Strict TV moms - how much time do they get with TV, phones, video games?

How much time do your kids get with electronics & how old are they?

My older ds is obsessed with my phone - Most recently, when he wakes up, he brings me my phone & asks me to enter my password so that he can play.. this is first thing in the morning!

Re: Strict TV moms - how much time do they get with TV, phones, video games?

Not sure if I'm strict or not, my almost 3-year old gets less than an hour a day on a good day, a half an hour in the morning and a half in the afternoon, mostly when I need a break

There were days a few weeks ago, however, when I was trying to get my 3 month old to nap that DD was watching 4-5 hours because I needed to focus on him, she got pretty addicted and became a different kid so I had to stop that.

My phone is VERY un-smart so I don't have any limits on it

Re: Strict TV moms - how much time do they get with TV, phones, video games?

DS is just about 4.
We don't do TV everyday. I am trying to get down to one half hour show every few days, but MAX, one show per day. It is rarely on on the weekends.

DH and I both really limit our screen time around the kids, so DS does not even know that video/computer games exist, or that phones can do anything other than call/text people.

Everyone has a different approach. This is hard at times, but it's important to us.

Re: Strict TV moms - how much time do they get with TV, phones, video games?

oh my, you moms are incredible! I am embarrassed to say how much tv we watch here. It is on most of the day, so it's on around 6 hours a day- a habit that I started for #1 when #2 was born. They don't watch a full 6 hours but it is on & it's on kids channels so I really don't even know how much of it they really do watch.

Re: Strict TV moms - how much time do they get with TV, phones, video games?

I was very anti tv when I had only DS. I even got rid of our tv for a while when we first moved into a new apt.

Now I have 2 boys (ages 2 and 4) and they watch 1-3 hours of tv per day depending on how tired DH and I are. I do try to put on educational shows like Super Why and Team Umizoomi. The boys also like to watch Wild Kratz and Rescue Bots.

We usually don't bring out the ipads unless we are on vacation or go out to a restaurant. The ipad entertains them in the car, on the plane and in the hotel room.

Re: Strict TV moms - how much time do they get with TV, phones, video games?

Re: Strict TV moms - how much time do they get with TV, phones, video games?

I don't really pay attention to specific amounts of time. The Disney channel is on a lot, every day actually, in our house and sometimes DD (almost 5) watches and sometimes it's just background noise while she plays with her toys. She plays the iPad and Kindle too, maybe 30 minutes to an hour a day. We don't let her play for hours but generally after less than an hour she's ready to move on to other things anyway.

I don't sweat tv/iPad time as long as its not the only thing she's doing all day. DD loves her toys, loves to color, plays outside, has a good imagination, etc. The electronics are just a small part of her overall day.

Re: Strict TV moms - how much time do they get with TV, phones, video games?

I have three kids and I've given up on TV a long time ago (except for in the car, that's never allowed). Then again, #1 is really the only couch potato and she's in school FT anyway.

As for the other stuff, I think in terms of most parents I know or see on here I drastically limit it. I have both an iPhone and an iPad and none of my DC (ages almost 8, 6, and 2.75) are allowed anywhere near them, hence they've never asked and it's not a problem. My oldest has a DSi and plays with it rarely. The middle one has a Leappad that her younger brother is obsessed with, so I've begun to take it away...both because he becomes a zombie and also because of the constant fighting over it.

I'm in sort of a position now because my DD really wants a Kindle, you know with games and Netflix and whatever, for her 8th birthday next month. She's SUCH a good kid, but I see her friends at play dates just hovering over them and honestly, I hate it. Maybe I'll table the discussion until Christmas...

ETA: the older two will go on my laptop a couple of times a week for no more than an hour at a time.

Message edited 8/14/2013 9:50:11 AM.

Re: Strict TV moms - how much time do they get with TV, phones, video games?

I wouldn't say I was a strict tv mom but I do try to somewhat limit how much tv they watch.

M-F, they get 30 minutes while DH and I get ready for work. Otherwise it would be impossible to get out of the house in time.

DS is in camp/school for most of the day. He is 5.

DD is 3. My mom watches her and may let her watch 1-2 shows during the day while we are at work.

DS may play with my nephews iPad for 30 minutes after camp/ school.

Then at night after I pick them up they get 1 show each to unwind before bath/bed time.

So, altogether, 2 hrs on average of total tv/electronics time. Same on the weekends since we are usually out and about.

Our IPhones are off limits to the kids bc they get nuts if you try to take it away from them so they don't get to play with them at all.

I may let DS play with his leap pad if we are at a restaurant or traveling but only on rare occasions.

Re: Strict TV moms - how much time do they get with TV, phones, video games?

I never thought about it - but I guess I'm a strict tv mom. We do not put the television on at all when the kids are around, unless it's a program for them. We watch television after they go to sleep. For the most part, I let my 3-year old watch a program every few days, more if he's sick. I also keep the programming to Curious George or other shows that don't have plot lines or a "fight" that then gets resolved. We watch youtube videos from time to time, if I need a break :)

Re: Strict TV moms - how much time do they get with TV, phones, video games?

