Toddlers and Television

no, i would not punish the whole family by removing the tv.
i would stop letting a 1 year old child run the household. i would not put on mickey mouse to stop her from crying. i would make decisions based on common sense and help this tiny, tiny person learn how to cope with it.
tantrums are not fixed by giving in, nor by taking a year old child to 'classes.'
the baby learns to cope with disappointment in incremental phases by having sensible parents who allow occasional treats like mickey mouse and are able to say no when necessary.
khairete
S.

Have you considered doing a week without any tv (for anyone)?
Unplug it (or lock the plug - plug locks are cheap and you can find them on Amazon), and everybody take a break.
Once the week is over - use it very sparingly - only a short time per day and once the time is up, unplug it again.
She's coming up on terrible twos anyway.
Lean how to deal with a tantrum - ignore it as best you can, put her in her room and she can come out when she's done.
Ear plugs might help.

Of course you don't remove the TV. Just keep it off and ignore the tantrums. It will stop eventually. Just go about your business and try to distract her with what YOU are doing, help mommy clean, cook, etc.

No, I would not move my tv. You are going to have to endure a few tantrums until she understands that just because you're in the living room, does not mean that Mickey will be on tv.

If it wasn't Mickey it would be something else. She's at the age where it's not only common for hr to protest the limits you place on her, it's part of her development.

As a parent, it would be nice if she would accept what you say and not get upset or complain or throw tantrums. But that's not the job of a toddler. Her job is to test her independence and push her boundaries. This is part of becoming an independent human beng. She needs to see that you love her enough to say, "No, it's not time for Mickey right now. Maybe later (or tomorrow or whenever)," or "That's enough Mickey for today. We can see Mickey again tomorrow," and then deal with her reaction. She doesn't know that that's what she needs, but it is.

You're not gong to be able to avoid every temper tantrum, so you have to practice the words/phrases/sentences you will use, be consistent and don't give in. She will learn that there are better ways to deal with disappointment.

Just know that this is a normal, healthy part of development. She's not doing anything unusual for her age. It's your job to teach her alternatives to tantrums.

My oldest would go turn the TV on at this age, and I just turned it off. We had a few tears, but I would explain "later". And play time, or story time, or outdoor time ...

That's around the age I would say if you cry, then it doesn't come at all.

TV in our house was when mom needed a break. Not so much dictated to by my kids.

Sounds like you are doing plenty with your child. I don't think you should have to wrack your brain to try to distract her from the TV. Sounds more like she just needs to start learning the word no now. A lot of kids go through temper tantrums at this age. I find if you're firm, they are over sooner. Good luck :)

We had a time where my older kids (I think they were 3/4 maybe at the time...) were addicted to TV and I was sick of it and we just did a "no tv" week. It was great! Once they figured out tv wasn't an option they did so many more fun, interesting things all week, played, were creative, etc... I have a love/hate relationship with that box. I think for a little one like yours just keeping it off for a while would be good. I know it's tough it's challenging to parent a toddler. I know I have a 10 month and 2 year old now and boy, they grow your patience! 😁😜

I wouldn't move the TV but for my sanity I might turn the tv on and put it on a channel that is all static and say "see, Mickey Mouse is not on right now."😉

I would eliminate tv entirely since she is too young to understand a limited amount. Once it is no longer an option for her, she will give up on it. You could either be firm about no tv completely or you could lie and say it is broken (unplug it or switch to channel that doesn't come in or substitute the wrong remote so she can't turn it on). She doesn't need classes. She needs to explore the world, play and be read to. You are doing those things.

I wouldn't move the TV at all. I know tantrums are totally frustrating, but it's normal at this age, and you absolutely cannot give in to them. Redirecting or distracting can work at young ages, but when they get to the tantrum phase, you have to ignore it and walk away. You cannot reward them with treats like going to the kiddie club or the ball pit at a play area. The answer is "no" - otherwise you will find the "negotiations" so much more complicated when they are 4 and 7 and 12! You don't put a screaming kid in a class. You put her in her room until she can calm down, and you tell her you don't talk to her while she is yelling. When she gets quiet or calms down (whatever vocabulary you want to use), she can come out to play nicely and have fun. The consequence for a tantrum has to be ignoring her, depriving her of your company.

I have cousins whose 2.5 year old just LOVES "Wheels on the Bus" - so when he won't sit in his car seat or whatever, they put the "Wheels" video on the smart phone. Result? He screams as much as he wants until he gets a special treat, he has broken 2 cell phone screens at $100 apiece, and he gets his way. He knows he can delay their departure for 15-20 minutes until they offer him the distraction that appeals to him. Our feeling is that car seats are not negotiable! He grabbed the appetizer trays at our house and threw them on the floor - parents' reaction was to lead him over to a pile of Duplos. Or they'll say "You make me upset" or "you give me a headache" - but it doesn't work, because a toddler doesn't care or have empathy yet. (It's not a good technique for tweens and teens too, who have empathy but not for their parents!!!)

