STM+ - how much TV/screen time do you allow your kid(s)?

mussalynn · June 2014

DS is 16 months old and we still never have the TV on while he's up, or let him play with our phones/ipad etc. We're trying to stretch it out as long as possible, as the recommendations are to wait until they're at least 2. With baby #2 on the way (DS will be 21 months when baby comes), I'm thinking TV will probably be in our future as a means of distraction if I need to focus on baby. Just wondering if anyone has suggestions of how to break him into it gently, what is good to watch, etc.

Please note - I am in no way judging anybody whose kids watch TV/play iPad etc! Different things work for different families, and this is what has been working for us so far.

kjmommy1214 · June 2014

When we have the tv on, DD (18m) rarely sits and watches it. She will look if there is music and usually ends up dancing. She will watch Doc McStuffins a little more intently. I think it is due to the amount of singing.

We are pretty laid back about since she doesn't just sit and stare. If that is all that she wanted to do, we would rethink our game plan. But some days, Doc saves my sanity.

meeshybee · June 2014

I love most of the PBS kids' shows. Not only are they educational, my kids truly enjoy them. And no commercials is really nice (and not just because they're occupied for the entire 25 minutes!). The first time they truly watched TV at my in-law's house they thought their show had ended when the first commercial came on. They had no concept of a commercial break.

Curious George is definitely my fav for little ones. It focuses on science and math, but not in a blatantly "I'm teaching you" kind of way. Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood (a spin-off of Mr. Rogers) is another good one for littles. It teaches social skills, which has been a huge help with DS and his ASD. They also have a good potty training episode. Both shows have episodes available online and for iPad.

brichar31 · June 2014

The only show DS (almost 19 months) watches is bubble guppies! We watch an episode or 2 after he gets out of his bath at night while we cuddle and start to get ready for the bedtime routine. He's not interested in other cartoons, its weird but I can stand to watch bubble guppies so it works.

sweetbabyrahe · June 2014

DS did not watch much "TV" until he was closer to 2 years old. We did go on a vacation where we drove >15 hours and invested in a portable DVD player and bought some Baby Einstein videos. Then we added some IPAD apps as he got closer to 2- there are some great ones for counting and animal counds, art, playing music. Now that he is nearing 3- the IPAD is a reward for going on the potty. So if he goes on the potty, he gets a sticker on the IPAD and some time to play some preschool games on the IPAD. He watches one episode of a show before bed- we like Mickey Mouse, Thomas the Train, Jake and the Neverland Pirates, or Bob the Builder. Then Saturday/Sunday mornings sometimes he watches some cartoons when we first wake up.

carcrashheart · June 2014

Sprout is on all day. When he was little I would watch whatever I wanted but as I began to experiment with kids shows I found he reacted to some and because I thought it was adorable to see him get excited and dance I began to have the tv on more for him than me. His attention span is so short though. I've timed it and he can't sit and watch longer than 9 minutes, and that's only if it's one of his favorite shows (zou, justin time, Elmo's world). Otherwise it's just something that is on in the background and he glances at. He's learned little things from them (he never picked up sign language with me so I quit. He watched one show do the sign for fish one time and now he does it any time he hears the word fish/fishie). He certainly doesn't sit still long enough to watch a movie. If he happens to sit longer than 9 minutes, which is really rare, it's usually an indication to me that he's tired and ready to nap. So, I guess you could say he has unlimited tv time. But the time he is actually sitting and watching is probably less than an hour total.

mb314 · June 2014

DS is 21 months and we will occaisionally show him short videos on the computer or our phones. He watches at most 20 minutes at day at daycare if I'm late in picking him up (which is only once or twice a week). As he's getting closer to 2, I'm getting a little more lax in letting his watch stuff at home. Generally, I don't have him watch TV at home, but there have been some times where I've felt sick and I needed that break. Unfortunately, DS' attention span is still short, so putting on a DVD doesn't guarantee that he'll be occupied for more than 3 minutes!

Sesame Street programming is good, but a full Sesame Street program is an hour, which is long for young kids. We have an Elmo's World DVD, which is irritating, but DS likes it. I've also found Thomas & Friends on Netflix, but that doesn't hold DS' attention long. He's only interested when the trains are moving. I've never watch Calliou, but I think DS has seen it at daycare.

abbyful · June 2014

DS watches movies on long car trips (DH's parents are 3 hrs away, mine are 6 hrs away).
And he watches music videos sometimes at home, hardly at all now that it's nice outside but during the winter last year he would watch a few hrs a week of them.

We cancelled our cable TV a couple years ago, so there's not a lot of TV watching in our house anyway.

momtojad · June 2014

DS watches tv while my hubs (SAHD) cooks and cleans or other times where they wouldn't be interacting. We do not have cable so it is usually Little Pim or Barney. We don't have ipads so he doesn't use those either. I know the TV is controversial but I have noticed him learning things that Barney is teaching that we haven't brought up yet (Sorting, different english words (he is spoken to in arabic primarily, dancing and gestures).

ccam · June 2014

It really depends on the day with DS. If he's up super early and we're still trying to get ready to work, he'll watch a cartoon with his cup of cheerios. When I get home from work, if DH is not home yet and he is not easily occupied with his toys, I'll put on cartoons so I can get dinner ready. He gets one show before bed, too. He's at daycare all day with no TV.

