Lately I think my 3 yo is developing ADD. She has become (for a lack of better terms) a bit of a spaz. She does not listen or pay attention to anything I say and just seems like a completely different child these days. I think she is watching waaaaaayyyy too much tv lately. My MIL watches my kids 2 days a week while I work. They are there for 6 hours or so. In that time period my MIL lets my 3 yo watch 2 shows in the morning (at minimum) and a movie in the afternoon so that my MIL can have some time to herself.
When my MIL first started watching my girls I told her that I would prefer that instead of her watching movies that maybe she could sit and read books or play quietly in a room and my MIL did not try it. She ignored my request and played a movie. Now my dd just rattled off all the shows she watched today. I am beyond angry right now and have pretty much banned tv for my kid. I feel like if we ban it at our house it kind of forces my MIL to adhere to our rules and come up with something else.
I am trying to think of things that my dd can do that would be fun for her. I will probably have to come up with something new/different each day she is there to keep her interested. Books/special toys just for her quiet time. Any thoughts for 3 year old who LOVES to play pretend with little princess figurines and dolls? TIA!
Re: How much tv does your child watch? Vent
how does banning it at your house force your MIL from not showing her TV?
We were thinking that if we said we were trying a llittle experiment to see if less tv would help her focus more and be more attentive that my MIL would be more likely to be on board with the idea.
When my kids watch too much tv I can tell, they are crabby, whiny, crying over everything.
If it were me, I'd eliminate tv on the days she's home and see if it makes a difference. I think if you can go to MIL and explain how she is a different child without all the tv that would make the biggest impression. But I also have to say that it is REALLY hard to get free or low cost babysitters to do what you want if they don't want to, kwim?
Cutting TV out at home isn't going to solve your issues with your MIL- if you don't agree with how she is watching your children- you either need to talk to her or change care providers.
I agree with this.
Let me be honest about TV. It can be a good thing when you need it. That being said for one year I cut out ALL TV because of how my children acted. They were at each others throats constantly. One day I snapped and banned it. DH and I would watch a show here and there but they could not. Something happened. They fell in love with reading and they started playing with their toys. They stopped fighting as much.The one year grew into two and soon three years passed. Now they do watch TV, but they read way more than they watch.
At first it was tough. The first week is the worst. You just have to tough it out and hold firm. Have ideas ready for them to do so that they don't fall into habits.
Same here. when I'm having one of "those" days and I just want to turn the TV on DS is horrible. He watches an episode of either Sesame Street or Yo Gabba Gabba after his nap while I get dinner ready.
It's not just my MIL that let's her watch tv..it all just kind of came to a head today when my dd was not listening, getting in trouble and then it came out that she had watched what sounded like 3 hours of tv!!!
I want to encourage other activities to get my daughter away from the tv. She loves puzzles, and books, playing games. I just don't want tv to be a crutch.
It doesn't sound like the tv is the problem, it sounds like your MIL is the problem. If she wants/needs "an hour to herself" every once in a while (which is totally understandable) she's not going to change her habits just because you tell her you're "banning tv". You already told her you didn't want a lot of tv, and she's doing it anyway.
You need to find new daycare if you're unhappy with it.
To anser your question, my DD watches a few episodes of Mickey's Clubhouse first thing in the morning while I wake up, shower, and make breakfast. If we're home all day and it's raining, I might let her watch a movie, and sometimes she'll watch a 30 minute cartoon at night to calm down before bed. I know that we have a great mix of outside time, activity, and inside time without tv, so I'm not worried about it.
Cut out the tv at home if you want but I'm not convinced that it will force your child to not be a "spaz." Three year olds have miniscule attention spans.
I don't think TV is the problem either. I follow "everything in moderation." My DD watches tv, has a cookie for dessert on occassion, drinks juice sometimes, etc. She is happy and healthy and is generally well bahaved.
I think sometimes we have to remind ourselves we're dealing with young children. They are often emotional and erratic.
IMO you're not addressing the problem, which is that you need to tell your MIL that she needs to find other things for your DD to do instead of TV shows and movies. Suggesting the 2 of you find things for her to do would probably make it go down easier.
A play house/kitchen stocked with things to play with might be a good start.
Is it just on in the background while they play or are they actually watching it? What kind of shows are they watching? Could you send a shorter movie for later in the day instead?
Is MIL watching them at her house? Are there enough things for the kids to do? Does MIL need ideas of what to do with them?