How do you handle this? We used to just say yes or no, but at almost 4 my son can operate remote or, if remote is put up, will turn the TV on and just watch whatever is on. We only have basic cable so I'm not worried he will see anything explicit but the sneakiness enrages me. Especially if he puts it on when the baby is in the room (for example if baby is in bouncer or pack and play and I am in kitchen). I don't like to have power struggles with my kids so my solution right now is just to put the TV away. But surely this is not the only solution! We aren't even particularly strict on screen time, he just wants total control and to watch whenever he wants.
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@Mrs. Sketchbook: I think taking the remote away is fine - I do that with my 5 and 7 yr old if I dont want then watching TV
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Maybe it sounds like a good learning lesson for "asking permission"? Like you get 1 hour per day but if you sneak it on without asking, you loose half of that?
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She gets zero screen time at her daycare (which she is at 730-6 each day, 5 days a week), so we are relatively lax about this on nights/weekends. But, if I don't pay attention she will just watch TV all the time. I do try to just keep her engaged in other activities as best I can but when I have other things to do, she can watch TV if she wants.
She doesn't know how to work any of the devices on her own yet, just knows that the remote does control things. So, she will hide the remote if she doesn't want me to turn it off (but I just turn it off on the TV itself in those cases).
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I would just unplug the TV. Path of least resistance, if I really don't want to have a power struggle.
If I wanted to make it into a learning moment, I think would talk about earning screen time using marbles or something. Each marble represents a set amount of time, and he can turn in his marbles when he wants to watch something.
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He gets 1-2 hours a day, usually closer to 1. He knows how to turn the tv on but doesn't know how to tune it to kids' channels. That sneakiness would really bother me too! Is there a way to child proof the tv itself (cover the power button with tape or something so the remote is the only access point? Or I guess give consequences for turning it on without permission--whatever you usually do, time out, losing privileges, removal to another room...but I agree that avoiding the whole thing would be easiest!
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She only gets it weekend mornings (unless she's sick or something). She does not know how to operate remotes, and it's not a focal point in the house. She's never watched it daily so doesn't ever ask for it.
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@T.H.O.U.: I think having a routine is really key, right now I tend to use the TV as a babysitter at strategic points in the day (ie when putting baby down for nap). I think I will just leave it put up for a while and see when my specific TV needs emerge and maybe make a future schedule based on that. We do have an iPad he could use which would be easier to control and have the benefit that the baby wouldn't be able to watch too.
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@hilsy85: that's a good idea re: tape. Someone suggested having it mounted on wall too, so that's an option. It was mounted to wall but not on wall.
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For us it depends on the day. Some days (usually during the week) he gets 30 mins. On weekends he might watch 2, especially if we do "movie night". He's pretty good about not whining for TV anymore and knowing the boundaries. We had to be very strict for a long time with him, though, as he loves TV and always has. He's 4. In your case I would just hide the remote or tell him no TV until he shows he can follow the rules.
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I'm pretty strict. I'm cool with some screentime each day, but if she's being sneaky and tries to get at it after I've explicitly said no, she gets sent to her room. Then once she calms down, we talk about it. I'm pretty cut and dry about it, I'm not about to negotiate with that behavior. If I tell her TV/iPad is off limits (and give her ideas for something else to do), she needs to follow the rules. She is generally pretty good about it.
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