Controversial parenting choices: TV time
This is the final post in my series about parenting decisions/opinions that can be controversial/people do very different ways. Some people feel very strongly about this one! In this series and today in this post I'm sharing my experience, no judgment, of how we deal with this topic. (See the whole list below.)
- Breastfeeding
- Sleep training
- Co-sleeping
- Babywearing
- Baby-led weaning
- Cloth diapering
- Potty training
- Daycare vs. nanny
- Transitioning from the crib
- TV time
Hoo boy, TV time, here goes!
TV time
I’m not sure where we fall on this exactly… We definitely allow Otto to watch TV, but not every day and only on the big TV, not on our phones or small screens except in emergencies (after reading about that--I can't find the article, but there was some research about how big TVs are better than tablets/phones for several reasons). We also pretty much only show him Daniel Tiger! He seen a couple other things (like we just watched Rudolph and Charlie Brown Christmas this year), and I tried showing the kids a Sesame Street episode the other day and I thought it was charming, but Otto basically just wants to watch Daniel. Which is fine, we started watching it with him because we like it and it has great messages and learning about emotions and cute songs and it’s not obnoxious.
I do worry he’s a bit sheltered though! He’s also not in preschool yet, partially due to COVID, partially due to all the things I explain in the daycare vs. nanny post, so I am a little worried that he’ll show up at kindergarten in a couple years and be the kid doesn’t know about pop culture. I guess we have some time before then though. With Jason working in the evenings four nights a week, Daniel Tiger can be very very helpful for me trying to get dinner made or whatever, but we try to use it in a limited way. I try to do other things with them in that difficult 4-6 PM time like take a walk, have them take a bath, go pick up a Target order... :P
Lately the kids have been great without TV time so I really try to save it for situations where I'm just so fried and need a few minutes to get something important done. Lucy doesn't care as much about the TV as Otto so it doesn't always keep her occupied anyway, and Otto is really good at playing with his sticker book, wipe clean workbook, or with other toys by himself that if it's just him and he gets into a groove, I don't even need it half the time. Sometimes he asks for Daniel, and I say yes/later or not today depending on what we have going on.
There are some good articles here: What You Need to Know About Screen Time for Kids | The Everymom, How Screen Time Has Made Me a Better Mom | The Everymom, and Experts Weigh In: How Much Screen Time Is Too Much? | The Everymom. One point from that last one is, "Make screen time something enjoyed in a shared family space, like the living room, and turn off the TV when it isn’t being actively watched." That's one of the reasons we do that instead of tablets/phones. Otto likes when I sit on the couch and watch with him, and it makes sense! It's nice when we can talk together about what happened on the show.
The posts in this series are meant to be me sharing my personal experience only. 100% no judgment if you did things differently! If you don't like the sound of what I did, no worries! I'm just sharing for those of you out there who are interested. Best wishes to you no matter what you choose!
Hope you've enjoyed this series!
No comments
Post a Comment