definition of tv babysitter

[beansbeans!]

I am so tired of people telling me that letting my DD's watch kids shows is tv babysitting. I don't consider them watching playschool or the like as that, after al they are learning and dancing and what not.


So my question is: what is your definition of tv babysitting?

[MummaSue]

My definition is leaving your kid alone there for hours on end watching TV.

We watch TV (much to the disgust of some) in the mornings when I am making breakie and in the evenings when I am making tea (so around an hour a day). We don't watch it when we are eating and it's never on in the middle of the day. DH and I have ALWAYS done this, it's part of our normal family life and stuff anyone who has an issue with it. I don't mind DD watching TV, many of the kids programs are educational now and yeah, like you say there is singing and dancing!

If YOU don't have a problem with it then I'd be telling everyone else to bugger off!!


Sue xxx

[glenny_c]

I think the only time it is a problem is when people stick their kids in front of the TV and use it instead of spending any time with their kids. I think it's quite closed minded to just make a blanket statement that ALL TV is bad and ALL parents who put the TV on are using it as a babysitter.

As Sue said, if you are happy with the way you use TV, then everyone else can go shove it!!

[beansbeans!]

Thanks Sue,

I try not to listen to people when they judge how my family works, well most of the time anyhow!

Before kids this was a term I had rarely heard of, then afterwards it seems to have become as common as hello, I hear it, see it and read it everywhere. Yet it seems to hold such a vast definition according to who is using the term.

[Early Kids]

I agree, if it's only a short amount of time and you are ok with it then who cares what others may think.

We have the TV going in the morning, usually discovery channel or animal shows ect, but it gets turned off as soon as breakkie is over and isn't turned back on until DP gets home, sometimes well after the kids are in bed. I am actually more concerned about the electricity use than my kids sitting in front of it.... they won't sit still for anything lol, tv is no different.

To answer the question, my definition would be those who use the tv for hours and hours per day, not just 20min here and there while you make a meal or feed a baby, ect.

[ladybird11]

Like everyone else has said...leaving the kids in front of the TV for a prolonged period of time, in my books, counts a a 'TV babysitter'.

[Arimeh]

I must be one of those horrible parents who have the tv as a babysitter.

Mine is on all day, my kids come and go and watch whatever they want. At the moment, DS is in front of the tv just chillin', DD1 is in the garage playing with her kitchen, and DD2 is at my feet in the kitchen cupboard. They watch tv when they want to, and if they don't want to, they find something else to do. If they want me, I'm there, if they don't want me, I'm happy with that too.

I don't mind DS watching tv, he has an incredible vocabulary for his age, and his preschool teachers are always telling me how smart he is - so I'm not concerned that he's watching too much tv.

And yes, I'll probably be horribly judged for this but meh.. I do what I can to survive each day.

[beansbeans!]

Arimeh, we have days like that, the tv on all day. And most of the time neither of the girls pay attention to it. Actually DD1 didn't even notice the tv until her 2nd birthday.
But that is also why I ask the question. Almost everyday when playschool is on I go and make dinner etc. But I don't consider that babysitting.
I think that if my girls would sit still for longer than 5mins I would be seriously worried. Actually to be honest if they sat still for 5mins I would probably be asleep!

[Heaven]

I think it means if you put the TV on all the time instead of playing with your kids when they want to. I don't know anyone who does that though.

DD watches playschool in the morning while I have a shower and do some washing etc. Then she watches playschool in the afternoon again because she loves it so much and gets excited when it comes on so I let her, lol. And I clean up before DH gets home so the house doesn't look like a bomb site, lol.

[kirsty_lee]

I must be one of those horrible parents who have the tv as a babysitter.

Mine is on all day, my kids come and go and watch whatever they want. At the moment, DS is in front of the tv just chillin', DD1 is in the garage playing with her kitchen, and DD2 is at my feet in the kitchen cupboard. They watch tv when they want to, and if they don't want to, they find something else to do. If they want me, I'm there, if they don't want me, I'm happy with that too.

I don't mind DS watching tv, he has an incredible vocabulary for his age, and his preschool teachers are always telling me how smart he is - so I'm not concerned that he's watching too much tv.

And yes, I'll probably be horribly judged for this but meh.. I do what I can to survive each day.

Could of written your post word for word.

[onthefly]

I use tv as a babysitter sometimes if I just need to get something done and DS doesn't want to play by himself. That's "babysitting", but it's a compromise I make when I don't have another way to get things done. I'd only feel bad about it if it were a frequent thing.

[Beach Mama]

What everyone else said!
We have days like today when DS is sick and DD didn't sleep so it's been on almost all day. Other days it doesn't go on at all. Most mornings it is on til at least Play School so I can get a few things done. Mine also play around it most of the time and Play School and Chuggington are the only 2 they will actually sit and watch.
We do endless craft, playing outside, reading books, making train tracks etc. so I don't beat myself up over it although I occasionally get the guilts when someone at MG or elsewhere says they don't watch any at all!