Oh I am a strict TV mom but it's easy for me to be strict right now. My DD is only 12 months old. So far, under my supervision, she has watched zero TV. My parents let her watch about 5 hours of TV so far. People were bugging me about letting her watch tv "cause she needs a break" and "needs to relax" and so, in response, I got rid of our tv entirely. There is no TV in our living room. However, she does get a lot of "computer time" because DH works on a large screen that she sees often. So the lack of tv time, comes in the form of watching DH use the computer. I've also let her watch about 2 hours total of youtube videos thus far. Videogames are none so far. And phones and ipods, well, she crawls everywhere for mine, so I let her have it certain times (like she can hold it for me and play with it while I carry her up and down the stairs or change her diaper). But other than that, I try not to let her have it. She loves to play with the buttons and watch the screen light up though and cries hysterically when we take the phone or ipod away so it has been more frequent lately.

Strict TV moms - how much time do they get with TV, phones, video games?

I consider myself strict-ish when it comes to TV/screen time. My older son didn't watch any TV until he was around 18 mos. old. Then, he would watch one half-hour show every few days. He is now 3.5 and we have an absolute limit of 2 hours per day. However, he rarely watches that much. Most days, it's 2-3 half hour shows. Our younger son started watching a little under a year, simply because his big brother was watching, though we tried to keep him away when we could (like let big bro have his show on when the baby was napping, etc.). Now, at 1.5 he watches about 1-3 half hour shows per day. As for phone games, my husband and I both a have a few animal games on our phones, and some puzzle or letter games for our older one. They only use them maybe a few times a week, and rarely for more than 10-15 minutes at a time.

Strict TV moms - how much time do they get with TV, phones, video games?

No iPad or phones except Saturday mornings
During week 1/2 hr of TV.
Weekends are free to be TV heads

Strict TV moms - how much time do they get with TV, phones, video games?

I really only limit DD's iPad usage. It's impossible to limit TV because my kids come to work with me and it's pretty much on all day. They don't WATCH all day- but I can't really interact with them all that much so they do watch more than i'd like to admit. We don't have smart phones and my 4 year old gets the ipad for maybe 30 minutes- an hour every few days.

Strict TV moms - how much time do they get with TV, phones, video games?

My older DS is 2. The past few months he has only been watching one show at night before bed, because we are never home during the day- always at the park, beach, my parents pool, etc. Back in the winter, we were home during the day more so we had it on as background noise. He wasn't sitting and watching it all day, but it was definitely on. I hope to not have a repeat this winter. DH has an ipad, DS uses it once every few days. And we both have iphones but he is not allowed to have them, ever.

Strict TV moms - how much time do they get with TV, phones, video games?

DD is only 15 months but I try to limit it to 1 hours a day. She watches sesame street first thing every morning which started when I stopped nursing her in the morning. It's a good distraction!

Other than that, she doesn't usually watch anymore unless I really need her distracted while I make dinner or she has a really bad nap day and needs to chill a bit. I have a few apps on my nook for her but she's only watched a handful of times. I don't want her to think tablets, phones, and computers are toys for her.

Re: Strict TV moms - how much time do they get with TV, phones, video games?

What exactly are the dangers of allowing a child to watch tv or go on an ipad/computer?

Strict TV moms - how much time do they get with TV, phones, video games?

My DD is 2 and watches about 2 to 3 hours a day of TV. She watches in the morning in bed with me, at night before bed, and during breakfast & lunch. She 95% of the time watches Sesame Street. She has learned so much from Sesame Street. Letters, colors, shapes, counting, singing songs, her vocabulary is amazing. She is a VERY active kid, likes to be outside, will play by herself and use her imagination. I don't think TV is a bad thing at all because of what I have seen Sesame do for her, but all kids are different.

Re: Strict TV moms - how much time do they get with TV, phones, video games?

No tv during the week. On his Kindle his daily limits are 30 minutes apps, 30 minutes video and unlimited time for books. Weekends tv is allowed in moderation.

edited to say ds is 4

Message edited 8/15/2013 10:13:17 AM.

Re: Strict TV moms - how much time do they get with TV, phones, video games?

Re: Strict TV moms - how much time do they get with TV, phones, video games?

my 3 year old doesn't touch our phones or play any games (on phone or ipad) but he is tv obsessed. only 30-40 mins in the am and about 1 hour in the pm.

Re: Strict TV moms - how much time do they get with TV, phones, video games?

In general, my DS (almost 3) watches a couple of half hour shows per day and we also allow him to play games on our iPad once or twice a week. Sometimes it's more, sometimes it's less depending on what we're doing.

When he starts preschool in September, he will be using a computer and iPad occasionally so I don't see the harm in either of those things, in moderation of course.

Strict TV moms - how much time do they get with TV, phones, video games?

3-years-old. No regular phone/ipad (Once in a while for 5-10 minutes, but very rarely), no TV, 15 minutes of videos on youtube most days (5-6 2-3 minute videos throughout the day). She has some electronic toys that I don't have specific limits on (mostly alphabet-learning toys), but she doesn't play with them every day and usually only for a little while.

Too strict?