Would you ever put a dvd on?

[buzzy bee]

I have a 2 year old who doesn't nap anymore but is VERY energetic and sometimes needs to chill and be calm for a bit... I tend to just sit down and read with him or get him to do some colouring, but I just wondered what your thoughts are on TV / dvd occasionally?

[ajs]

go for it, i do use the tv everynow and then just for some quiet time

my three get very excited over lunch time as 1 has just come back from nursery and then they won't eat, so if i put the tv on ( cbeebies of course) then they calm down and get on with eating.

there is nothing wrong with using the tv or dvd for your mindees even ofsted appreciate that weall need time tos it quietly and if it gioves you the chance to catch upwith yourself then what's the harm

[tracey36]

no reason why you cant long as the tv isnt on all day a occasional treat of a dvd is more likely to make even the liveliest little one calm down :)

[~Chelle~]

I do or tv channels for them to chill out after lunch and have a bit of quiet time.

[mufftie]

yes go for it , as long as he has had enough stimulating activity through out the day , i usually put the tv on when im tidying up in the afternoon to go on the school run , only for 20 mins or so . unfortunately my youngest daughter (6) and my under 5 mindees wont watch a dvd they get fed up but i can see the advantages of it

[manjay]

Absolutely. After lunch every day we have a small dose of Cbeebies. I tend to sky plus the programmes they like and I think are appropriate and just stick one of them on. My children are all into I can cook at the moment so after lunch each day we choose what we would like to watch Katie make and watch the programme. One of them will fall asleep while it is on then after it's finished I switch off and the others will do something else.

I also often use once we have tidied up before hometime. Calms the children down before parents come.

[buzzy bee]

thanks for the reassurance everyone!

I sometimes just think childminding is a bit like just being a normal mum... so sometimes I think well if this was MY child then I'd let him watch a bit of tv every now and then when he (and I!) need him to calm down, so why not... would you write it in his daily diary? I'm sure his mum would be fine with it, and she knows I do other stuff.

I just think there's such a stigma with childminders putting kids in front of the tv all day - i feel funny about telling her about it!

[Ripeberry]

I had the TV when Ofsted came and explained that my mindee always watched "In the nightgarden" just before his nap and she was OK with that. I sat with him on my lap and talked to him about it as well.

[mufftie]

at the end of the day we are meant to be a home from home , and im sure that they watch tv at home

[ajs]

i would tell her, otherwise is the little one tells her he watches tv she may think you're hiding it from her ( i know he may be too little to talk right now but he will be able to soon)

it'slike so many things though that can be taken out of context, having the tv on from morning to night and not interacting with the children in any way is not good or acceptable but sitting a tired child in front of a tv and sitting withthem and talking about the programme is
and yes you're right it should be a home from home environment so tv and all is fine

[Newbie1!]

Yep totally agree with everyone - I even have one parent who asks me to put the TV on for her little ones as its their after school treat and they wind down well to it before home time :) xxx

[maisiemog]

I put the tv on for 20mins in the afternoon after their lunch. I try to put Something Special on because I need them to learn some makaton as my autistic mindee only communicates with it.

My DO told me this was a brilliant idea cos they are learning and I can prove that its helping support another child's needs.

Mind you if they had their choice I'd be stuck with peppa pig, dora or diego and I blooming hate all of them!!!!

[It's a small world]

I do too..usually after lunch so they aren't running round after eating. Mindee has even bought a dvd so know mum doesnt have a problem.. Half the time they watch for about 10-15mins and then start running around again tv background noise so turn it off and put some music on..

[sweets]

i use the tv at my house. 1st mindee arrives at 8am and the others dont come till 8.45 so she always watches the 2 peppa pig episodes at 8.15 while i have my brekkie.

im lucky at the moment as mine all sleep for 2 hours after lunch. the tv then sometimes goes on about 4.30 for wind down before parents come and while i tidy up, sometimes they help me :rolleyes:

when i had a 4 year old mindee he always watched about 30-40 mins tv after lunch for a quiet time while the littlies slept and i had a break.

we often watch the jo jiongles or tumble tots dvd's too and the children dance along and do the exercises.

everything in moderation i say!

[Lincsminder]

Every day after lunch all the children go and lay down on their nap mats and pick a book for me to read, then they go to sleep. Apart from a Friday where we all cuddle up under blankets and watch a dvd together, some fall asleep and some don't. I think it is fine to watch tv, the only reason I dont use it more often is because one of mine is a tv adict and if its on it is hard to drag him away.

