Currently, I do allow her to watch an episode of Dora the Explorer while I am taking my morning shower and getting ready for the day. This became a thing necessary for survival (and sanity!) after a climbing incident while I was in the bathroom a while back. She will calmly remain on the couch for the entirety of the 22 minutes while Dora is on, if it's not on, well, who knows what my adventurous and agile climber will get herself into. (Every Mommy out there knows how important those 22 minutes to prepare for the day can be!) It is the only time in the morning when the following isn't true:
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I also sometimes allow something in the afternoon -- this way I can pay bills, clean, make dinner, etc.. In the afternoon I want it to be somewhat educational. (I don't view Dora as educational . . . ) Currently, my favorite picks for this are available on Netflix's Play It Now: Leap Frog shows. If you're a Netflix member just search for "Leap Frog" and the first few choices will be Play It Now. As of right now they have a nice mix of both letter, numbers, and even some basic phonics shows.
Leap Frog: The Amazing Alphabet Amusement Park is probably to thank just about as much as all of the flashcards, coloring pages, foam letters, and wooden blocks that I work with to teach Catherine her alphabet. She cannot say/sing it in its entirety but when she doesn't feel pressured, she can identify every single letter! I don't think that's half bad for a two and half year old!
Here's my question to you, Dear Reader, what do you think about toddlers and T.V.? Do you allow some, none, a lot? Of course, every household is going to be different, but I am curious what other have to say! Also, what are the best educational shows out there? Which shows do you think actually help teach our children, if any?
Besides the above questions, which I look forward to seeing how everyone answers, this is also your chance to link up anything toddler related!
It is not mandatory, but would be nice, if you followed me and added my button (on the right) to your blog.
When my children were small I did allow it for a small amount of time.
ReplyDeleteI think that TV is fine in small increments to transition toddlers and as you mentioned...to contain them from hurting themselves when Mommy has to get something done. I NEVER let my toddlers see adult tv, the news, etc. But yes Baby Einstein and other kids shows with kids songs were a big hit!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the invite. Happy to link up. :) I am with you on TV being a sanity saver at times. My daughter dislikes watching TV, but enjoys it being on in the background as she plays (which I usually put on a music channel or something). It's crazy how much TV is a part of our lives now. I try not to allow it too much.
ReplyDeleteI allow it but sometimes the kids can get a little out of hand with it. We used to have a no TV until after 6 o'clock rule. I'm not sure what happened to that rule but I am seriously considering it again. For the most part, tv annoys me, but there are times, like you mentioned, that it helps us mom's maintain our sanity :)
ReplyDeleteMy kids love Leap Frog movies, we watch all of them on NetFlix! This is one of their favorites.
ReplyDeleteWe do TV some, but try to really limit it!
ReplyDeleteThank you for the invitation. We have chosen a school (Waldorf) that asks us to limit all screen time and prefers none, so we do our best now to limit television. If there is a special occasion or she is sick we will let our daughter watch some PBS shows. My mother-in-law who thinks we are depriving our daughter lets her watch television when she is watching her for us as well. My favorite for her to watch is Caillou since it goes at a slow pace and is more about everyday life and not trying to teach something.
ReplyDeleteWhen my daughter was small, she had a leap pad and loved it! I had no idea they had shows, as well!
ReplyDeleteDawn
Sometimes TV is a mommy saver here too!
ReplyDeleteMy 3 year old wants so very much to be like his 6 year old brother and watch things that he shouldn't. It's a struggle!
ReplyDeleteI do allow some TV but 100% is educational but try to encourage interactive, educational programs on computer or tablet instead.
ReplyDeleteWe limit tv time to 1 hr in the morning and 1 hr in the afternoon and that's it. But to keep them busy for the rest of the day especially if there's no school, we allow them to use Innotab and Leappad.
ReplyDeleteWe do some TV, but only learning. (Momma's Fun World)
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