want the iPad or tv, don’t engage with anyone around them or peers due to being sucked in, have meltdowns, etc..

With my kiddo I make sure to spend a lot of time with her out in then world exploring, a lot of time really doing things with her, reading to her, etc. I think that parents that have a hard time some times are really using it to parent, and are hands off. I think especially when very young this is kinda damaging if it’s a constant.

Everything in moderation (and in my case im fully aware the kiddo has unlimited screens..) in moderation!

 

[quantum1982]

@albert123 I grant my kid a lot of grace, considering her daycare experience to be her work and home time for rest. I think as long as you feel good about their balance and development, don’t let the internet freak you out.

 

[kevin76]

@albert123 Same here with 3 and 5 yr old. They love tv. They don't melt down if we say No or its time to turn off. 5 yr old is spelling and reading and doing well with math. Excellent at puzzles and Legos. When at school he is great with his peers.

We did the same thing - post school veg because frankly we feel the same way. I mean, these are kids who we all got locked down with beginning of covid while also having to work remotely full time. And being raised by successful adults who were raised in the 80s tv environment and 90s Saturday cartoons.

I am just not worried about it

 

[cbc8171]

@albert123 We are a full-time school/daycare family (kids are 2&5) and watch tv to unwind. The little one loves Ms. Rachel & Blippi, and the big one likes age appropriate stuff that I let him watch on YouTube. We are also on the move doing extracurricular activities five days a week, so it all kinda balances out.

One thing I learned early on is that “if it’s not a problem for us, then it’s not a problem at all.”

 

[grace4nan]

@albert123 My 2yo watches TV but it's a maximum of 1hr a day. Normally on weekdays it's 30 minutes of video games with his dad (I have no idea if this is bad for him, he loves it and asks for it) before bed, if we have time. It's probably more like 45/1hr every other day.

And then on the weekends we are normally pretty busy so he doesn't get much TV. If he wakes up before 6am on weekends he watches ms Rachel in our bed till one of us is ready to face the day. Our TV is not in our main living space, so that helps. My husband also plays with him all the time, which keeps him from getting bored. I do not have the capacity to play that much and he watches more TV when my husband is out of town.

I couldn't tell you if you need to crack down or not. I really don't know what the impacts of TV are. We did no screens for his first yr of his life and it's just really hard but he also didn't care for TV then. We added some in and are trying to stay under the guidance number of 1hr a day.

 

[gamehollywood]

@albert123 There is some incredible educational content available now. I'm talking documentaries, not Paw Patrol. Maybe have "learning TV" time distinct from "relax TV" time?

 

[pressingon2]

@gamehollywood Yeah my kid loves shows like Kratts Creatures, Wild Krats, anything nat geo related to animals.

 

[gamehollywood]

@pressingon2 As a biologist, I have to say Wild Kratts does a great job. Also the Magic School Bus is pretty good too.

 

[pressingon2]

@albert123 Yeah I feel you.
My 5yo is similar. If it’s a gorgeous day he’ll want to play outside after school but often he wants to “relax” and watch tv for a while. A lot of evenings he begs for a “movie night” and I really just think it’s because he wants to snuggle up on my lap and watch something together.
This morning he watched like 3hours while I slept in, took a bath, and did some cleaning.
He also didn’t throw a fit when I told him it was time to turn it off. He’s currently playing in his room with a friend. They built a fort and I hear their role playing and imagination.
He plays with his toys, loves to be read to, is a sweet/compassionate/funny kid, loves to play outside, but also really loves TV.

I struggle sometimes with feeling guilty about it and like I should “make him be bored” when I’m busy, or spend more time playing with him, but overall I don’t think it’s that big of a deal.

 

[cmfsd]

@albert123 My toddler is a highly energetic, social, charismatic, verbal, creative, 3yo. He would also have the tv on all day if he could. He likes a variety of things (from educational to silly) and sometimes just likes having it on while he’s doing other things. He wants to start the day watching something and when he gets home he wants to watch something.

Some days he watches more than I would like but that’s usually if I’m solo (we also have a newborn), or someone is sick, etc. I figure it’s OK and is allowing us to function when we’re not at full capability.

Some things I’ve done to reduce screen time: turn off autoplay next episode (across platforms), work tv into our schedule (i.e. tv is watched before dinner but never after) so viewing times are more predictable and requests to watch things are reduced, I’ve removed/blocked programs that we (the parents) don’t like or think are appropriate and explained they’re no longer available to watch.

I got him a toniebox to offer a non screen entertainment option and while he likes putting stories and songs on, he’s not usually listening to it - it’s background noise.

Long story short: I think having a little structure around screens is good and being intentional about what they’re watching is good. Maximizing time outside and non-screen time experiences is ideal but not always possible. Continue to monitor both his behavior and development and adjust tv viewing habits as needed.

 

[willowsbible]

Oh we also finally got out of YouTube land. Prime has some really good shows!

 

[wc0476]

@albert123 I watched TONS of TV as a kid and my kid (2.5) now loves TV and watches a bunch of it on weekends. I’m not at all worried about it and I feel zero guilt.

She only watches it on the actual TV - no YouTube, no iPad. The shows she likes are relatively “slow” - Bluey, Peppa Pig, The Wiggles. We often sit and cuddle while she’s watching, and talk about what’s on the screen.

I do draw the line at giving her her own device to watch videos on. I don’t want her to have unfettered, or mostly unfettered access to the internet, and even YouTube Kids has a lot of disturbing stuff on it that I don’t want her exposed to. Also I like the idea of her having to sit through a whole episode of something rather than being able to swipe or click through to the next video after just a few seconds.

Personally I think I’m smarter for all the Simpsons and Jeopardy and other age inappropriate shows I watched as a kid so I’m not going to worry about my kid doing the same.

 

[lidarenee]

@albert123 Not to go full boomer, but most of us raised in the 80s and 90s had TV as a third parent and we’re mostly just fine. I know it’s different now because there are so many more screens generally, but TV is not my personal parenting hill to die on.

There are a lot of things we know better now re: safety and stuff so I’m not one of those people who’s like “oh, put your newborn to sleep in a pillow nest on their stomach, it’s fine!”, but I really feel like age-appropriate TV is just not worth stressing about as long as you’re reading to your kid, talking to your kid, and providing your kid with lots of opportunities for learning with outings and toys and crafts and stuff too.