[Dragonfly]

I really cant see a problem with it for short periods.I had mine on for approx 20mins while Ofsted was here not a problem.

[Dragonfly]

Lincsminder what are nap mats? sound good.:thumbsup:

[Beetlejuice]

I have two today who are under the weather but no longer nap. So while the babies are asleep upstairs, they are chilling in front of a DVD as they really don't want to play anymore (we've been playing at the children's centre this morning and it's knocked them for six!) Their parents are happy with me using tv occasionally in this way.

[mama2three]

Every day after lunch all the children go and lay down on their nap mats and pick a book for me to read, then they go to sleep. Apart from a Friday where we all cuddle up under blankets and watch a dvd together, some fall asleep and some don't. I think it is fine to watch tv, the only reason I dont use it more often is because one of mine is a tv adict and if its on it is hard to drag him away.

Ive had to stop putting it on too . we used to have a little tellytime now and again , but the 21/2 year old bursts into floods of tears when it goes off. He would sit and watch programme after programme given the choice. Its easier to just not have it on tbh.

[button68]

My DD watches TV before school so it is on when mindee's arrived until we go to school - about 15 mins.

Then if my DD comes home from school and wants the TV on then I let her - it is her home after all, and the day this job impeeds on what my own children want is the day I give up :D

If we have it on during the day it tends to be for specific programmes and then I use the BBC iPlayer - I have a LO at the moment who loves Octonauts. I'll put it on, after group or park, whilst I'm in the kitchen preparing lunch.

[georgie456]

Ive had to stop putting it on too . we used to have a little tellytime now and again , but the 21/2 year old bursts into floods of tears when it goes off. He would sit and watch programme after programme given the choice. Its easier to just not have it on tbh.

I have one like that too!! His mum insists he never watches tv, but strangely when CBeebies is on for quiet time he knows every word to every song LOL!!!!! :laughing: :laughing:

[ziggy]

I use TV and DVD's for short periods. One day last week a 2 yr old mindee was watching Fireman Sam when his Mummy left him at 8am, then he was watching it again when she returned at 5pm, we were laughing at how it looked like he'd sat there all day. We do lots of activities and 3 of mine attend pre-school or school, we also have a long walk every day unless weather is really bad so i dont see a problem with short sessions of TV or DVD

[amanda1309]

I use TV almost every day. It calms them down and I get a chance to tidy up the kitchen.

[Lincsminder]

Lincsminder what are nap mats? sound good.:thumbsup:
I have four, two are large dog mats but really thick and comfy and the other two I made myself. I bought some thick sponge and made a slip out of fleece to put the sponge in. Then they all have their own blanket which they use to snuggle up in on their mat.

[Dragonfly]

The mats sound really good and cosy:thumbsup:

[buildingblocks]

I have recently been made to feel bad by a local childminder who really laid into me that I let my mindees watch TV at all. I do know of a local minder who had it on all the way through her inspection and received a Good grading.

It goes on just before lunch for about 20 minutes and again just before the last child goes home (we tidy up first so I don't have it all to do when they go home).

Like someone has already said I 'tape' the programmes on V+ that I like and think are suitable for the children in my care age wise. I used to have children who were 7 and 8 and came at 7am so they were allowed it on for an hour before the others arrived as they were still half asleep.

As for DVD's we don't watch them at the moment as the children I have wouldn't sit for that length of time but in the holidays we used to have a Disney one in after lunch when the older children were in as the little ones wouldn't have their usual sleep but needed to rest so we would chill after lunch so they could recharge there batteries. The only stipulation on TV/DVD's is that they have to be suitable for the youngest one

[RachelE]

I put the tv on for my mindees afetr lunch.

As i have a young toddler who cant feed himself, I eat when he has gone to bed. therefore mindees eat, then little one to bed and then the 3 yr olds watch tv whilst i rush my lunch down!
I think its good for them to sit down whilst their lunch settles too!

We dont always have it on after lunch, only if they ask. Sometimes they are too busy playing together.

There is no harm whatsoever and most of the stuff on cbeebies now is very educational and I'd put it on for my own children.
Its not like you're putting them in a bedroom and asking them to go to sleep with a tv on is it!!?

Rachel x