My 20 Month Old Is Tv Junkie!

My advice would be to take the tv out of his room first and foremost, then unplug all the tvs in the house for a week or simply remove them all. He will forget about tv with time. Research and pediatricians will tell you that children this young really shouldn't be watching tv and either you suffer through it now or you will really suffer later. It might be tough for a day or two but pitching a major fit is what he will do to try to get his way and if you give in, you are teaching him that this is what he needs to do to get what he wants. YOU are in charge not a 20 month old! TV is bad for his brain!!

I think the bigger question is why does a 20 month old have a tv in his room period?

Get the TV out of the room, if he wants to pitch a fit let him.

Take him out side and play with him the real world is much more interesting then that on tv.

Again you are incharge get the tv out of his room and limit what he watches period.

Hi Jill,

TV is addictive. Even for adults....My husband and I didn't have a TV in our home until our kids were in their teens. I find TV to be overstimulating and a waste of time for the most part. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy it, but I grew up in a home where the TV was on if anyone in the house was awake. I agree that it should be removed from his room AND unplugged.

The bigger issue here is he knows he's defying you and he's getting away with it. The smile when he doesn't answer says that loud and clear. Disobedience is not ever good but at that age it can be very dangerous for him.

Regards,

M.
www.squidoo.com/ifyourbabycouldtalk

It's probably a good thing your child is not in a daycare where they can watch tv all day. I suggest using tv as a reward. For example, if your child helps pick up his toys he can watch one cartoon. The longer your child is away from the tv the more he'll start looking for other things to do. We got rid of our cable for over a year and after a few weeks we didn't miss it at all.

If I've read this correctly, your child has a tv in their room at 20 months? Remove it! Set limits. You're the parent, and you need to establish a routine that doesn't include television time, especially if the child gets exposure to it in a daycare setting. I am also against "passive" television watching by adults who feel they need to have noise in the house. It's an unhealthy distraction and a major waste of electricity.

Hi Jill,

My husband and I try to limit TV for our 2 year old. She will request it and we will let her watch one of favorite Care B. videos if she has not watched much TV that day. Generally, I found that I can break most habits with my daughter if I am consistent for about 3 days. It is hard for those 3 days because she will pitch a fit, but I say just be consistent. I would also advise taking the TV out of the room.

My kids are 8,6 & almost 3... They do watch TV, but not a lot of it and they will never have one in their room. That would be the first thing- get the tv out of his room. I think that as long as you don't give in, he will eventually lose interest and it won't be such a battle. But in the meantime, I would just let him pitch his fit until he realizes you are serious and that the tv isn't coming on. You can set a limit, like two shows and that is it and then when the second show goes off, turn the tv off. If he is in daycare, then he isn't watching tv all day long, so just let him pick his shows in the evening and limit it. After a while, he will find something better to do than veg out in front of the tv. good luck!

First I would say absolutely no tv in bedroom. If you start that at this age imagine what he would be watching on tv as a teenager while you are watching. Or once he can figure out how to work the tv I can imagine him watching all night while you are asleep. Second just make sure it is educational things he is watching. I don't know if he is too young to understand if you do a you get b. My kids LOVE to watch tv. We have a rule that they can't watch it until after they have had dinner, done their chores, and gotten ready for bed. By that time there is only about an hour or so until bed so it works out. Good luck.

Get the tv out of his room. I love when my husband is gone and we can sometimes go days without the kids watching any tv as I don't typically turn it on til after they are asleep to relax a bit before bed. They are also very limited in the allowable shows. We do still have Friday night family movie night though.

My son is problematic with TV and I find cold turkey the easiest option. Since he is so young, maybe you could move the TV into a piece of furniture and keep it closed until he is in bed. Once you go two or three weeks, they begin to let it go. During those periods in my house, mine will peek through the windows trying to watch the neighbors - hysterical. Anyway, I find it so wonderful after about two weeks, there is just so much to do rather than argue over the TV. We have discussed many times getting rid of it all together, but haven't made the cut yet. Good luck, it can be very frustrating! J

First, the TV in his room has to go! Second, what ever TV time he gets at his new daycare has to count towards his total tv time a day. 2hrs of tv for a toddler is more than enough and I don't even know very many 20 month olds that could sit and watch 2 hrs of straight tv either. My 2 1/2yr old can't. You say he smiles at you and still won't pay attention-he is playing a game with you!! It is his way of controling the situation by not giving you what you want. You can't force him to sit down and learn. That could put a bad taste in his mouth for learning later down the line. Incorporate learning with his toys and playing. If he is playing with cars, talk about the colors, the different parts, their shapes, etc.

