what do you let your toddler watch on TV?

Yasin's only started watching TV in the last couple of months. Other than his Dora the Explorer DVD he's never really paid much attention but in the last couple of weeks he's taken to snuggling up beside me to watch TV and I've begun to worry about the content. In particular I'm worried about him watching the news. The day before yesterday they had footage of a little girl in Lebanon who was a tiny bit older than him who's home had been hit by an Isreali bomb. Yasin looked really concerned and confused :( so I turned the TV off and yesterday we avoided the news. I spoke to DH about it and he didn't really understand why I would worry about the news but not Video Hits. I do see his point, that Video Hits conveys a whole heap of ideas about women and gender roles/relations that I wouldn't want my kids to take on board but I feel that we can discuss this later and that film clips aren't distressing in the same way that some news stories are.
Soooo... do you let your toddler watch the news or not? Do you follow the ratings or not? What age is it appropriate to let children start to watch the news? Do you discuss the news with your children while you watch it? Since Yasin only has a few words this isn't really an option at the moment. What TV rules do you have in your home?
I never had a TV when I was a child so I can't really draw on my own experience and DH's family are really blase about what they let children watch so I don't really want to draw on his experience either.

I am pretty strict about it I must admit. We have the TV on only ABC kids or a DVD for Matilda. No video hits anymore now that she watches it, no news.... if she's lucky DH will watch the Simpsons with her but thats the most she gets to watch. Even her DVD's are planned. Like for a week we'll watch the Pooh movie, or some Little Einsteins something like that, no movies that aren't for toddlers.

I guess I figure she'll get enough of that later in life, so I don't want her too influenced by everything at such a young age. If she's still up and there is something I want to watch, I record it for later and I watch things during her nap time and have lunch to them :)

Dach, I understand your concern too, but luckily my kids never sit still long enough at the time the local news is on and then we are eating dinner when the national news is on so they sort of miss it all. It is very worrying because it is really hard to explain these things to a child so they understand.

The kids only usually watch ABC kids in the morning and afternoons and the middle of the day it gets turned off. We watch all the nature doco's and stuff like that, but they are more educational IYKWIM?

Now that Lindsay is older he is starting to ask a few questions about stuff like that because he understands enough of what DH and I talk about to ask us, so I try to explain it to him the best I can , but it is still hard.

This is a really hard thing, what do you let your kids watch??

Hayley isnt that interested in TV, but as we are in the middle of renovating, she will actually sit and watch Nick Jr for a while, but there is nothing on there that is too bad.

As for the news! I have found recent years very distressing, especially with 9/11 and having kids old enough to understand, well, sort of?? I have found that they will ask questions and that schools are now discussing current world events and giving kids a chance to let out their feelings about all of this.

I personally think that the news can be very upsetting for kids so I try to avoid it until they are old enough to understand it and ask questions. Simpsons are pretty much banned here too, especially for Hayley. The older kids watch it, but not in my view!

Yeah its my biggest bone with DH is his special "Simpson's" time with her...grrrr.

what is it with blokes and their special "Simpson's" time with the kids? My kids watch it now because it's "special" time with Daddy. Big grrrr.

Mine watch some ABC kids (I even pick and choose with that, at I don't like some of the content there too), their DVDs that we've bought for them. My son sometimes watches car racing on Sunday arvo.

They're not interested in the news and are in bed at 7pm, but if they are up after then they don't watch neighbours, home and away or big brother, as we don't want our kids learning values that aren't our family's values (at this young age).

Aidyn watches ABC kids from 8am (the shows on before 8am arent really suitable for a toddler I think)
Otherwise he watches any of his toddler DVD's... I dont let him watch any Disney movies yet either as they still have parts in them that are 'scary' and I dont think he's equipped to handle them yet.
As for the news, we have it on about 50% of the time, and if he is actively watching it or close by and an unsuitable story comes on, we change the channel straight away. for eg, stories about war/violence/murder, injured people... etc.

Just ABC Kids here too, and the odd DVD, which is mostly ABC kids on DVD (such as PlaySchool or the Wiggles).

Certainly not the news or anything else.

But we do let them watch sport.......Olivia is mad into the footy and the rugby......which worries me a bit, becasue of the blood and violence.......but it is special Daddy time, so I get shouted down..........

Olivia has an addiction to the Jungle Book, both the story (in a Little Golden Book) and the DVD as she LOVES Baloo, but DOES get scared at SheerKahn (sp? the Tiger?!) so I restrict that to mornings only when I am free to watch it with her and talk her through why the Tiget isn't scary etc........

