I think if they watch educational programs and don’t just sit there watching anything that’s on its ok. Choose programs they like and that they can learn something from and just monitor. They learn language and numbers and colours etc from good kids programs. Just make sure its balanced with play time and interactive time.

I think 1 hr is fair.

I give my nearly 3 yr olds about 2 hrs tv time a day
I do one hour in the morning and one in the afternoon
Weekends they get a bit more because my 7 yr old is home
and we have movie time

Maybe try TV free days to see how they interact? How there is imaginative play going on etc..

My son rarely watches but he watches the computer screen a lot. They say that they need a rest every couple of hours.

There are so many great educational programs on TV these days. As long as you are monitoring what they watch I don’t think it is a problem.

I don’t think there is anything wrong with letting your child watch tv for 3 or 4 hours in a day i don’t know many people that can keep their children entertained from the moment they wake till the time they go to bed without letting them watch tv throughout the day.

there are alot of educational things on tv and I have to admit I was never concerned about it as most times I was watching it with them and joining in on the singing and dancing ect but if I went out side to water the plants for example they always came out with me or to hang out the washing they would pass me the pegs

Yeah I think there is a line of it being too much, I know I’m a little guilty at the moment while we’re settling in with a new bub and getting sorted in our new house. But I also think that if you’re going through a period where your sanity is worth it then there is nothing wrong with that. As long as they’re still doing other things, getting outside and playing etc, I don’t think you should stress too much. Obviously in the long run though you’d probably want to limit the tv 🙂

Depends on what they’re watching. If it’s something that stimulates their imagination or is educational, then an hour or so is fine. Or if it’s a hideously cold & wet day outside, watching a movie can be fine. But I’d try and balance it with time spent doing “crafty” things that encourage their creativity and imagination.

Oh for sure it is too much. My kids were not allowed to have the tv on in the morning until they had breakfast and were dressed etc. then only for an hour or so then turn it off. then after dinner at night let them watch some tv for another hour before bed.

Rainy day, not much else to do, I have no problems with her watching telly. As long as she has plenty of exercise other times, it is ok

My son watch TV too but not too much because He only interested on some kids program such as wiggles, the night garden, peppa pig.

I let my kids watch tv and use ipads, they are all above average in there intellect and can find no reason to disallow these activities

It probably depends a bit on exactly what they’re watching. I didn’t let mine watch at all till they were 2 years. After that I made a rule of one hour a day maximum (recently relaxed to 90 minutes or so if they’re watching something like a Toy Story movie). I think it can be very harmful, both in terms of the content and in terms of discouraging them from doing more active or more creative things.

Having said that, you need to balance it against your individual situation and why you’re letting them watch so much – if it’s because it’s the only way you can get stuff done, you may need to look at this problem first.