On the weekends, its up in the air. We are usually too busy or spending our time outside so he doesn't get too much TV on the weekends.

nicnac817 · June 2014

PBS, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and the wiggles are the lineup we watch. The only time she's allowed tv time is in the morning when I am running around getting everything ready for the day, and while I am cooking dinner. I think the issue with tv is when it is used as a babysitter.

mrsvoy · June 2014

DS is 3.5 and doesn't nap anymore so he watches some Dinosaur Train or Land Before Time during his (and my!) "rest." DD is 1, so she doesn't get any tv time. We didn't let DS have screen time until he was close to 2. It really was a lifesaver when DD was born though--it was the only way I knew he would sit still and not get into trouble while I was trying to nurse at the beginning!

PennyLane26 · June 2014

I will be following this!

I've tried recently introducing Mickey Mouse Clubhouse to DD in the morning but she hates TV! I'm happy she's not a couch potato, but I know it would be helpful when nursing this LO come November! Hopefully by introducing it a few minutes at a time she'll be interested enough for at least a morning show by the fall.

We also have a gated playroom with a comfy couch for nursing, so I know that's another good option, but as a SAHM I really don't think 20-30 minutes of shows would be harmful, if anything it's a nice break for a cup of coffee and a morning nursing sesh (not necessarily in that order for obvious reasons lol).

moroccojade · June 2014

DD watched none until after she turned two. And for the first couple of years, we limited it to 20-30 minutes a day. (Unless she was sick, then it was a different story!)

In those days we would borrow DVDs from the library.   I didn't want her watching commercials. The last couple of years she has been watching Netflix Kids. She is pretty good at discerning the decent stuff from the crap.   And fortunately -- still no commercials!   The only time she has seen ads has been when we have been on holidays.

As for other screens... She has limited access. When in a pinch I pitch her my iTouch...   I have a few movies for her on there and some games. There are just so many better ways to learn and experience the world. I think she has PLENTY of time to be screen obsessed like the rest of us. For now, I would rather she enjoy books, toys and being outside.

mexinugget · June 2014

Kid shows like bubble guppies, paw patrol, sponge Bob etc is usually on throughout the day. Ds is fifteen months he'll stop and watch for a few min then keep on playing. I'm pretty relaxed about tv. Ds has a pretty developed speech for a fifteen month old, and brings me books to read to him. Or he sits down and tries to read it himself. He loves playing outside so I don't think the tv is hurting or inhibiting him in any way. Im just one of those people that has to have something playing in the background while i do house chores and stuff. Occasionally I'll play music instead.

Ineedmorecoffee · June 2014

My son didn't start watching TV really till he was closer to 2. Now he loooves it. I will have it on in the background. He will run around and play, then come watch 15 min of a show (obsessed with ninja turtles), then go back to playing.

I really wish we were a screen free family but it's impossible.

ShelleyElla22 · June 2014

We don't really set a time limit for our boys but they are so active, they rarely sit and pay close attention (unless they're sick, tired, etc.) The shows that they like the best are Mickey Mouse, Bubble Guppies, Paw Patrol, Dora, Little Einsteins, Super Why, Team Umizoomi.

My 3yo likes to play abcmouse.com and starfall.com on the computer. I also have a folder of educational apps on my iphone that they can play sometimes.

As PPs have said, if they were couch potatos or overly focused on the tv then I might limit it but it has not caused any issues for my kids.

mrsodonnell12 · June 2014

Our 6 year old gets to watch TV as a treat. Maybe twice a month.

Our 17 month old has never watched TV.

Melissa2216 · June 2014

I think DS started watching short videos right around 2yo. We let him watch videos on YouTube and Amazon Prime. I don't let him mindlessly watch whatever is on TV. We actually cancelled our cable service.

For the first few months, he was hooked on a couple episodes of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and that was all he would request: "the farm one" or "the train one." I feel ok with letting him watch individual episodes because he'll watch one and then go act it out with his toys or with DH and I. I swear, his vocabulary has increased so much and he quotes from videos all the time. We also watched a lot of animal videos with him on YouTube after we got a zoo membership and he was really able to appreciate monkeys, elephants, etc.

After Mickey, I introduced him to Winnie the Pooh, and there are lots of little 10 and 20 minute episodes on YouTube. Another cute cartoon on Amazon Prime I really like is Little Bear. Then he discovered Thomas the Train and he's obsessed with those now. Not my favorite, since some of the characters can be mean to one another. The Amazon Prime Thomas episodes are longer (45 min. -1 hour). There are some shorter episodes on YouTube, but you have to sort through a lot of other crap that pops up.

As far as time goes, I really try to limit it, but like I said he's pretty obsessed with Thomas. On days when we are home all day, my general rule is 2 short or 1 long (up to 1 hr) video in the morning and 2 short or 1 long after nap. Usually I try to balance it out where he can watch an hour of videos in the morning, but then I will plan some outdoor activity in the afternoon so he doesn't have time for cartoons.

montella1064 · June 2014

We let DS (he's 5) watch TV while dinner is being cooked after school and after dinner he gets to choose if he wants to watch TV or play a board game. We did get into a bad habit of letting him fall asleep with the tv on in his room every night, but he does fall asleep pretty quickly most nights so I don't see it as a big deal. On the weekends he can watch as much or as little as he wants, it does help me out sometimes especially while I'm doing chores.

We bought him his own tablet about 2 years ago because I had an hour commute to and from his daycare/my work everyday at that point and it helped keep him occupied in the car. It used to be a big hit but he goes days without touching it now a days.

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