As far as his fit throwing when he doesn't get his way. Ignore, ignore, ignore. Don't even look at him until he stops. Just make sure he is in a safe place of the house if you leave him but more than likely he will follow you through the house. If ignoring the fit doesn't help, you can start teaching him time outs by either putting him in a chair in a room or sitting him on his bed till he quiets down.

Good luck and get this straightened out now other wise when he is older and watching too much TV, you'll have a older child that can put up a bigger fight on your hands!!

PS, get him off the Tv habit, and you might notice his talking pick up and improve.

S.

Give him some space for the tantrums and get rid of the "TV"! I know this may sound extreme but we did. We have videos. The rule is every other day only one hour. If there is an issue with that rule there are consequences. We all have them in life. She doesn't even watch it that often now. I decided to join Netflix because there are some good educational choices available. For a short time, a week, before I set the rules in a very strong way, she started to take charge of the television, she was starting down the zombie path, and not interested in other activities. I had the choice to offer this kind of neuro-association for my daughter's life patterns or not. I am choosing something better. She chooses other activities, unplugged. I wish you the best with all of this. If you choose to change your course, you may see some big battles but it will be worth it in the long run once he retrains his desires and redirects his interests toward healthy interests.
I will likely re-introduce "TV" at another point down the road because I don't want her to be in college unable to self-regulate if you know what I mean...
Blessings!
By the way, she is three, and has had a television in her room for almost a year. It no longer holds the charge of a "forbidden fruit".

Jill,
Good job for realizing that tv is not a good think for little ones. I would definitely get rid of the tv in his room. Then I would just not allow him to watch tv at home. Once he gets bored, he will turn to you for some fun one on one time with puzzles, blocks, crayons, books, etc.

You are letting a 20 month old run your life. My boys are 7 and 6. They used to watch a lot of tv. We have made a rule of 30 minutes a day, if they are good. At 20 months old, he has not learned to control his urges and you are letting him get away with it. First, take the tv out of his room. He doesn't need it. If he throws a fit, let him. It won't hurt him. Ignore the fit and let him know that you will not deal with him until he calms down. Second, don't yell. If he does not respond to you, kneel down to his level and turn his head to you. He already knows how to make you mad and he is using it against you. Third, you are the adult and parent. You are not there to be his friend. When I make rules that upset my boys, but are needed to help them grow, I tell them, "I am not here to be your friend. I am your mother. When you are grown and have your own life (their own house, job, family, etc.), then I will be your friend. Until then, I am here to make sure you become a good person."

Take the TV out of his room. That will be especially important when he starts to school--no child should have one in his or her designated resting place! Bed, dresser, toys, rocker?
You have better control, too. Pitching fits will not hurt him--get some ears plugs and smile, smile, smile! S. B.

This is difficult because we are living in a society which is full of television. I mean I was at the Vet last weekend and they too have a tv which was playing something about animals. Just start setting times when it is ok for the TV to be on. My daughter knows that it is not ok to watch TV during meals, unless we are having a special movie night. Also, is there a need for the tv to be in his room? You may want to try and remove this. Just remember you are the parent, he is the child. If he pitches a fit about you not turning the TV on, try to distract him with something else or let him pitch the fit. He is probably just trying to test you to see how much he can get away with. It's tough but stick to your guns and it should work itself out.

Why does a almost 2 year old need a tv in his room? I would take the tv out of his room asap. My kids, 2yr old and 4yr old have a small fit when I turn off the tv but they get over it and go play with their toys. My 2yr old watches 1.5hr in the morning and my older will watch 1.5in the afternoon while sister naps. Or she will play the wii or play with her toys. Then befor bedtime they watch 30min show. Go cold turkey and keep in mind he is 2 and his attention span is short.