toddlers watching tv

[lollylou1]

Annabelle has never been interested in the tv she has occasionally watched a little bit of waybuloo or in the night garden but she has always continued to play and kind of glanced at the tv! but this past couple of weeks she has become obsessed with peppa pig, she likes anything pig related and has always shown more interest to pigs but i showed her an episode of peppa and seriously she has peppa sock, slippers and tops, which i have bought her with it being a pig and she screams if she doesnt wear one of them, when i get clothes out she is kicking off screaming peppa and wont play with toys so much she just wants to watch peppa!
is this just a toddler thing and she is making her own decisions or is she being a brat?
i dont give into her all the time to be quite honest when she kicked off i make a point of no peppa clothing etc! i know evil mummy but the tv cant be on without her standing at it shouting peppa whilst like crying/whinging!
advice needed!
Lou
xxx

 

[huggybear]

aawww my LO loves TV so this is the norm for us, maybe LO is just asserting herself and just likes Peppa Pig, no very helpful but didnt want to read and run. x

 

[lollylou1]

i think thats why its so random cos she has never been interested before!
Lou
xxx

 

[Twinminator]

I hear you, my 18mth old twins freeze and are glued to the tv when Special Agent Oso comes on... and with it all being in the news about not letting under threes watch ANY tv, well, does it make us bad mums if we give in??
What you don't want is for it to become a battle of wills where it becomes a big issue for both of you, otherwise she will have a complex about pigs for a long time to come! Use it to your advantage, perhaps put it on near bed time to settle her down before sleep, so that it becomes part of her routine. I did it with the girls' dummies, now they know they can have them to sleep with and they hand them to me each morning when they get up!
I'm a primary school teacher and I see no issue with a bit of TV, especially these days where the content is infinitely more educational than it was 20 years ago.

 

[huggybear]

hey indulge her, let her watch an episode, if she wants peppa socks let her, I am sure in a few weeks it will be something else, nothing shocks me where toddlers are concerned. x

 

[Cheryl xx]

Hi hun,i agree that maybe adding it to her routine might work. Maybe an episode before bed at night, then she might learn that she can watch peppa at 'peppa pig time' if you see what i mean. Why not look for peppa colouring books or games to do together during the day. And the socks etc i'd just let her wear them, it'll be something else in a couple of weeks lol xx

 

[Serene123]

Caitlyn demanded Peppa Pig knickers on yesterday. Needless to say she wore plain green ones

She knows she's only allowed to watch TV whilst she eats breakfast, and she's allowed to pick what she watches. Usually Dora atm!

 

[Laura2919]

Chloe and Jaycee rarely watch tv, just because they have the attention span of a fish lol! They cant sit still for a minute. I want them to be into tv because then I can get things done
I put on kids tv and they play with their toys then stop have a few mins at looking at it and then back to whatever they were doing...

 

[Twinminator]

Because of this thread I've turned the TV off and put radio on... peer pressure or what!

 

[lollylou1]

lol i dont mind her watching some of it at all, im not objective to tv was just worried about her wanting it on all the time, i have just hoovered quickly and put it on so she is currently throwing a wobbly on the floor cos i said no more! i do the bed time thing too she had her tea and then the half hour before bed we watch it and then it gives either me or oh time to wash up so we can do bath, showers and bed etc for her all at once then we can come down and chill out!
Thanks though i dont feel too bad now lol, she is just a very independant child, she has always from a very young age known what she wanted and has got a strong will to stick with it lol
Lou
xxx

 

[huggybear]

tbh I dont see what the fuss is about LO watching TV, I watched loads as a kid and tbh you cant entertained them 24-7, there has to be a happy medium, I think everything in moderation.

 

[PeanutBean]

Yeah I don't really see anything wrong with it as long as it's not always at the expense of quality time together. Byron loves something special best and signs wonderfully so I have no objection to him watching lots. He's recently taken up Chuggington and sings the song which is probably the cutest thing in the whole world. He also enjoys Peppa though last night he as off colour and suddenly screamed so hard at the dinosaur in the Sleepy Princess episode!

He sings Chuggington at all his trains and has a Brewster. He has some peppa pyjamas and enjoys looking at them but is less bothered than Annabelle about whether or not he's wearing these things.

I guess I just wouldn't worry. I think sometimes we kind of want to say no on principle when really the thing in question doesn't matter so much. Byron does often has tantrums if the TV is turned off but he gets over them and starts playing or running about. I think at this age they are really starting to develop their own little interests.

What's this about not letting under 3s watch TV then?

 

[BlackBerry25]

Helena watches a few episodes of Wonder Pets a day. Usually first thing in the morning...right now because I am so groggy and sleepy and so is she.

She is obsessed with Wonder Pets, but she has gone through Yo Gabba Gabba, Elmo, Dora and now Pets, so I am sure it's probably just a stage I think it's ok.

 

[MishC]

Elissa likes to watch TV. I put it on her her first thing in the morning and usually dont switch it off it 7pm. She watches it on and off through the day. She has her favourite programs, special agent oso, In the night garden and the little einstines.

Personally i dont see what harm a bit of TV can do to her. She is learning things, they keep her happy and it's not as if she's needs it.

 

[Twinminator]

Peanutbean, the official stance on tv watching is 2 hours max for over 3s and none at all for under threes. I like having children's tv on though, it adds colour and movement to the living room!
And my two are EXACTLY like Elissa, MishC! Same programmes, same dipping in and out

 

[Serene123]

Does Wonder Pets creep anyone else out?

 

[PeanutBean]

But why no TV for under 3s? And who says so?

 

[Serene123]

My HV said not to let her watch TV because it would make her obese Considering she's on like.. the 2nd centile at most I think I'm alright...

 

[Twinminator]

It was in that great big book we got at the booking in appointment with all the other gumpf and leaflets and stuff, the one that tells you how to parent.... *roll eyes* !

I'd not thought much of it and had forgotten about it, but then MIL was round yesterday and she was telling me about some debate on a news programme she'd watched that morning with some (male) child expert banging on about the dangers of tv... but to be fair there was another expert (female, mother!) who was defending the "everything in moderation" argument. Apparently it got quite heated!

If my girls did not want to play or interact with others because of the tv, then I'd worry. But as it is it's part of their well-balanced daily life so I'm happy

 

[mumtosam]

Sam watches tv everyday but only in the morning and for about half an hour before bed. I don't see anything wrong with it as he only watches children's programmes and it's not as if he watches it all the time! Most of the time he wanders off and plays with his toys anyway!