My kids don't really take interest in tv much, they would rather be outside
But when they do watch it, it's usually dvd's (wiggles, hi-5 ect) or abc kids

Lucy, Nick is sport mad too, he loves to watch and play tennis so he sits with dp and i to watch that

Mackenzie is pretty much the same ABC kids and after a bath while I'm preparing dinner she will watch a DVD - Elmo, Wiggles, Hi-5 etc. No Simpson's in this house. Funny the other day it came on and DH said to her 'mummy says we aren't allowed to watch the Simpsons'. I was suprised how much he really noticed what I prefer her to watch. She doesn't see the news as this is when dinner is being prepared and she loves funniest home videos (although sometimes this is a bit violent too!). Last night when 'Honey we're killing the kids' was on we swapped over as the rather rude child told the presenter 'I hate you' and stormed off. Anything with inappropriate behaviour/talking is switched off straight away. Reminds me of my SIL who let her 5 and 7 year old's watch Eyes Wide Shut and endless rated M videos - needless to say they are trouble with a capital T at 14 and 16 now!

We are both stict when i comes to tele.
Ive got Nick Jnr on or Playhouse Disney or ABC Kids or ABC2 which all are learning for toddlers channels. I dont allow her to watch the news or normal tele for that matter unless its non violent.
We actually started watching Madeline one night it was on thinking it would be a harmless movie and it TOTALLY freaked DD out. She got so scared of the lady ogre that she sat on my lap crying her eyes out and vomitted every where from fright. So no crap tele in our house. Music is the same. I wont listen to crap music. The car has Hi 5 playing most of the time or some other kids theme.

I dont care if i sound like a freak but i think they are young and innocent for such a short time, lets not fill there little heads with worry so soon. kwim. They will have plenty of time in life to stress, just not yet.

Jackson is only 14 months but he is obsessed with TV, has recently figured out how to turn it on and off as well, and today i caught him pressing the eject button on the DVD player and taking out the disc to play with?!?! He loves Jay Jay the Jet plane, can't get enough of it, he has four of the DVD's and watches them over and over again, and laughs at all the funny bits and dances to the songs.

He did laugh the other night when the Simpson's was on and homer made one of those surprise cans but it was loaded with springs and when Moe opened it up he got a spring stabbed into his eyeball.

But I am not really concerned, we will teach him what is right and what is wrong, and what is real and what is not. As he gets older I wouldn't let him watch anything gory, or too violent or anything sexual, but I don't but the whole "he shot somebody because he watched violent TV" thing

Oh, he also loves the today show weather segment with Steven Jacobs, has watched it since he was a little bubs, strange!

Interesting to read what you are all doing and how most of you seem against the news being seen by your toddlers.

DS is only 12 months, but has his final bottle for the day right on news time, so we watch it together as a routine. He loves the colours of BBC World - lots of red and orange graphics,so he is gripped.
I think he's too young to realise what is happening there, and after reading your posts perhaps its wiser to discontinue. I just thought news would be more educational than a lot of the crap thats on,so it couldn't hurt. But so much violence...:( so I am re-thinking that now.

Sunbeam, I only started regulating TV once Matilda started watching it. When she was a year old she didn't really watch it for extended periods or even pay attention to it so we didn't worry as much, now that she gets involved with it we regulate it more.

We rarely see the news in this house. It is ABC Kids from 7am - 10am when I can change it to ABC 2 for more cartoons, although if a nice day the kids are usually outside playing by then. At 3pm it goes back to normal ABC Kids, and then Kameron (Yes Kameron!!) likes to watch Wheel of Fortune, although at this time we are usually eating anyway & Deal or No Deal. After that we sit and watch the Simpsons and then it is the night routine of baths, milos, bed.

Lachlan is usually off doing his own thing from 4.30 - tea time.

Love

Not much telly here either but if its on its Nick Jr channel or Baby Einstein DVD's. No news but yes he watches football with daddy - so cute to see his face light up when daddy cheers! But any sort of voilence and its off!

Min - that is so funny about your son - when Matthew was younger he also loved watching Steve Jacob and the weather - for the ages it was the only tv he was interested in.

Mum told me the other day the Milo watches TV when he is with her on Mondays and tuesdays. I was horrified, he never watched TV while I was on maternity leave, I kinda think he's too young to be watching it on a regular basis?
Apparently Rags the dog is his favourite show, and he also "watches" Hi-5

My Kids will watch ABC kids in the morning and afternoon they don't sit down through it all but it's on.
Kimberley will watch the Simpsons and then she falls asleep.

Some nights when she has woken and we are still up watching something she has watched a little but if it' anything that isn't very nice to watch like crime shows we make her rest facing the other way.
We have had the odd night were she's not gone to bed till later and has stayed up with us and watched telly but she nows when things are creepy on telly and won't watch.