I'd just make her more miserable by being alone than she makes you by screaming. I know you hate the screaming but don't give in to it. If you are late to something, so be it. If she goes out the door in her pajamas, so be it. She'll learn - and more quickly the more consistent you are. You can also pack up the things she isn't interested in, and either give them away, or put them in the closet and rotate them out when you take others out of circulation. That way, old toys seem new again. Sometimes having too many choices is harder for kids.

Your list of activities is extensive. I wouldn't pay for anything else or drive to anything else, other than an OCCASIONAL trip to children's museum if you have one nearby (look into a yearly membership so you don't feel you wasted your money if she gets tired in an hour or two). Sometimes libraries have free or discount passes.

I'd just add in some things like nature walks - when you go out for a walk, have her take a bucket and collect interesting rocks or leaves or pine cones (maybe not the ones covered with sap). Wash, dry and paint rocks to make paper weights or garden decorations, put leaves under wax paper or trace them (get a preschool craft book from the library for ideas), clean/dry pine cones and roll in peanut butter and then birdseed to make cheap feeders (add in some string and hang from a branch near a window). You can also get a feeder that sticks on the window with suction cups - they are clear and she can watch the birds for little more than the cost of seed. There are a lot of crafts where kids use sticks/twigs and so on. Ask your librarian for some books you can peruse - maybe you can borrow from another library if yours doesn't stock a lot - our library participates in interlibrary loan, and I can pick up/drop off at my own branch.

Does she sit constantly and never move? Normal toddlers, 12 months old to 24 month old kiddos don't sit still for more than a few minutes. It is worrisome that she is able to sit still that long.

I'd probably just be the boss and say no. Then not back down. I enjoy watching TV and I don't let the kids watch a lot of different shows but they do watch a lot of TV. I even have TVs in their rooms. It's almost always on but they hardly ever watch it.

When someone else comes over those kids sit in front of the TV with their mouths hanging open and they are like zombies. Once they've been there a while or a few days they get over that and go back to only watching it when something interesting is on.

I don't limit TV. I found that limiting something just makes it more desirable.

Here's my view on this. She hasn't gotten a chance to learn to occupy herself. She is used to having someone entertain her. Either it's you or other people or the TV entertaining her.

I'm sorry, but this is because you've allowed this. It's kind of like moms who get up in the middle of the night every time their toddler demands attention. They can't put themselves to sleep or self-soothe because they depend on someone else to do it for them.

Take the TV out of the living room. Play music on speakers. Stop doing the libraries constantly. Put some stuff in a cabinet in the kitchen that she can play with - stackables, bowls, wooden spoons, etc. Let her "pretend cook" with that stuff.

Keep a real schedule in your home. Include "clean-up time." Make sure that part of the play is self-directed without you being a part of it. "Sorry honey. Mommy has to work. Go play!" If she tantrums, walk away. If she is hurting herself during tantrums, put her in a playpen and walk away. Don't talk to her during a tantrum. Ignore it. She can only get out of the play pen when she stops the tantrum.

You have to stop giving into her every whim. It's hard. But you can do it!

My almost 3 year old spends TONS of time watching shows and playing ap games. I have zero problem with it. In fact, I wish my older kids had Daniel tiger! My youngest is showing really good emotional intelligence, her language is great, and she seems to be picking up the math, etc. that she should be. She is also super interested in her numbers and letters, and she loves to paint.

She must watch 2-4 hours a day. While this may seem excessive to some, I see it as in moderation. She's up 14 hours a day. She may watch for a few hours in the morning -she wakes at 5- and then again in the afternoon when she's feeling tired. Some days she wants to spend 6 hours in front of a screen, other days she may only spend 15 minutes. Some days she just wants to play and paint. We have no power struggle over it so the tantrums don't happen often. When she wanted to watch Frozen everyday, I let her. She quickly got bored and got up to go do something else.

I see no problem. There is only a problem if the other time isn't quality, and if you believe that a story from a book is better quality than a story as shown in a video. I don't. Some stories are just good and some just aren't. That they come from a book doesn't make them any better. Yes, interacting with others is essential, but since she isn't in a classroom with a bunch of other kids, she gets so much one on one time that she is advanced for her age. Watching is a form of exploring and playing, and media will be at the heart of her life. I know that for the last 20 years I've been in front of a computer for many hours every day. I find it hard to tell her to get off the computer when I too am on it! So we all use media for a few hours twice a day.

But we also spend a lot of time outside in the dirt. Almost every day, no matter the weather.

It's that moderation thing and exploring our full world. The TV is part of the world. depending on your child's age, she may be getting stuff she needs from watching TV. Different ages are at different stages, and if her old toys are no longer interesting to her, then she may just be advancing past them. If she loves Mickey, get her some Mickey Mouse toys! I bet she'll play with them over watching TV.

It worked for us at that age to say Mickey (or whoever) wasn't on TV at that time.

Thanks so much for your thoughts on the matter! I know television can be somewhat controversial. The winter is hard to find things to do especially with daily naps at home and trying to find things to do with a toddler and when oldest is home on a week off. 🌻

I would turn off the cable box and try to turn on the TV. Then say oh, oh, TV is broken.

2 Year olds are smarter then anyone gives them credit for. She will understand it's broken. Then go out and do something else.

Also, a tantrum. So what. She will only win at a tantrum if you let her.

Good luck!