We don't have any tv hookup here, but do watch movies as a family from time to time. Our 3 year old son loves to watch videos and although they are good ones, we struggle in this area. We really limit his watching time. It seems like he just won't play by himself. If I am sewing or doing something, he will sit on the stairs and talk to me (non-stop)! I can't seem to get him to entertain himself. I was wondering if other mothers find that even a little bit of tv time limits their child's ability to play or use their imagination. Our son is a very active kid, he just wants us to always entertain him. He does do somewhat better when our 1 year old is up and around.

Any ideas or experiences?

Thanks!

Just a funny note! When not wanting to finish his breakfast this morning, he told me that his brain kind of hurt! I thought - "So does mine! So does mine!"

sounds classic....kiddo wants attention! He seems like he wants to be with you and talk...which is very healthy and good for him...even though it drives us mommies batty at times! :lol: What if you had a list of "helpful activities" that he could do in the same area that you were working in that might help him be entertained and feel grown up and conncected/close to you at the same time........like dusting the low furniture, sweeping the kitchen with one of those hand size brooms (my two year old loves this! Of course you have to do the work yourself later for real, but they think it's fun!), stack your tupperware in the cupboard, things of this nature....if he thinks he is helping you by "working" while you are working too, he might entertain himself with it! Another thing we do is cheapo family cards....I have my kiddo "decorate/color" a stack of construction paper cards and we use them throughout the year for holidays for family members and extended family.....I just keep a basket with the goodies and paper and he can go to it for a chore to help mommy......
I actually think that some TV is a good thing (I know, in the minority here probably!) but it seems to spark imagination with my kiddo too...the vivid colors and the voices and characters....I then see him playing out these things from the shows and making up new settings for the characters in his playtime! Seems to spark the creativity some in small and healthy amounts!
Good luck....and um, ear plugs are cheap for those endless "my brain hurts" days! :shock: :wink: :lol:

It used to help when I would spend time with our daughter first and then try and do my chores after. Sometimes it worked, sometimes not!

Timmys actually really good at playing by himself, and he watches a little tv most days. I think it helps though if it's not the first thing they do. It seems to me if he watches a show when he first wakes up he'll want to watch more shows, and doesn't want to do anything else. So I try to give him juice and breakfast first, play (or read) with him a little then let him play by himself. But it's nice to have the tv around if I need to get something done and he's being especially clingy. And I agree that it does fuel his imagination. He pretends to rescue animals or other things he sees in his show! :D

I think TV can curb creativity. Have you tried Books on tape? (or CD) I think these encourage little ones to use their imagination. Also, try music. There are lots of good CD's out not that combine music with activity. We have been enjoying Laurie Berkner. Her music is not Christian, but it's cute and clean and you can't help moving to it. A big sink full of bubbles and cups and kitchen utensils used to entertain my toddlers for a chunk of time if I had something I had to get done. A big batch of homemade play dough works good too. I did let my girls watch TV, but I would try to limit to about 2 hours at the most. And they are both still very creative, entertain themselves, and really aren't interested in TV now that they are older (7 & 10)

I don't see any problem with putting on a small amount of TV a day to keep your child entertained. Of course, you don't want them watching it all day long, but a little won't hurt. Actually, my 2 1/2 year old has learned a lot from watching educational shows like Seasame Street, Dora the Explorer, and Blues Clues. He also loves Veggie Tales, which are great since they teach a bible lesson too.

I think like most things it is just having the right balance in your child's life. There are a lot of educational programs out there which I see no problem with watching. My children learned lots from them.

I too struggle with this with our 18 month old DD. If the TV is on, she can zone out like crazy, and I find myself having to repeat things to her to get her out of her trance. Usually I just switch the TV off. We don't do many kid shows on regular TV. Usually the TV she "sees" is the morning local news show. We go to an elderly couple's home during the week in the morning, and the lady likes to put on PBS for DD. I am more lax about this when we are there because DD doesn't just sit in front of the TV the whole show or shows, but I try and turn it off as much as possible there. She likes the music from the TV and she loves the music from the commercials...but I see her being SUCKED into the TV, and I do not want that to happen. Dh seems to want to watch TV more..and doesn't seem to consider the content as much when DD is around, and that's hard, but we talk about it openly most of the time, so I feel I can do a gentle reminder.
On the creativity thing...our DD plays by herself very well and seems to have a wonderful imagination. I do think watching too much TV can have an effect on creativity if it's used too often, but like others said, it can help too.

Amber

I agree that giving him "chores" to do might help. When I am getting housework done this is how my son helps. He will "vacum" with the extension that is used for the stairs, dust, use the hand broom to sweep, or sometimes even help me change the sheets and fold the laundry. I agree that most times I refold the clothes or it takes a little longer to get things done. But he feels important and I think it teaches teamwork within the famliy unit. Everyone should pitch in with housework around the home.

On the flip side...he LOVES towath TV. I limit him to about an hour a day, and it gets split up. 15 min here, 30 min there. I allow him to watch age appropriate shows only. I get teased for all the things he is NOT allowed to watch. But he plays well by himself, and his imagination is off the wall!!!

Good luck to you!

I agree that there needs to be a balance. Being that I do daycare, my kids only watch 2 hrs a day max. Now, at night that is different with my own kids. It stays on for noise. Neither of my two kids watches much tv, so I do not monitor it too much.