TV take over

When I was pregnant with my Boy, I assumed that there was more to life than kid's TV, and that I'd have boundless energy and imagination for coming up with various ways to entertain a child besides TV. Reality set in, and I realised my baby was of the "high need" variety, and needed constant stimulation, i.e. all-singing, all-dancing mummy, for a minimum of 8 hours a day. Needless to say, before I knew it, it would get to "winge-o'clock"/the witching hour/happy hour (that time between tea time and bedtime) and I had run out of nursery rhymes to energetically sing, board books to read, toys to play with, parks to visit, garden to run in, arts and crafts to ruin, walks to take. Not only had I run out of energy to THINK of what to do, and actually DO it, but my Boy didn't want to know anyway, and that's when the TV came on. To start with, just one cbeebies programme, then off. Then til Daddy came home. Then, when Daddy also couldn't be arsed to do anything, til bedtime. Oh, what a slippery slope.....


Until, about a month ago, my Boy (who at 18 months knows very well how to work the TV), would simply wander over and turn it on. This was obviously Not Good. So a battle of wills ensued. "No, we're not watching telly right now, come and play with Mummy..." Cue massive tantrum. Which, thankfully are usually very short lived with the offer of a book or ball and some attention. In a way, I'm almost glad it got to this point as it made me realise I do need to be doing more with him, now he's a bit older and can do more. I though the habit would break quite easily, but it seems that if Daddy, Granddad and sometimes Nana is the caregiver-in-charge, the TV may well be the FIRST port of call, instead of my very last straw after being up since 6am being happy, smiley Mummy all day.

So a blanket ban and some rules followed. TV was to be one 20 min episode of a liked programme (e.g. Peppa Pig, In the Night Garden, Charlie & Lola). Said episode to be recorded on sky in advance so that when it finished, TV goes off, and grown-up cannot be persuaded otherwise by the next programme starting. (plus can fast-forward any ads) Cupboard lock to be fitted on TV cabinet, shortly after this learned that TV remotes need to be inside said cabinet, lest the be presented to me by a crying toddler. TV not to be watched at Nana and Granddad's house. Try to save TV time for near bedtime when ideas thin on the ground. Always inform one another if TV has already been watched today.

Vocal disagreement from Boy lasted around two days, and now he doesn't even "ask" for TV. I also make a point of TV being cuddly family time, and not using it as a tool to just get this or that job done. I also make an effort to practice animal noises/signs with him as we watch and various characters appear, and we sing and clap to songs together.

But the thing that I was most pleasantly surprised about the TV ban is that the locked cabinet seems to deter HID as well as Boy, and not only has there been more "chasing" and ball games when Daddy gets home from work , while Boy is around, but the other evening, we actually sat at the breakfast bar in the kitchen and talked while preparing tea, and when it was ready, we did not carry it to our arm chairs and watch TV while we ate, we stayed in the kitchen and enjoyed each other's company and music on the radio. What a result! The two men in my life are no longer square-eyed :-)