Northern California Babies
TV- has anyone cut it out after starting?
I really wish my DD had never seen a DVD. I hate the way she constantly nags me to watch her shows. I have limited it to one show in the am and one in the pm, and that's fine, but it's the "I wanna watch baby blue bird (Backyardigans)" or "I wanna watch Dora" that drives me mad. I read to her and dance around and engage with her a LOT and it distracts her for a while but then something will trigger it again. I try to get out of the house a lot but really I just wish it had never started. Anyone cut it out entirely after they already knew it existed?
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Re: TV- has anyone cut it out after starting?
I havent cut it out...and I try to look at the begging whining for it as just a normal age thing. If it wasnt a show it would be somehting else I figure....
I think maybe its harder since its something we dont really "like" them doing KWIM?
Also for me the bonus is on whining for tv I know I wont ever give in...so they are learning in a fairly easy way mommy means no when she says it...and it helps in other areas!!
br
We haven't cut it out, but if they've reached their quota for the day I usually say...you already watched your show, you can watch that one tomorrow. Usually they watch 1 episode of one show, 1 episode of another then try to get a 3rd of a different show (or something along those lines). So I say you want to watch this Dora, we'll save it here (if it's an actual DVD) or say it's on TIVO we say we'll watch it tomorrow.
If that doesn't work I insist they find something else to do. If I have a few spare minutes (usually tv is on when I need to get something done) I'll set up an activity or book or game to distract them from begging for tv.
When my son was in the hospital, he watched way too much TV, but there was really nothing else to do. He was fine being without it, but his little brother became an addict since he was with us so often. We did watch the DVDs at home a bit during his recovery, but I too got tired of the whining for Toy Story from my younger son so we sent the DVDs away on vacation. Sure, he whined a bit, but when they're gone, they're gone.
I just remembered that that's the reason I have 4 kid's dvd's on the top shelf of my closet. Ha!
DS loves his shows. He wakes up occassionally asking for Caillou. This morning he wanted a specific episode of Chuggington that lives on Daddy's iphone. When it annoys me, or he seems too attached, I've set stronger limits (limit number of shows, or when he can watch or what he can watch), and just plain removed stuff I'm tired of hearing about. THis morning my answer to more Chuggington was that he had watched enough and needed to go play. And he went! My other trick is to buy him tie in toys to his favorite stuff so today he went off to do a GIANT Thomas puzzle and play with his Chuggington sticker book. As long as Thomas doesn't talk he doesn't annoy me.
The only real giving up I've seen up close in TV houses is like TV turn off week or something similar.
Yes! After L was born I used the TV a LOT to S- so I could nurse/put him down/survive/etc. At some point I realized it was out of control and I couldn't handle the whining, so our TV "broke" for 2 months. I literally unplugged it during the day because she knew how to turn it on. It totally kicked her of the habit and we're back to reasonable requests- not even every day.
But it needed to be the TV saying no (being broken) and not me telling her no.
When G was younger I did. I told him the TV was broken, for a month.
Now, once he reaches his limit for the day, I tell him that if he whines about watching that he wont be allowed to watch next time.
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Those are great ideas. thanks everyone. I am Ok with two shows a day, especially since it helps her eat breakfast and it's the way I get her into a bath (after the bath you can watch Dora or whatever), but that's all I let her see. I just get irritated with the whining and tantrums, but I just ignore it mostly. I guess I will continue to let her watch what she is watching and keep trying to distract her with other activities.
There is good to it also , it's just sort the addictive quality that I hate. She also learned all the letters and the sounds they make from the letter factory video, so I see the value, and it helps me to get things done in the morning when I go to work. I guess eventually you just have to get used to setting limits and sticking to them no matter what age they are and no matter what the issue.
I'm so glad you've been validated.
I consider the TV the poor mans Au Pair.
word.
Holy sh!t! Diet Coke all over my screen.
Why didn't we think of that! We'll just let the Au Pair go and leave Sarah in front of the TV 40 hours a week when both her parents are at work. Thanks for the suggestion.
in case you wear yours out