how old are your kids and how much tv do they watch?

Question

my daughter is 2 and a half, watches a half hour of Barney and most of sesame street, occasionally she also watches Dora - having grown up without tv myself, I know how important it is to a child's ability to socialize - if you don't know what the other kids are talking about, you're labelled as weird and I don't want that to happen to my kids, but at the same time, how much is enough/too much, and what shows are important?

Answer 1

My son is almost 4 and he watches TV a lot. He has preschool in the morning then in the afternoon he watches Noggin (their website noggin.com is great) which is described as preschool on TV. Before each program they tell you how it helps your child and there are no commercials. (so you don't get "Mommy I want that!" all the time)

In studies they are doing now they have found that kids who watch TV (especially educational stuff) are testing higher on IQ tests and some other evaluations they have been doing. So watching TV isn't as bad as they say. It depends on the quality of the programming.

Some of the shows my son watches:
Dora the Explorer, Go Diego Go, Handy Manny(Disney), Bob the Builder, Max and Ruby, Oobie, Franklin, Little Bear, The Upside Down Show, The Backyardigans, Maisey, Pinky Dinky Doo and the list goes on. (we are picking up Spanish words from the first three programs listed and from Moose and Zee segments)

You can check out the most of these shows on noggin.com; there is a page where you can go to see short clips of the shows on noggin. Sprout by PBS is also a good channel for young kids.

Okay, yes I get excited about good children's programming.

Answer 2

I allow my daughter to watch some television, but as to what, that is where I am more of a stickler.

She watches Sesame Street (she is 17 months and can count 1-2-3), Blue's Clues, and (her favorite by far) SpongeBob SquarePants. I know that it sounds a little odd, but I have read that pushing all education will stress out a kid (my oldest nephew is proof of that) prematurely. SpongeBob is the "mindless fun" for her, and she loves the song. She will say "I'm Ready" and calls the show "BobBob". If she enjoys it, and it isn't hurting her, who am I to say she can't watch it??

I guess total each day she watches about 2 hours (well, that is how long the TV is on. She sits through Sesame Street, but the other shows she has on, but plays during them).

Answer 3

My daughter has always loved TV. She is 10 months old now.

I work from home, so I usually have Sprout (PBS Kids) on in the background most of the day. She plays with her toys while I work, and occassionally stops to check out the TV and laugh at Barney or Elmo.

I know a lot of people condemn TV for not being interactive enough, but I don't see anything wrong with it, provided your kids aren't watching "junk" or mature shows and are still encouraged to go out and explore and play and socialize with other kids.

In the end, you're the parent, and you decide what's right for your child.

Answer 4

My kids watch tv about 4 hours day.. Some say that is way too much, but they are learning so i dont care.. My four year old can speak some spanish which is something i cant teach her..mostly they watch Dora and Deigo.. But little instiens, wounder pets, wiggles, and backyard agains are good ones too. If she is learning and watching the educational ones i dont see any problem with it.. My kids only get the tv in the morning in the afternoon they have to find something else to do.. When oldest starts school in Sept. I will be cutting her tv time down, but for now she is using it as learning tool..

Answer 5

The Lone Ranger Davey Crockett Cheyenne Milton Berle Webster Webfoot Crusader Rabbit Roy Rogers Corliss Archer I Married Joan The Life of Riley The Honeymooners Ed Sullivan Show Perry Como Dobie Gillis Father Knows Best Whats My Line You Bet Your Life Sandy Spelman show Korla Pandit American Bandstand My Little Margie Private Secretary Annie Oakley Queen For a Day Ted Mack's Amateur Hour Racket Squad Dragnet Richard Diamond Maverick

Answer 6

i guess i shouldn't be answering this question since my daughter is 19yrs old and in collage but here goes when she was a baby she watched sesame street and Mickey mouse and Disney movies. from the time she was 2and a half to about 6 she loved to watch reading rainbow and Mr. Rodgers [ even older on these shows caught her many times after school] and we always watched national geographic shows I guess i didn't look at how many hours as watch she watched. and we had a rule that after supper she could watch a half hour of tv or she could read for a half an hour and more times then I can count she picked reading. I'm not an expert but right now she in collage studying to be an archaeologist. so start saving for school now. good luck and god bless

Answer 7

IMO, the thing about young kids & television is, if you expose them to it early they won't get mesmerized AND you control what they watch. If you keep it from them, they'll just watch it at a playmate's house (or granny's house, or anywhere else). Use it correctly, and it becomes part of life and nothing more. My daughter did the same thing, but as soon as she was old enough to go outside & play with friends - forget it, she'll choose the great outdoors over TV anytime! Barney et al are fine and I would say no more than 2 hours/day (just not in a row!!) My children are 9 and 5.

Answer 8

my kids are 4, 6, and 11. Our 4 yr old watches maybe 1/2 hr in the morning before lunch and school. The other two don't watch any tv during the week but about an hour Saturday mornings before grandma comes to get them. I read to them more and just play with them. Sometimes if I have a headache the two younger ones will watch about 1/2 at night before bed to (usually spongebob). Hope this helps

Answer 9

I have two teenage boys ,who when younger, watched a lot of tv but it was monitered. Now they play their games, or do high school sports mostly. If the shows are educational then I think it's fine for kids to watch, however, I also made sure I turned the tv off after a couple of hours and did something with my kids, like go outside, or just go out and do something that gets them out of the house. Your daughter is 2 years old eh? I remember my mom letting me watch a little tv, then we would play some games and she would let me watch and help with baking cookies and stuff. Educational shows are the best, however, with today's programs lots of cartoons to me are a little violent than what they used to be. have a great day.

Answer 10

My twins are also 2 1/2 years old. I keep TV as educational as possible, but their favorite is blues clues. I usually allow one cartoon in the morning while i make breakfest and wake up! haha and then sometimes i let them have a cartoon before nap time and bed time. No more then 90 mins a day though. I try to do activities with them, or if i am busy with housework ect, they have each other so i am lucky there. TV is great at times, but to much can be bad too. Use your own judgement.