How do you keep them from watching TV?

abba916

so i'm not going to be all crazy about this but I can see why limiting TV for little ones (under two) would be wise..but how do you do it?

I mean- are you and your dh not supposed to have it on while LO is awake? or is it just like a "dont plop them in front of the tube alone" kind of thing...

I think I would die if I had to give up ALL my shows for two years...I can DVR most but if he's feeding or were doing tummy time or something- it can be background noise, right? 

MelissaSue81

I am on the uh.. liberal side about this.. but my TV is on all time.. and if she watches it, she watches it. Sometimes she does.. many times she doesn't care, unless its one of her DVDs or WonderPets. She also seems to like football.

abba916

i dont think I will be able to keep him from football since DH keeps talking about how great it will be to watch it with his son...LOL

olivia_eve

When Rosie was very young, we had it on all day, but since she was so small, she never paid any attention to it.  However, once she was around 3 or 4 months old, I turned it off during the day.  Now, I don't have it on at all unless she's actively watching it.  She watches some TV in the morning, and when I cook dinner, I put it on again for her.  We really only started doing that once she was about a year old.  Prior to that, she would happily play in her pack n play if I was cooking, so we didn't need to use TV.

If I want to watch one of my shows, I do it during her nap or after she goes to bed for the night.  As long as you have a DVR, you should be able to keep up with your shows!

JenJar

I'm with Melissa...I'm more liberal and our TV is on a lot during the day.  It's just what we're used to.  With that being said, Gavin doesn't sit and watch TV all day.  I'll let him watch shows that he really likes, i.e. Disney morning shows or Sesame Street.  But half the time it's on, he doesn't really pay attention to it and is playing with his toys anyway.  It's not on while we eat dinner.  And if it's something that I don't think he should watch, we DVR it and watch it when he's in bed.

NikCole

I'm pretty liberal about it too. I don't always have it on, but I watch the today show in the am while I nurse him, and then I put him in his activity bouncer and throw on Handy Manny or Mickey while I make coffee/let the dog out/empty the dishwasher etc. for about 20 minutes in the morning. He is usually more into his toys than the tv. I have it off most of the day, but might flip it on if I want to watch something, and then the news in the evening.

mrsoc

E is pretty young, but we just face him away from it when we are feeding him, and when he is in his rocking chair, I face him towards us.  We are thinking about going down to basic cable, because now with him, we do not watch much TV, because we are so busy with him.  I kind of want to wait until the SU b-ball season is over though....

sunnygirl05

When Justin was an infant and I was on maternity leave the Food Network was on quite a bit!!!  At that point I didn't worry about it because he was so small and didn't do anything but eat, sleep and poop )  Now that he's older we try to be more mindful of the tv watching.  My husband still watches his sports and I will turn on the Food Network sometimes but we are always on the ground playing with him so he never really stares at the tv watching.  He loves to play with the remote though!  Who knows what will happen when baby #2 arrives or when Justin gets older.  Obviously I'm sure he may watch more tv than he does now but I never want it to get excessive.

Telyco

I am terrible about having the tv on! It's such a habit that I can't imagine getting rid of! I always have it on...I watch the today show, the view, and then HGTV is on for the rest of the afternoon. Unless I take a nap or shower or whatever. I probably only actually watch a third of it or less...but I like the background noise.

Evan is so busy...he barely notices it. If the today show is on and there is a musical guest - he'll watch it for sure! In the evenings, DH loves to get on the floor and hang out with him. Yep - the TV is on...and we've seen Evan do the blank stare/mouth agape watching of tv...but right now he's much more interested in books, boxes that he can bang like drums, cups he can knock of side tables, etc.

I've put on cartoons once or twice - but he doesn't seem to have any interest in those. Sounds kinda weird - but (because of the new baby) we are also trying to get Evan used to playing by himself and not being dependent on us for entertainment. He is great with it - and even with the TV on...he's all over the house doing other things.

sunnygirl05

Oh, and I TIVO my favorite shows and watch them after Justin goes to bed.  I really look forward to that downtime at night!!!

tmp-813143125004439

I'm with the liberals on this.  We leave the tv on pretty much all day for background noise.  The girls watch a little bit of tv.  Emily likes Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Alexis likes Hannah Montana. So they get to watch a little bit but other than that it's usually the Today Show or the news on, so they don't pay any attention.

jnk062602

Elizabeth is just starting to notice it and loves staring at it.  I don;t know if it is bad or not...I mean she loves starig at the ceiling lights too you know?  I have turned her bouncer and swing so that they don't face the tv, but otherwise we haven't done anything differently.

jewelsonu

the only time the tv is off is when we go to bed.  I have it as background noise.  He only watches mickey  mouse and handy manny.    He doesn't watch tv and plays with his toys and me.  He will look up if someone starts clapping.