[Early Kids]

I must be one of those horrible parents who have the tv as a babysitter.

Mine is on all day, my kids come and go and watch whatever they want. At the moment, DS is in front of the tv just chillin', DD1 is in the garage playing with her kitchen, and DD2 is at my feet in the kitchen cupboard. They watch tv when they want to, and if they don't want to, they find something else to do. If they want me, I'm there, if they don't want me, I'm happy with that too.

I don't mind DS watching tv, he has an incredible vocabulary for his age, and his preschool teachers are always telling me how smart he is - so I'm not concerned that he's watching too much tv.

And yes, I'll probably be horribly judged for this but meh.. I do what I can to survive each day.

Hey , I still have days like that too. Some days I just forget to turn it off. As Heaven said, you still interact with your kids, it's not like they sit there all day watching it.

Haha Beans, I'd be asleep too if my kids sat still!

[deletedit]

I must be one of those horrible parents who have the tv as a babysitter.

Mine is on all day, my kids come and go and watch whatever they want.

Yup, same. I have a 2 3/4yo who knows her alphabet, can count to 20, has a ridiculous vocabularly (that she won't use around strangers) and it just cute the way she sings along to everything on telly.

Right now she's outside, naked, painting the house with a bucket of water and a paintbrush. She rarely actually just sits in front of the tv watching it, she's always busy.

DD#1 on the other hand. Geez. We didn't have TV for years, we've been here for about a year and a half and as soon as she discovered ABC3 she just planted herself in front of it, hypno-toad style. Before that (yes, the several YEARS before that) she'd kind of hover around the house whining about being bored, ignoring a room full to the brim with stuff to do and a backyard full of all sorts of good stuff. Now she's long since given all her toys to DD#2 and just has books and TV. She has a computer too but all the games are 'too hard' and she'd rather watch TV on it. Blah ...

[tattoo_mama]

Same as Arimeh. Ours is on all day but DD comes and goes. 'she usually just dances at shows theme songs then crawls back to what she was doing she just likes the music parts.

[rhyb]

Arimeh were the same but I stopped caring a while ago if others didnt like it. DS doesnt have naps anymore he lies on the couch and quietly watches a movie. Its his rest time. Without it he gets very violent(rest time or a nap that is) and getting him down for a nap is close to impossible. I settle for what I can.

[Indadhanu]

We are like Arimeh, TV is on a lot of the day while I'm at work and Shel is at home. On kids shows. Nothing particularly 'educational', mostly just Nick Jnr or Playhouse Disney. More for background noise really, and Jazz gets into some shows, give's Shel five or ten minute stints to do something... tidy or study or have a coffee. Shel is mostly with her, interacting, and taking the time to go do things when Jazz wants to play alone or watch TV.

My definition of TV as a 'babysitter' is when parents sit their kids down and expect/encourage them to watch lots of TV for prolonged periods while the parents do other things (other things does not include making dinner etc).

[MrsFabuloso]

I think of tv as a babysitter if you are constantly telling your kids to stop what ever they're doing, liek playing noisily and telling them to sit and watch tv quietly so you can do things. Not stuff like cooking or what ever, but things that they could help with or if it makes no difference if they watch. Or even if they're playing a game that isn't convenient for you. If they watch tv more than they do other things.

But, yep, tv is on most of the day here too. I honestly don't think my kids are any worse for wear for it being on. They're both bright happy little people. We get up at a ridiculous time of a morning (about 5am usually) plus about 2+times a night, so it goes onto something I know they will watch so I can try to wake up have a coffee and feel human of a morning. It's the only time I actually actively encourage them to watch something. They eat breaky (#1 at about 6ish, #2 about 8ish this is when I eat too) I also usually try to get a few things done that I don't want them around my feet while I do it, like dishes or putting on a load of washing. At about 9ish I turn it off to do stuff with the kids, drawing, playdough, painting, building- what ever. We go outside about 10.30ish, hang washing, inside at 11.30 tv goes back on and they have early lunch watch half an hour to wind down for nap time. DD is growing out of her naps and even if she does nap she falls asleep in front of the tv on the lounge. DS I take to bed and rock to sleep at about 12ish still. Then I make DH and my lunches (DH comes home for lunch) and a snack for the kids when they wake, I will watch what I want for an hour or so, eat lunch have a bit of a rest if I need to. It will go back onto kids shows for the arvo when the kids do as they please. I usually do more washing/folding so they come outside with me and play, sometimes if I'm lucky they stay out there, usually they follow me like puppies. They follow me most of the day and 'help' me do what I do with the house. I try to do something constructive with them of an arvo, like puzzles, reading, trains...sometimes we go outside and weed the garden together, though it will be too hot to do that in summer here. Then the TV goes off for dinner/ bath time. They watch 30mins before bed again and then it's story and bed time.