@maverik379 I don't think it's a bad trade off. There are a lot of children's channels that don't have a crazy amount of flashy colors and images. Baby First TV is great. I'm pregnant with baby number two and at the moment I'm watching my 18 month old daughter and my friends 12 month old son. I watch them both 4 days a week for maybe 6-7 hours a day. I make sure every one gets breakfast, a bath, play time, a nap/quiet time, lunch, outdoor time (walk, or backyard pool time weather permitting) ect. I can tell you with just two children it's hard to really transition from task to task unless you have a little TV time intermittently throughout the day. The two toddlers love watching Harry the Bunny. It gives me enough time to prep meals (granted not as yummy as your day care meals sound) and clean up after activities. Plus being pregnant means I'm a bit slower. I think you're in a great spot with your in home day care. It sounds like he loves it and a bit of TV that he may barley pay attention to doesn't sound awful. Once I start working after I have my next child I would KILL for a place like that.
@maverik379 At my daycare we watch TV sometimes, usually will put in a Youtube dance video or something, or a playlist, love the Youtube App on the PS3. Also Netflix, they have some BabyFirst shows which are great, crayons that colour. Try to make it interactive though, like when it's yellow's turn I get the kids to say yellow, it isn't just a sit and watch kind of thing. Usually once a week.
That said there have been very difficult days where the kids just won't stop fighting "mine, mine, mine" and they need a break from each other. Put the 2 TV's on and separate them for a little quiet time to calm them down. I understand the concerns and try to limit it a lot, definitively not a daily thing.
@maverik379 "Lots of love" is PRICELESS! This is the exact reason why I've stayed at my current daycare when I had occasional doubts. His first daycare seemed to think he was a nuisance and always told me to stop holding him so much, etc. My kid is the happiest little guy and his current daycare misses him when he isn't there, even though they still get the money. I think you have a really good thing going.
Also, my therapist said to watch out for the "shoulds" when parenting and to get rid of the guilt. She said that we think if we do the right things we can control how our kids turn out, but we really can't. She says that less is more--love and understanding go a really long way. She's also a child psychologist so I trust that she knows what a child wants and needs.
@maverik379 If it bothers you that much, you might want to research other daycares in the area to see how they handle it.
Both of our children go to a daycare/school that is a chain, not an in-home daycare. I can tell you that all the food is homemade, they get to play outside all the time and all of the employees love my kids and show it all the time. The other benefit of my daycare is that there is only 1 TV in the whole building. It's in the older kids/after school care room and is only used when they do parent's night out, when the older kids (school age) get to watch a movie.
They are also an accredited educational institution. Which means there is a teaching structure for each class room that the providers follow. I don't know if any in-home daycares can say that. There are always 2-3 adults in one room, and they must stay in specific ratio of adults to children depending on the age of the children in the room.
@maverik379 My son's daycare has no screens and only plays music, sometimes. I wouldn't be ok with any daycare that uses tv to watch my kid. Period. But, I have the luxury to choose that. They also cook amazing healthy food, have a private dance teacher, music, etc. Not a home daycare.
@katrina2017 Sorry you've been down voted. Yeah, the luxury to choose is really nice. But it's also your opinion as a mom. I am not ok with screen time either, and found a daycare I love with no tv that is affordable to me. Everyone has their deal-breakers, and I don't think you should be down voted for it.
