So I held off as long as I could....
Liam is now a TV watcher.
(This is all my opinion, not judging anyone whose children watch TV. It just wasn't what we wanted to do for L.)
I held off for a number of reasons. He doesn't need to watch it. Actually, who does. Now, don't get me wrong it is definitely on in our house. I just never put it to a kids channel for him to watch. I did find it too stimulating for him, even the baby videos. We have an entire library of Baby Einstein that has never been used. The other thing is that we are big TV watchers. I knew it was going to happen sooner or later that he would watch TV. I think when he was about 9 months old I tried some baby video but he was not interested AT ALL. Plus, he's got butt loads of toys and books. He plays independently pretty well. Shortly after Christmas I needed five minutes to do something and put on Disney. And he watched it.
So now, we exclusively watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and sometimes Handy Manny. He loves MMC. He's addicted to the Hot Dog Dance. I taught him to move his arms back and forth. Too cute. Anyway, I try to only put it on in the morning and sometimes in the evening while I cook dinner.
What do ya'll do? What are your rules?
10 comments:
I'm actually pretty laid back about it. I watch almost zero TV and so they don't see me doing it. Blake and Carter are glued to Sportscenter. Barf.
Jack and Lainey watch it usually to start the day and then to end it. In between, we're too busy.
You're not totally screwing him up quite yet, Jen. Rest easy.
I started out not wanting him to watch TV, but hey - when you gotta get ready for work, who's a better babysitter than Mickey Mouse??
Hud watches in the mornings and the evenings. Mornings are Mickey and evenings are Chuggington or Curious George. We bought several seasons of George on Apple TV and they're actually quite educational. I've even learned a few things from George.
As long as Hudson still prefers to go outside and play, I'm okay with him watching TV. If there comes a point in time where TV overrides playtime - then we've got a problem.
i didn't want him to watch a lot either, but it relaxes him and lets me get some things done. he can actually sit through an entire movie now...depending on the movie. he loves the MMC too, and the thing about those disney and nick jr cartoons is that i feel like they're at least teaching things. when we used to watch cartoons, it was all action and no learning...and he learns a lot about characters and emotions from watching movies. he's always saying, "he's mad!" or "he's sad." or "he's mean." so i feel like he learning things too.
but yes...i will be so happy for warmer temps so we can be outside again and movies will not be as easy an option.
I don't mind the TV. I try not to use it as a babysitter, but at toddler/preschool age you have to sometimes. They actually learn alot from it. MMC was Connor's fave! I now have to limit video games than TV!
I gave in too and I let him watch one program a day while I get dinner cooked and ready. It helps so much b/c by that time he's in clingy mode and just wants to be up on my grill while I'm trying to do stuff. I think I read somewhere that the recommended time was no more than 2hrs of tv pgmng. I figure a little won't hurt him and like others have said it's all educational. And I'm sure a lot of us grew up watching tons of cartoons and shows and we all turned out ok. I put on the PBS pgms a lot, Thomas, Word world and barney. I discovered the Disney channel too, and he really enjoys Handy Manny as well (by the way I had no idea Wilmer Valderamma does his voice).
I gave in too. RJ watches only Baby Einstein though, which is both educational and stimulating to the senses. He already recognizes the music and gets excited over certain characters (like the bumblebee and the monkeys). Plus, I interact with him while he watches. I repeat the animal names and make their sounds... or I'll say, "That's a baby!" "Or that's a cow!" And I'll clap along or sing along and get him to do it, if I'm not cooking or cleaning. They're only 30 minutes long... Bobby does watch a lot of sports on the weekends and RJ catches glimpses of that too...
Sorry Jen...I guess you love your soaps because of me..I was a Luke and Laura addict...mom
kate lurves etv. cat in the hat, represent!
that's all we have, no cable (can you believe?)! i let her watch it, but honestly she'd rather play in her room.
if she requests it, i let her.
I gave in way earlier than you did. I found out that when Cason was around 6 months old he would sit in his swing or bouncer and watch a 30 minute Baby Einstein movie. This gave me plenty of time to shower/get ready etc. That's all he watched until around 18 months and then he started watching Blues Clues. He's 3 now and will still occasionally want to watch one of his Baby Einstein movies, you might give them another try. His favorite was the Baby Neptune and Baby McDonald.
Sofia really liked Classical Baby (HBO) for a while. It's great because it has not just classical music but art and dance. I love how she recognizes the songs when they play somewhere else.
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