help!! my 3 yr old is addicted to tv!!

Yissel - posted on 08/08/2009

Take control of the situation. You are the parent and your daughter looks to you for boundaries and guidance. Allowing her to have a TV, VCR and DVD player in her room does not send the right message. Remove the items from her room and limit the time that she is able to view television. Also, let her view shows with some educational value. Try PBS shows like Sesame Street & Word World.



When she asks for more television time, sit down at her level instead and have her choose a game or activity that the two of you can do together. Possibly painting, coloring, puzzles, or reading a story. Kids would much rather have valuable play time with you than sitting in front of the television.



You are making a good choice for your daughter. You recognized the problem, now do something about it. And remember, it may be difficult at first but in the end you will both be happier.

Tina - posted on 08/08/2009

my little girl is like that and i took her tv away for a month and sent her outside and now we have no problms she wants tv every night for and hour or two then she is down

Stefanie - posted on 08/08/2009

The AAP recommends no more than 2 hours a day for children 2 years and older. Children under 2 should not watch any TV.
Why can't you and your DH watch TV after she's in bed? My kids go down between 7 and 8pm and we get at least 3-4 hours of TV viewing a day if we wanted to. Do you really need more time than that? There are a million things your DD could be doing to stay busy rather than zoning out in front of a TV and happiness can be put into anything.
I don't mean to be rude but if your so concerned about this than why aren't you more willing to turn off the TV? It sounds like the only reason you don't like our advise is b/c you don't want to let go of the TV. Is that really worth damaging your child?

Char - posted on 08/08/2009

almost everyone is trying to make it seem so easy to just tell her no more tv... it's not that i'm lazy or afraid to tell my kids no... i have no problem with that but it is something that keeps her busy and she enjoys it, i'm just worried that its gone too far. i wouldn't limit tv to an hour or less a day bc i have to admit me and my husband are pretty into tv also but how much is too much and when is it the point of no return??

Jennifer - posted on 08/01/2009

Okay my daughter is 5 and she started watching tv around 6-7 months and she still loves it. It's not that easy to just say no tv. If your anything like me I can't stand hearing the weining!!! BUT my advice is only alittle tv because they get so use to watching it it's hard to get them outside...Like my daughter so don't let it get that bad. Now she has to clean up or be good to get to play on the computer or watch tv. But if you start early then it wont be so hard when she is older. I also having a 21 month year old and she doesn't care less about the tv so hopefully your youngest wont either.

Sarah - posted on 08/01/2009

My does the same thing, his therapist said that if his going to watch a lot of TV, to only let him watch Animal Planet, and Other shows that speech correctly and that are not cartoons. Took a couple weeks but now he does not really want to watch that much TV anymore.

Kate - posted on 08/01/2009

My daughter loves tv as well and she also has one in her room and yes I probally let her watch it to often but I find she will do other things if I do them with her so she regularly bakes and cooks with me, we read books and go for walks, I tell her that she needs fresh air and exercise to grow up strong, and healthy. She also loves to do the boxing and the jogging on the wii. I find though as soon as I leave her alone she'll go back to the tv so mybe set some mummy and me time even just an hour each day go for a walk, read a book and things like that

Sheena - posted on 08/01/2009

I know where you’re coming from, I have a 6 year old who loves to watch television as well, but he’s still at the point where he would rather be outside then watching a show. If it’s becoming a huge problem you definitely will have to remove the television from her room and focus on keeping her busy with other things, such as drawing, looking at books, activities that are going to get her to use her imagination, who knows she might begin to find other activities that she enjoys other then television watching.

Casey - posted on 08/01/2009

i agree, no tv in the bedroom. My daughter watches afternoon cartoons from 3 till 4 (as she is at morning kindy) and when she wasn't tv went off at 9.00am in the morning. I always think that after shes had a run around out side for a couple of hours putting on the little mermaid or something is okay to chill out with. all about moderation, oh and another tip - i tell her that the TV needs a rest so she should either go play or read a book, and when the TV is rested maybe she can watch something later!

Kate CP - posted on 08/01/2009

...turn off the boob tube. Get the stuff OUT of her room and make sure she knows she's not being punished. Just that you and Daddy have thought about this and have decided that it's more fun to watch TV together in the living room instead of alone. Make one night a week a movie night at the house. Pick a movie every one can stand/like and pop some popcorn and just relax. The rest of the time when she wants to watch TV make her a better offer: "How about we read a book/finger paint/sing a song/dance/collect acorns/etc."

TV is okay in small doses. I know for a fact that watching too much TV leads to attention problems later in life. My husband can't do only one thing at a time. He can focus on one thing for about 10 minutes and then he automatically gets bored. It's not a coincidence that after 10 minutes is when a commercial usually comes on. I'll let my daughter veg every so often as all of us like to do but most of the time the TV stays off.

Stefanie - posted on 08/01/2009

Unplug the TVs. You're the mom. She listens to you, not the other way around. My kids are allowed 7 hrs of tv a week (max.) and that's if they are good.

Jamie - posted on 08/01/2009

First off take that all out of her room. Second, limit her TV, maybe 1 movie a day, even at her age thats a lot. Remember your the parent and someone has to turn the tv on, just because she says she wants to doesnt mean you have to let her. My kids would love to eat chocolate everyday, but I dont let them because its bad for them. TV is the same thing, I dont care how educational some of the shows are now, nothing compares to go old fashion make believe and using your imagination.