How do you keep the amount of TV watched down??

[sesamej]

At the moment my DS (2.5) probably watches telly two or three times a week. But he has started to be absolutely obsessed. Don't get me wrong I am not a purist who thinks TV is evil, I've just been keeping the amount down because he goes absolutely berserk when it is time for the TV to go off. He is now asking for it all the time and getting really upset if I say no. As I said am not massively against TV but I don't want to be saying yes for fear of a tantrum. I'm giving birth to our next pretty soon so we'll be at home more and I'm scared of getting into a vortex where we watch TV all the time and the tantrums about it escalate.

I'm happy for us to watch a bit of telly but not if it makes my DS into a monster which it sort of is at the moment even with not that much.

What does everyone else do?

[TIL3]

We have it on at set times - they're always allowed it after tea for the cbeebies bedtime hour. If it's on at other times I might say ok you can have it on for this programme but then it's going off, or if it's a dvd, then I'll allow them to watch X no. of episodes of e.g. thomas (the usual request!) but then off.

[BertieBotts]

2 or 3 times a week doesn't sound too much.

What I found helped when DS was little was to set out the amount of programs he could watch before they started. So "You can watch three peppa pigs and then the TV goes off".

[BertieBotts]

And yes to set times so it's part of a routine.

[ThatBloodyWoman]

Actually go out.

Even if its gardening and paddling pool or sand.

Make outdoors more fun than in -but its hands on for you!

[WhatWouldCaitlinDo]

We only watch TV at set times. Our two year old has started asking to watch TV, but we just tell her that Postman Pat has gone to work / is eating his lunch / whatever and then distract her with something else. It's easy at the moment because the weather is great so we go do stuff outside (even just watering the plants, she has her own little watering can and it keeps her happy for ages), but it'll be more difficult in the winter.

[sesamej]

ThatBloodyWoman thanks but I of course do go out all the time.

Surprised that I have given the impression that me and my DS sit indoors all day! We do pretty much non stop activity I was just saying that realistically we might be in a bit more often than usual since I will have a newborn baby.

Thanks for the advice everyone.

Set times sounds good but how will he understand that that means not every day?

I do of course say only one programme or we can watch x film but TV is going off when it's over. I get really terrible tantrums regardless.

[olivesnutsandcheese]

I tell my soon to be 2 DS that the tv is broken and we'll ask Daddy to fix it when he comes home. He believes me for now

[TIL3]

I don't see any harm in having tv every day, as long as it's a limited amount every day.

[BertieBotts]

I would not get into the habit of going out to avoid TV. This is what I used to do and it just creeps in more and more when you're at home.

I did though find that putting DS' high value toys (e.g. train set) in his room helped to draw him away from the box.

[MimsyBorogroves]

I found that after saying no for a couple of days the tantrums lessened anyway. DS2 now watched a couple of episodes of Peppa pig before getting his brother from school in an afternoon - that's his only TV time during the week generally. On a weekend they both watch old episodes of Dr Who with DH in a morning, and have a movie night on a Saturday night - so we have a set routine.

[kkllww]

My nearly 2 yr old is obsessed with tv too. Every morning when eating brekkie he'll say 'dvd?' hopefully but I just tell him 'later' (it goes on for an hour or so in the evening) and that we're going to nursery/to the park etc. As others have said, give him a warning that it's going to go off too - eg 'one more episode of postman pat, then bath'...