Am I The Only One???

[laundryduchess@yahoo.com]

who doesnt use the tv? I feel like the weirdo,... I have to admit that when I was on the phone with att (for 35 stinking minutes) because I could text, go online, but NOT make or recieve a single call on my cell I did turn on Disney and they saw Handy Mandy,... the kids were amazed that he was at my house,.. and even said,.. Handy Mandy is at miss Jills house too to all their parents. The parents have never questioned me not having it on so I dont even know if they know we don't. I do admit,.. I felt so embarrassed when I,.. Miss Jill,.. keeper of the kiddos had to ask my camping buddy what each childs halloween costume was last weekend. They were shocked that I didnt know who abbydabbra was,... or a foofa? . My own kids are older and we never buy toys at the regular store for child care. I get them as incentives for the programs I am in or at conferences. SO ask me about Icarly, Hannah, Jo Bros or twilight,.. Im there, ask me about professional football (go colts) and I can talk all day,.. but preschool tv,.. yeah,.. Im an idiot.

[Live and Learn]

during morning nap for my younger babes the 2 1/2 year old and almost 4 year old are allowed to watch sesame street. It is the only show I allow in my house. Some years I have done no tv at all...last year was a younger group and everyone napped during that hour. All my parents know and are ok with it. We often go weeks with no sesame street at all and then we will watch together every day for weeks. We like to talk about the "letter and number of the day". I love sesame street!!!! There is a ton of junky time filling tv out there that I will have no part of.

[DanceMom]

Only time I use TV is sometimes when I am making lunch. My back is turned a lot at the stove. I dont trust them..even coloring or doing a puzzle etc. So I do use the TV for about 20 minutes so I can make Lunch in peace.

[DancingQueen]

I turn the tv on during drop off while I'm preparing breakfast and then while I'm preparing lunch and they are winding down.
Only other time it is on is if we've had several rainy days or are stuck in the house for too many days for one reason or another.

Im not against the TV i just don't use it all the time and all my parents are fine with it being on.

[SilverSabre25]

Usually, the only TV is what my DD watches while everyone else is napping. She is 3 and I had to make her quit napping at just past 2 or else she was up until 10 or 11 at night...not good! So to give her some quiet time she watches Sesame Street, Clifford, Olivia, or a benign movie. The DCKs? They get little to no TV, and if they are watching, it's probably a Signing Time DVD (which I can vouch for the usefullness of those because DD absorbed sign language like a plant takes water!)

[laundryduchess@yahoo.com]

dont get me wrong, I have nothing against tv,.. heck, the width of my own rear end can vouch for that! . but I dont see when you gals have the time! . I never think to turn it on. we are so involved with other things. I just dont use it. Like I said, its not a policy, rule or contract thing,.. I dont even think the parents realize we didnt use it. I just feel like the odd ball for not.

[DBug]

I'm with you then! We don't have a TV ... at all. I've had parents come for interviews, and when we go for the tour, they look around at the playroom and say "...So ... where's the tv?", like they're boggled that we don't have one ::::. We cut the cable when it was getting too expensive and we've only looked back once or twice . We watch everything with the projector hooked up to hubby's computer -- downloaded stuff, stuff from the network websites, dvds, you name it. No commercials, which is great! The only problem is that my kids have now grown up on MacGyver, Get Smart, Gilligan's Island and Dukes of Hazzard (and my oldest is only 10!).

But for my daycare kids, I just don't have time during the day for them to watch tv. They're used to playing pretty independently, so I can almost make lunch with no interruptions. It helps that my playroom is gated off from the kitchen, so there are no little ones underfoot. And this way, if mom or dad needs to plunk them in front of the tv for an hour in the evening (yes, not the ideal, but life happens), they can do it knowing that it's the first time their child has watched it all day.

I actually use the "No TV" thing as a selling point in my ads . Parents seem quite happy with it ... once they get used to the idea

[Jenjo]

I have to admit that I do use TV, but I am trying to use it less and less. The only time I struggle and use it too much is when my school age boys are here. I just don't know what to do with them sometimes so I use the TV as a crutch. I am trying not to though. I admire you guys for not using the TV much at all. I don't feel that the parents are paying me to put their children in front of the TV. I also feel that a lot of these kids go home and watch way too much TV, so I am trying but unfortunately I am not quite there yet.

[sahm2three]

We watch either Disney or an educational video in the morning before breakfast and the older kids are allowed to watch a movie during nap/quiet time. That is the only tv here. Otherwise we have music on ALL day long. We dance and sing pretty much all day!

[tenderhearts]

that's the same at my house as the previous post. Once in awhile if I only have 1 or 2 kids (very rare) and its a droopy day, I'll leave it on, mainly me for noise ::, nine times out of 10 they are in the other room playing.

[mrs.meg]

I use it in the morning when they come in, so I don't have them going crazy while my little one is sleeping. It goes off at 8 (breakfast time) then they watch an educational video, only 30 minutes before nap. That is all we watch for the most part, but sometimes when it rains we will have movie day and watch a movie, especially when I don't feel well or something.

[kidkair]

I never use the tv and don't have any electronic toys in my daycare for any age.

[Former Teacher]

I rarely use tv for the 2 and half year old I have. I use it during breakfast..lunch..and nap.

Breakfast it's Dora. Lunch its Yo Gabba Gabba. Naptime for 10 mins its Clifford. Then its the food network. :: He usually falls asleep once I turn THAT on.

The only other times I do have it on is when he is having a rough morning which is rare or when he is sick, again rare. If I have to go to the bathroom I will put it on because the little man will sit there with his eyes glued to the tv haha. However those times are rare too because I take my potty breaks when mom comes downstairs for a snack or a break (she works from home)

When I was at my former center there was ALOT of tv time sadly. TV before snack. TV after lunch (depending on weather)...tv in the pm for parent pick up time.

Sad to say that tv has become babysitters now esp with things like Nick Jr with 24-7 Preschool on TV and things like that.

[QualiTcare]

i don't see anything wrong with TV when it's used appropriately. i used to read the Goosebumps books to school age kids in an after school program and they'd watch the videos afterward - or the parts we'd read so far. My kids went to a daycare which i quickly took them out of where they were watching TV every morning when i dropped them off and every afternoon when i picked them up. when i took the tour, nobody said anything about it - and it was in one of those entertainment centers with doors and the doors were closed so i just thought it was a cabinet/storage.

i really don't see anything wrong with letting them watch one show a day at the same time (something like noggin) but i wouldn't be upset if there was no TV at all.

[DancingQueen]

My kids went to a daycare which i quickly took them out of where they were watching TV every morning when i dropped them off and every afternoon when i picked them up.

that is how it is sometimes here. But it is entry and wind down and it is off pretty much the rest of the day.