iPads, computers, tablets....How often?

dkny155 · July 2014

My dd is 15mths and we let her watch MIckey Mouse Club on Disney Jr, its the only show she likes right now and i'm ok with that. Last week while i was checking my email on my ipad she came over and i went to disneyjr's website and showed her mickey and all the pals. They had little 1-2min video clips of clubhouse songs and stuff so i showed it to her....big mistake!!! Now she is obsessed and all she wants is "mimmie" ( thats what she calls minnie), when she says this she looks at my husbands tablet or my ipad so we know thats what she wants. She gets so excited when we let her watch them. We have limited her to 15mins in the am and 15mins in the evening but she constantly asks for it even when we hid the ipad and tablet. Have i created a monster? Am i wrong for letting her watch these at such a young age even if its only for 15mins?

pb_bride · July 2014

We have zero TV time and almost none iPad time (except for Facetime with my parents once a week, and facetime w/DH at lunchtime M-F). DS is 20m.

Having said that, about 5-6 weeks ago, DS started fighting tooth-brushing BIG time. We tried every trick we could think of/read about, and nothing worked. In the end, about 2 weeks ago, we started letting him watch a short 2min video on our iphones while we brush his teeth. This was the ONLY way we could get it done without holding him down and prying his mouth open (and him crying/screaming and kicking me in my chest). We started with the "brush your teeth" song but that only worked a week or so. Then last week we switched to the Thomas the tank engine theme song (2 mins). DS has no idea of Thomas whatsoever b/c he doesn't watch TV. Now he asks for the "train" twice a day when we brush his teeth, and he throws a HUGE fit when it's over. So we resorted to letting him watch a second Thomas video (2 minutes) as his "reward" for brushing his teeth. When the 2nd video is done, he still throws a huge fit. But we stop at that.

Basically, toddlers don't know limits and they don't understand why. If they want something, they want it and throws a tantrum if they don't get it. The older they get, the more they are aware of this.

I think in your situation, as long as you are happy with the 15min 2x/day, you just have to explain to her that MMC is "asleep" or whatever at the other times, and stick with the routine. If you give an inch, your toddler will take a mile.

DS doesn't ask for the iPhones videos during the day, probably b/c he knows he only gets it at teeth-brushing. If you put the 15-min TV into part of her routine (ie, after X activity and before Y activity), she may learn to expect that and ask for it less often). However, if you show the videos to her at random times during the day, she'll just think that she can get it anytime she wants.

ashiscute · July 2014

Both my LOs watch TV and do screen time. There is no situation that can't be calmed down by playing the video "Happy" by Pharell for DS. I let them watch one episode of their shows each day and maybe another 5- 10 mins of time on my kindle. If my kids cry for it I turn it off. I find the more they watch/see the more they want.

beckcour · July 2014

We let DD watch the tablet at night before bed. She loves watching Elmo. And it makes for a no-hassle bedtime routine because she'll do just about anything to watch Elmo. We limit the time and we make sure to tell her "last video" several times so she is aware of the transition. If she whines when we turn it off, we tell her she can watch Elmo tomorrow and she's ok with that. I don't see anything wrong with your LO having some screen time within limits.

NDarya · July 2014

I'm sure people will think I'm crazy but I let my 14mo watch TV all the time. He has favorite shows like Yo Gabba Gabba, Sesame street, some shows in foreign language (I'm Russian, so DS gets to watch some Russian cartoons). I never really limited screen time. I like when TV is on as a background. So, DS doesn't think it's a big deal or smth. He plays with his toys and then sometimes stops in front of the TV for a minute and then goes back to playing. He's never asked for it when TV/kindle is off. He just does smth else.

LimaD · July 2014

DD doesn't watch TV anymore unless she's sick or teething. We took the TV out of the family room b/c that's all she wanted. She doesn't miss it which is great! BUT she's obsessed w/my phone and laptop. Anytime she sees them she wants to watch videos or look at pictures. So she does do that at different intervals throughout the day. After letting her play with them for a bit I put them away, and she does get upset, but it's usually short lived and we move on to some other toys or activity. I can usually distract her from wanting it if I put it out of sight.

I agree w/a PP that if you can put up with her asking or crying for it, stick to letting her watch it only a few times a day. If you are deciding between giving up cold turkey vs letting her watch it whenever she wants I'd stop using it and try to reintroduce it later.

erinmc1 · July 2014

Mu husband watches a lot of TV, but the TV is very rarely on with cartoons and stuff that interest our son. Maybe once a month or so we let him watch an old Disney cartoon. He likes when music comes on during commercials and will dance, but otherwise, plays independently without getting too interested.

Our phones? Are an entirely different story. He wants to play with them constantly. So I hide mine and hubby keeps his out of reach.

Addy1227 · July 2014

We actually don't have a T.V hooked up so he doesn't watch any but we do play Baby Einstein Numbers on YouTube occasionally. I use it mostly for quiet time while I clip his nails before bed or if we're out in public and really need him to be calm. I don't have a smart phone so I can only play it for him at home.

Anyway like you he went through a phase where he asked for it all the time! It was the first thing he asked for when he woke up so the more he asked the less we let him watch him, not as a punishment but we would just distract him with something else. Eventually he stopped asking for it as frequently so now we're back to 5 minutes a day probably 3 times a week or more depending on the type of week we're having.

AppleJacks81 · July 2014

I think it's fine to use the iPad and cartoons for a little entertainment. You have to teach them boundaries as far as how long they can watch, just like anything else of course. I like a lot of the programs they have for little ones - my son learned about "stinky bronto breath" from Doc McStuffins and got better at brushing his teeth for example. And UmiZoomi really gets him into simple math problems. Also, if they know who some popular characters are -Mickey, Elmo, etc, - it gives other kids something to relate to and talk about when they get together and share a love of a favorite character.

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