Thursday, March 31, 2011

Yes, I let my toddler watch TV

Probably TOO much TV. But there you go. Sesame Street and the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse allows me to have coffee and eat breakfast. Or at the very least try to eat breakfast since Little Man has decided he wants to have my cereal, from my bowl, in the morning. That habit actually stopped me from having Peanut Butter Captain Crunch today (yes, I eat like a kid) because Little Man hasn't had peanuts yet. But the TV often distracts him enough for me to eat, or empty and reload the dishwasher, or throw a load of laundry in the wash.

That being said, I don't want him to watch TOO much TV and am working to change this habit (if it isn't too late to do so) by spending a LOT of time with him, playing in his bedroom. And as the weather gets nicer, he will be OUTSIDE as much as possible during his waking hours--when I'm not at the office. Since he's still coming to work with me (hoping to do 2 days in daycare starting in June), I don't have as much opportunity to take him outside. But I did manage on St. Patrick's Day when the weather was hovering around 70 degrees.

Here's a photo of him from that day.
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Cute, huh?

Seriously, he does watch too much TV but at least it's age appropriate. The aforementioned Sesame Street, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Jake & the Neverland Pirates (because it's on), Dora, Diego, The Wonder Pets, The Fresh Beat Band and, on occasion, Yo Gabba Gabba, Special Agent Oso and (my favorite) Jack's Big Music Show.

Little Man will reply to questions that are asked by Dora or Diego--usually with a "NO!" Or he'll say "Bap Pap" and "Map" if Dora asks her audience who do you ask when ___? So I guess he is learning. He even says "tip toe" thanks to the Hic Boom Oh episode.

So I guess there are worse things he could be doing, right?

But I DO need to cut back. I don't want him to become a couch potato.

3 comments:

  1. Don't be too hard on yourself. I think MOST parents allow their kids to watch TV... I know mine did and probably too much. BUT they are both excellent students now. So I say... keep your sanity and enjoy they grow too fast!

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  2. I laugh at this because I wish Emma watched tv.. :) The only time she watches it is in the morning when we get up. I take a shower and she sits on the couch with her cereal and watches Little Einsteins or MMCH. Any other time, forget it. I'm sure Aaron will NOT be a couch potato. Emma's favorite word is "tow-ti" (outside).

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  3. I remember thinking, "When we have a kid we will never use the TV as a babysitter". Bahahaha! We were such idiots. When our 2-year-old started pointing to "!" and saying, "Exclamation mark!" we thought, "Our son is going to be brilliant because he watches TV!" :P

    Anyhoo, found your blog searching for... other ppl who choose to have only one kid!

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