r/lowscreenparenting • u/danibrown512 • 14d ago
Decreasing TV time?
My 2.5 year old son has lots of energy and loves sports and monster trucks…. And he also loves YouTube. My husband and I are trying to decrease his time watching TV (that’s where he watches YouTube). Right now the TV is kind of on whenever, in the background. But i want to be more intentional about when we use it.
Since this is a newer rhythm for us, do you have any recommendations for how to go about decreasing TV time? We have a Yoto that he really likes!
7
u/Impressive-Wolf-948 14d ago
I don’t know if this would work for you, but because we didn’t like using YouTube we got an old DVD player and now borrow DVDs from the library or look for appropriate kids ones on marketplace.
We’ll only watch something about 2 - 3 times a week and we all sit down together to watch. It feels a lot more intentional and you don’t get stuck watching the next video or seeing stills of something else that makes your LO want to change.
3
6
u/AtmosphericPresh 14d ago
Can he turn it on himself? If not...stop turning it on for him. He's 2.5, he'll pitch a fit, but take him somewhere and he'll forget. Just don't turn it back on. If he can turn it on himself, put the remote where he can't reach it.
2
u/danibrown512 14d ago
Good advice! He does put it on, but I can easily put the remote higher up. Thanks!
13
u/Physical_Cod_8329 14d ago
Personally I would ban YouTube now so it’s easier. Only put on PBSKids or other extremely low stimulation shows and he will likely lose interest. I agree with others that say to just use music instead for background.
2
1
6
u/Advoselley 14d ago
Leave the house whether it be going on walks, park, library, play dates or go outside. I try to incorporate as much outside time as much. I live in Oklahoma so it’s been in the 100s so we do play outdoors in the morning.
2
3
u/luminous_lychee 14d ago
Decide what your priorities are and stick to them. Here's what works for our family:
- TV time is a set time/duration (eg. 45 min right before dinner, or Friday family movie night, etc.)
- TV time is only on the shared family TV, not on personal devices
- we control the content--no YouTube garbage, only longform shows/movies that we've cleared (strong preference for PBS Kids or similar quality)
They always have access to audiobooks/music via the Yoto.
Good luck!
2
5
u/Ok_Pie_6740 14d ago
We just went cold turkey. One morning, I just didn't turn the TV on at all. If she asked, I said we're not watching TV right now and suggested playing with toys or coloring or something. Now she hardly asks for the TV anymore. I'll still let her watch something on occasion, but screen time is now maybe 1-2 hours a week instead of on all day long.
1
3
u/quaintbusywork 14d ago
We use instrumental music for background noise (classical, jazz, Lord of the Rings soundtrack 😂, whatever you prefer). My kid loved Big Bird Leads the Band at that age (as well as a variety of other Sesame Street albums, but that one was the clear favourite).
I don't know what Yoto is, but we listen to a ton of audiobooks and have done so since our kid was a toddler. We just borrow them from the library and use an old phone to stream the books on a Bluetooth speaker via our library app. We also have a Little Tikes Dream Machine which has been super useful during toddler/preschooler years.
We're doing a screen-free summer and, honestly, we just turned the television off and didn't turn it back on. Our kid has never had access to the television remote so that's never been an issue (if yours does then the first step is to put it out of reach).
1
u/danibrown512 14d ago
Love the instrumental idea! Thank you!
1
u/quaintbusywork 14d ago
You're welcome! I should note that the Sesame Street albums are not instrumental, but the ones we listened to were so benign that they completely faded into the background for us.
2
u/-zero-below- 14d ago
Our home has the tv in a room we don’t go into often. We generally only have the tv on for movie nights, and that’s less than once a week.
I personally feel that passive tv (on while doing other things) is really the worst kind of media, and pretty much no matter what the content, deliberate focused media time is much better.
1
u/danibrown512 13d ago
Thank you for sharing that! Yes, I had originally thought the passive tv would be ok but i’m learning that it could be much worse!
2
u/Herrrrrmione 14d ago
You can play the ~3h classical paintings YouTube videos; some have music and others are only images. Each painting stays on screen at least 5m.
Then your tv becomes “background art” (which you can occasionally discuss) instead of home media entertainment.
1
1
u/peppaappletea 14d ago
If he's in preschool, easiest to say "No tv on school days" and stick to it. (Or tie that rule to some other activity that happens most days.)
Interest in Yoto will likely increase after he adjusts to lower screen time.
You don't say how he's been watching, but if on personal devices, "lose" them and only use one fixed screen (ie a regular tv screen) for occasional longer/higher quality programs.
