QOTD 3/6

[annarose]

DD is in love with Frozen - watches it and dances with every song that comes on. We dont try to use the TV as babysitter but it is nice to have 15 mins to make her dinner without her crying at my feet. One of us is always with her when she watches TV and we encourage playing with toys while it's on. Besides Frozen, we watch The Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Octonauts and Sesame Street.

[Unknown]

We never did the no tv. Don't get me wrong I don't encourage tv watching, and 95% of the time we just have the Toddler Tunes MC on versus a tv show. There was a period of time that DD loved Frozen and Barney, but she doesn't seem interested at the moment, so we don't turn it on. Since DD is in full time daycare it isn't like the small amount of tv she is exposed to at home is really that much, so I'm not worried.

[carli]

I'll admit, I do cartoons on Saturday mornings. She doesn't stay interested for long, maybe 15 minutes but I leave them on while she plays and I doze on the couch. I just can't get moving on Saturday mornings. During the week there's not time for TV. We get home around 6 and eats dinner, then she takes a bath, and goes to bed by 7:30. It's so rushed.

I have started paying closer attention to what is on the tv when she's around. I'm much more aware of cussing and violence than I was when she was littler. She doesn't pay alot of attention to the TV but I don't want to her to start picking up words or seeing things that might scare her. I just save most of my TV till she's in bed.

[RedDDD]

My kids watch TV in moderation. I don't think it is good for them to OD on TV BUT there are a lot of really great programs out there. We probably watch too much TV in our house but my kids love dancing to The Voice or any of the music awards shows. I TVO those and play them back and they dance and dance. I also TVO/DVR Little Einsteins, Dora the explorer, and Mickey mouse clubhouse. Those are the only programs they watch. They watch one 20 min show in the morning while I get everyone ready for school. Then at night DD doesn't really watch anything but after she goes to bed DS and I will watch a 30min episode of Little Einsteins together and snuggle. Its kind of the wind down to getting ready to brush teeth, read stories and go to bed. They LOVE the Little Einsteins.

[Deleted]

No TV lasted all of 6 months in this house. Then I gave up - the cartoons gave the girls something to look at and the voices made me feel less lonely as a SAHM of twins. Now we LOVE the Disney channel and get very, very excited for Mickey Mouse. We have a bunch of My Little Pony, Doc McStuffins, and Sofia the First on the DVR for those days when cartons seem to be scarce. And there are a few Youtube videos from Little Baby Bum that are a lifesaver when the girls are pitching a fit and all I want to do is eat dinner in peace.

[girlonfire]

I was all 'NO TV' from the beginging. Haha, the things you say before child.

Our big screen Mac is in the kitchen so if one of us is alone trying to sort her dinner then we put on YouTube. It beats having her scream and cry at your feet while you're trying to cook. We pretty much have stuck to The Mother Goose Club which is annoying but catchy. In total she gets maybe 30 mins to 1 hour a week of TV time so it doesn't bother me that much. Same as Unknown, we have the Toddler Tunes MC on quite a bit. All of our TV viewing happens after DD goes to bed.

[legitsince86]

When DH is home, he'll have it on Disney Jr. for LO in the mornings. He's the type who has to have background noise on. If it's just me, I might turn it on in the mornings or leave it off all day. I watch all of my shows on demand anyways.

The only show she'll really sit and watch is Mickey Mouse and Doc McStuffins. Other shows she'll glance at and continue playing with her toys and books.

[fiveohfive]

DD is in love with Sesame Street and we will put it on for her, but only if she specifically asks for it. She really only ever watches the beginning with the theme song and Elmo, but sometimes will watch Elmo's world later in the episode or Bert and "nernie".

We have the TV on in the background every night with dinner. Wheel of fortune and part of jeopardy usually play. She really only stops to listen to the jeopardy theme song and this really catchy lawyers commercial with a repeating phone number.

[marley629]

DS watches Sesame Street typically during breakfast. It's the only way I can get ready at same time and survive.

[legitsince86]

And I just turned off the tv since it wasn't her show and she was playing where she couldn't see it. As soon as it's off she comes running over and grabs the remote to try and turn it on. Wierdo.

[mommabakes]

I turn on the tv for Sesame Street in the morning, but she doesn't watch it much. She'll dance/stomp/clap along for a few minutes throughout the program. She is way too busy to just sit and watch the whole thing.

[junewife]

We don't turn the TV on for him/don't put on cartoons, but if there's something we want to watch we'll turn it on for ourselves when he's around. Usually he doesn't care, but he really loves the theme song for Parenthood, and one time he sat down and watched 10 mins of one of DH's shows with him.

One time when my morning sickness was really bad and I was watching DS by myself, I tried to put on cartoons for him but he wasn't interested and was just climbing all over me instead.

[sugarkissed]

I turn on Sesame Street in the mornings while I get ready. It's the only show that she's really interested in, but she doesn't watch it more than 10 minutes.
I was pretty no-TV until I got pregnant again and needed something to distract her while I battled morning sickness.

Oh, and when we are on a plane she can watch whatever she wants on the iPad for as long as she wants... haha.

[krose]

DD doesn't really have a huge interest in tv except for concerts (she lovvves a video of Raffi in concert from like 1989) and Blues Clues. The only time we put the TV on specifically for her is when she gets up and has her milk for about 15 minutes. I do know that MIL has the tv on for her all day on the 1 day of the week she's there, which I don't love. I know she's not watching it all day, but it's still a lot more than I'd like. But this is one of those pick your battle moments that I let slide.

[happymama]

We never had a strict no TV rule for DD, but we do limit her use of electronics, including TV. Honestly, I have a bigger problem with handing her a smartphone as entertainment than I do having her watch a cartoon. We never turned on shows specifically for her until after her first birthday. Now I will occasionally turn on a show for her (she likes veggie tales and penguins), but she generally is only interested in the theme song and then moves on to playing with toys and reading books and it is mainly just background noise that she will only tune in to when a song comes on. She likes books a lot more than TV right now and that is something we encourage.

[nymama917]

We never had a strict no TV rule. My husband is the type that has to have the TV on all the time even if it's just in the background. We will put on cartoons or something for her when we're trying to get ready in the morning to keep her occupied but usually she's playing at the same time. She never sits and just watches, but every once in a while it will catch her attention for a few minutes. I guess I see the positives in it as we spend time flying and in the car since we don't live near family and if she recognizes characters and shows that helps when we're traveling to catch her attention. If we're here with her we try to engage her and really she's just into the songs for the most part on all of these shows. Toddler Tunes on the TV is a great alternative that I never really thought about, but now will have to try.