How much t.v...

[mum2bubba]

do your kids watch in the day?

Also, what activities (besides the id!ot box) do your kids do when they're at home all day?

Hayley is very bored (so am I at times) we go to playgroup twice a week (soon to be 3 times) and I don't want to stay home all day and have the telly on 24/7 (which it has been lately :o )
Hayley plays outside a bit and also baths her doll which she loves, but yeah, what else can we do?

[kiah]

Probably an hour max for Jayce with tv. He's more interested in playing outside with the neighbourhood kids when he gets home. But he is a little older.

When he was two I had lots of books, building blocks and his fave the motorized motorbike inside...yep inside.

I've always taken him out of the house a fair bit. But I can definetly say a little sandpit is a good distractor, playdough, bubbles, water play in buckets, and I've done painting with him since he was little. And trucks, animals, big chunky floor puzzles, dressing dolls.

[mum2bubba]

I'm thinking about getting a sandpit and maybe one of those paint/blackbord easle (sp) thingys, she has an inflatable pool which she uses sometimes too (but due to water restrictions obviously can't use it all the time) I am also taking her to the local pool maybe once a week soon too.

[Little Gorilla]

play dough...I do mine on his little table and chairs outside (hate the stuff inside) plus its nice sitting out in the fresh air.

taking walks around our neighbourhood....DS takes his bob the builder bucket with him and collects "treasures" along the way ie stones, flowers, sticks etc....he has loved doing this since he could walk.

do you have a library near by...they usually do story book readings or at least have a kids section that you can spend some time in.

painting/chalk easel...great idea...my son has one and spends lots of time with this...I put this outside also.

baking? cupcakes, cakes...I have an assortment of sprinkles, cake decorations that I let my DS use when I bake (I use packet mix stuff).

could you invite some mums & bubs from the playgroup you go to back to your place for a play date?

grab some old big boxes from your local supermarket and make some dolls houses - ie cut out windows doors etc and maybe paint the rest.

i have ABC kids on most of the day...DS will stop and watch something if it takes his interest - otherwise its just background noise....I do turn the TV off when I read books or actually do an activity with him.

[EllasMum1]

Ella watches her morning shows and maybe a movie during the day but she usually gets bored and only watches a little bit of it. I dont mind when she watches playschool or hi 5 because she is usually up copying what they do and we'll do the craft that they do on playschool while watching it (if we have the right stuff! or i'll write it down and do it another day) otherwise she plays with her dolls, plays in her sandpit, painting, colouring in, books puzzles, etc. there was a stage when she only wanted to watch tv and i had to think of a million things to distract her.

[kiah]

I'm thinking about getting a sandpit and maybe one of those paint/blackbord easle (sp) thingys, she has an inflatable pool which she uses sometimes too (but due to water restrictions obviously can't use it all the time) I am also taking her to the local pool maybe once a week soon too.

Yep we have one of thse easels and it's got a blackboard/white board and magentic thing you can attach to it as well. It's a good one coz it hold the paint pots too. I got it from Toyworld or Mr Toys whatever it's called. IT was only about $50. Got heaps of use out of it.:yes:

[our little treasures]

Well we have the tv on 24/7!!

It is on now but I am on the puter and ds is asleep and dd well she is playing with her puzzles in another room..
I have it on all day as I like the noise and when I do turn it off it is for their music!!

My dd will watch a few shows in the morning and arvo, ds will watch it until I head somewhere and he will follow me!!

They play outside when it is cooler.. I even let them out in the rain... As long as it isn't puring.. We love it!!

Puzzles, books and drawing has become the main things my kids do..

Oh and ant hunting my ds will try and kill all the ants in the house he goes at it for hours!!

We also do fun activities like today we did glue and glitter on paper, however when it was time for ds to go to sleep he threw a huge tantrum and I started wishing I never got the activity box out!!

Now the msis over we do go on heaps of play dates with their friends, we also have regular lunch dates at dads work, playgroup and we love the shopping centres

[me+he=3]

I'm embarrassed to say ours too stays on all day. I know I know its very bad but DDs only 7 months and I promise when she's older I'll invest in a sandpit and all sorts of fun distractions. At this stage though she plays with her toys and seems to like staring at the people on the big screen (DH insisted we have one of those huge LCD or plasma ones for the World Cup last year.

She particularly likes Dr Phil...I think its because he's got a huge head and smiles a lot!! :laughing:

[mum2bubba]

The first thing Hayley does when she wakes up in the morning is turn the telly on :rolleyes: I am really trying to only have her watch an hour or 2 in the afternoon (and maybe a bit of tv in the morning on the weekends so that me and Grant can have half an hour to ourselves iykwim? :o :D )

[iluvmeboyz]

my Bailey watches a bit of tv but not much and he plays downstairs with all his thomas toys ,and then comes on here the comp ,
and he plays his learning games as he has to learn things cause je goes to a speach therapist and boy has he gotten so good,

[kiah]

I'm embarrassed to say ours too stays on all day. I know I know its very bad but DDs only 7 months and I promise when she's older I'll invest in a sandpit and all sorts of fun distractions. At this stage though she plays with her toys and seems to like staring at the people on the big screen (DH insisted we have one of those huge LCD or plasma ones for the World Cup last year.

She particularly likes Dr Phil...I think its because he's got a huge head and smiles a lot!! :laughing:

That did make me laugh:laughing: so funny

[Jo9999]

I have been worried lately dd is watching too much tv, I didn't want her watching any at all.
But now it is so easy in the morning when getting ready to go out to pop it on. She watches ABC in the morning - normally just Sesame Street, Bob the Builder and The Wiggles, 30-60 mins max a day. And then it goes off because I can't stand background noise and don't watch daytime tv.
She has plenty to do, but is bored of the same old activities and seems to need more stimulation. I was thinking of setting my old desktop up with some educational games for her since she loves my laptop. She has a sandpit, playhouses, play kitchen, ride-ons, art stuff and lots of other bits and pieces. We go out most day to something for a few hours. I don't normally read to her in the day, although she gets about 15 mins reading just before her daytime nap and the same before bedtime. I do worry I am not doing enough with her, but also think that at this age do they need much???
This parenting business is not as easy as I first thought