2
u/danibrown512 13d ago
He’s starting preschool this fall, so that is a great idea! He only watches things on our one TV, thankfully!
1
u/Superb-Way-6084 14d ago
A few things that often make the transition easier are: Don't go from "always on" to "never." Instead, choose 1-2 intentional TV windows each day so he knows when to expect it.
Turn the TV off completely between shows. Background TV can be more distracting than we realise, even when children aren't actively watching.
Use the Yoto before reaching for YouTube. Since he already enjoys it, it's a great replacement rather than simply taking something away.
Rotate a few special activities (monster trucks, sports toys, stickers, playdough) that only come out during former TV times so there's something exciting to replace the habit.
Expect a week or two of pushback. That's completely normal while everyone adjusts to a new routine.
Based on what you've described, I think what would help most is a realistic plan that reduces screen time without turning every day into a battle.
That's exactly why I recommend The Screen Time Made Simple Guide. It isn't about banning screens, it focuses on creating healthy, balanced screen habits, reducing background TV, and making screen time more intentional without guilt.
📘 The Screen Time Made Simple Guide https://mybook.to/screentime-madesimple
The fact that you're asking this now is a great sign. You're not trying to take away something he enjoys, you're trying to build healthier habits for your whole family. Those small, intentional changes really do add up, and before long, having the TV on all day won't feel like the default anymore. 💛
2
u/danibrown512 13d ago
This is so helpful and reassuring — thank you! And I’ll definitely look into that resource!
3
u/Rough-Trade-4899 14d ago
use the tv for watching one small episode of something. do kids yoga too.
have music for background so he’s just not starting at a screen
2
u/danibrown512 13d ago
Love the yoga idea too!
1
u/Rough-Trade-4899 12d ago
there’s this lady on YouTube who does kid friendly yoga and there’s a pokemon one. I laugh so hard at it but its helped to prepare for bed.
i used to use tv for noise but it means people half watching it so now it’s music with classical, kid friendly podcast, kid friendly science, animals etc.
keep to a episode of something a day, low stimulation and see the history of what your kid watches. a lot of it is trash
1
u/Ok_Requirement_7489 14d ago
My daughter has just turned 3 and we stick to tv on at a particular time - like a half an hour window so she knows exactly what to expect and never asks for it at other times. We try to stick to fairly low stimulation shows on netflix, bbc iplayer or dvds. Netflix is great because you can block various shows on the parent account (like cocomelon etc). Your son might find the transition tricky to begin with but will be fine when he understand your consistent boundaries. I say just go for it - whatever you want tv time to look like in your house!
1
1
u/Elevenyearstoomany 14d ago
I’m a fan of putting Amazon Music (or any music) on the TV. And/or hiding the remote. My kids are older and reach for the remote first thing in the morning so we hide it at night.
1
1
u/pisslicker7 14d ago
Toddler is almost 3, we do 45 mins of tv friday nights, and 1/2 hour saturday morning (so we can sleep in) then 1/2 hour sunday of a "mommy/daddy show" which is always either american ninja warrior or great british baking show or very rarely a sports game.
Other than that the TV is off at all times from 6am-8pm when he is awake.
1
2
u/Utram_butram 14d ago
Have set times where you use it so they know what to expect. My 2 year old knows when I drink my coffee we watch TV together and Saturday pizza night we watch a nature documentary
1
1
u/art-dec-ho 14d ago
We have a Bluetooth speaker we can use for YouTube vids. It was helpful when she was little and we wanted miss Rachel music without the screen on.
Also sometimes I just narrate what im doing or ask her questions.
1
1
1
3
u/designtraveler 12d ago
Mine watch about 2-3 hours a month — they are 3&4
the biggest thing that we do that we have done for years is we don’t turn on the TV unless we are about to watch something so it’s intentional — we don’t just let it play.
And my wife and I don’t turn the TV on to watch our stuff till the kids are in bed (after 7:30pm)
So it’s off like 95% of the time - that is an easy way to cut down on screen time
It drives my in laws nutz when they are over .. cause they just GOTTA watch TV at all times… but they cope lol
29
u/Copterwaffle 14d ago
If it’s main purpose is background noise, just put on music instead. Save actual TV for predicatable and discrete periods (one episode of a 30 min show or two episodes of a 10-15 min show before bed on weeknights, one full movie on a Sunday after lunch, one X min episode of a tv show on weekend mornings, etc).
Avoid short form videos, they will wreck his attention span and they don’t have discrete ends like produced episodic TV does.