What age did your kids start watching television?

[pigletgirl]

DD is 10 months. I swore up and down that we would not introduce tv till she was much older but now I am eating my words. She loves Baby Einstein and Disney Jr already. On the plus side, I can get her to watch an episode (more or less) while I pop in the shower. If I don't do this, she'll cry until I'm done. She's already dropped her morning nap.

She's making all of her milestones and is happy and content I just feel like this is way to early for a baby to watch tv!

 

[FlightlessDuck]

Um, 2, maybe? 18 months? I don't remember.

 

[Mkrop]

If it meant a peaceful shower, I dont care how old...peaceful showers are nirvana when you have little ones! You can still limit to when absolutely necessary, like showering or other must do tasks.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

DD is 10 months. I swore up and down that we would not introduce tv till she was much older but now I am eating my words. She loves Baby Einstein and Disney Jr already. On the plus side, I can get her to watch an episode (more or less) while I pop in the shower. If I don't do this, she'll cry until I'm done. She's already dropped her morning nap.

She's making all of her milestones and is happy and content I just feel like this is way to early for a baby to watch tv!

Sorry just have to laugh there. Reality of being a parent is so much different than fantasy parent.

As far as "when"? I don't remember. See how important that decision was?

I do know that my oldest watched 101 Dalmatians over 1000 times on VHS tapes and Barney was NEW at age 2.

They did not have "baby shows" like they have now.

 

[pigletgirl]

If it meant a peaceful shower, I dont care how old...peaceful showers are nirvana when you have little ones! You can still limit to when absolutely necessary, like showering or other must do tasks.

What is peace? I also haven't gone to the bathroom in peace in I don't know how long! She really only watches during the week for the 30 minutes it takes me to get ready for the day.

Sorry just have to laugh there. Reality of being a parent is so much different than fantasy parent.

As far as "when"? I don't remember. See how important that decision was?

I do know that my oldest watched 101 Dalmatians over 1000 times on VHS tapes and Barney was NEW at age 2.

They did not have "baby shows" like they have now.

Totally!

 

[davedmaine]

DD is 10 months. I swore up and down that we would not introduce tv till she was much older but now I am eating my words. She loves Baby Einstein and Disney Jr already. On the plus side, I can get her to watch an episode (more or less) while I pop in the shower. If I don't do this, she'll cry until I'm done. She's already dropped her morning nap.

She's making all of her milestones and is happy and content I just feel like this is way to early for a baby to watch tv!

At about 12 minutes old

 

[RadioNate]

No clue. My near teenager? Maybe we held off on introducing him to "kids" shows but the TV was on in his presence. My elementary school aged child? Probably from day 1. That happens when there is nearly 7 years between your kids. She also got soda and chips and all the bad stuff earlier too.

I just had a discussion about this IRL. While I absolutely believe there can be too much 'screen time.' I'm always amazed by what DD knows because she saw it on TV. She's been exposed to composers (Mozart, Beethoven, etc) from Little Einsteins. My mom brought her a Mardi Gras mask from her trip to NOLA and DD was excited because she knew a "masquarade' from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.

 

[Mkrop]

What is peace? I also haven't gone to the bathroom in peace in I don't know how long! She really only watches during the week for the 30 minutes it takes me to get ready for the day.

Totally!

Peace doesnt exist as a parent...

then 30 minutes during the week is the PERFECT age and amount of time...seriously do what works. You can limit it other times if you feel that is important.

 

[pigletgirl]

Peace doesnt exist as a parent...

You learn that about 30 seconds after they're born!

 

[leebee]

Just be selective in what she watches. DD was raised on Barney, Little Bear, Puzzle Place, Mr. Rogers, etc. We stuck mostly to PBS, some Disney channel, some Nick. Remember that just because it's on a "kid's station" or just because it's a cartoon, it DOESN"T mean this is what you want YOUR kid to watch. We, for example, said NO to Rug Rats, because I decided I didn't want a 4 year old who thought talking back to me was OK!

 

[laughinplace199]

I don't remember exactly with my first, but I know she was about a year (give or take a few months). I remember putting her in the exersaucer and popping in an Elmo video so I could get things done.

I have no idea about #2, but probably much younger. DD is 2 years older than he is, so the TV would have been on at some point during the day.

I think #3 was watching from the day we brought him home from the hospital. He also outgrew the "little kids" shows faster because he wanted to be like the big kids. I think he watched Sesame Street for a few weeks and he was done. This is my child who, in preschool, would come home from his 1/2 day of school and ask to watch Harry Potter during lunch. He never actually sat through the whole movie - he just liked to do what his siblings did.

 

[Robinrs]

Literally at birth. No joke, I would feed him while watching Nick At Nite! He told me that's why he's such a fan of old TV shows.

He plans to make his career in TV programming and film so it fits. I work in television now and it's truly his passion. He sees it as a business because he's been on that side of it most of his life.

 

[wallawallakids]

We don't have "TV" (ie cable or such). So actually, my 12 year old has never watched a tv show yet. They have all seen movies however. We started allowing them one a week around age 4.

We were not a TV or movie watching couple before kids, so nothing has really changed after kids. I don't feel like my kids are missing out, although I have had MANY, MANY parents object to the fact that I don't show them tv shows or that I didn't allow them to watch anything until they were 4. And even now that I only allow one a week. I am always shocked by how much others cared. I don't care what others do. But I think in our society we are seen as weird.

 

[SLP958]

As soon as they would.

I've got to get stuff done.

 

[carissa1970]

It is nice to see that no one is judging each other on here! When I saw the title of the thread I totally expected it. I can't remember how old my son was, but it was young. Baby Einstein, etc. He seems to be just fine at age 8!

 

[Southernmiss]

As soon as they would.

I've got to get stuff done.

This. My kids are now 12,15,16 and 19.

I have pictures of oldest ds propped up at 4 months old watching football next to dh.

When they were real little, it was great to get something done ( pee or a shower) without them needing me for a few minutes.

As kids ages 3 to 8, they could earn 30 minute increments of screen time.

But now at their ages they don't watch a lot of tv. Oldest ds is in college and doesn't have time for it. 16 year-old plays video games in his free time--there's not much of that. 15 year-old watches you tube videos and dd12 reads pdf books on the computer.

Having screens around enabled them to learn that even though we have them we don't use them all the time. And we did have tv's in their bedrooms.

 

[marcyinPA]

The guidelines say no screen time under the age of 2. This includes phones, iPads, etc. I babysit for a family that followed that rule with their oldest who is now in kindergarten. However, the baby, who will soon be 2, was exposed earlier because she saw her brother watching his shows on the iPad. They do not have easy access to a tv. One in the basement but its not a place that they hang out much.

Kids can learn everything without TV and screen time, so early learning is not an excuse I buy. But I think a short time to enable mom to take a shower is fine in my opinion. I do have a problem when I see a toddler sitting on the potty with an iPad for a half hour, or when iPads are used as sole entertainment I while waiting for food in a restaurant. What happened to good old books and crayons?

As for my own kids- my oldest started really watching shows like Blues Clues at around 20 months. Back then, we didn't even own cell phones, and I had my first computer when he was a year old. Screen time overload was not a big issue back then.

 

[LuLuO]

I have no idea. We love TV.

 

[sasywtch]

I have 4 kids, they are much older. I think maybe Sesame ST was on and Barney was just starting. They watched neither. They watched the old time cartoons that I'm sure parents are horrified about today : )

I didn't restrict tv but back then, kids went outside to play with their friends.

 

[Fjobe]

My oldest was a year old before he watched TV. With the other 2, the TV was on because of big brother, but I noticed neither girl paid any attention to it until around age 2.