Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Age or Ability Specific Forums Pre-school DVDs, sleeping, and a few other questions

Now that I have found this incredible site, I have a few more questions for everyone!

In a pamphlet our Dr hands out, it said no TV or DVDs until 2 because they couldn't understand and it took away from valuable time with parents that they needed for speech or something like that.

Have you found your kids understand and learn from some DVD's earlier? When our DD (now 20 months) was 17 about to turn 18 months, she watched Leapfrog letters twice with my nephew (3) and learned every upper and lowercase letter and their sounds. So, knowing this, I can't see how some select DVD's aren't beneficial to some children before 2. If you have found this this the case, what are some DVD's you recommend that your kids enjoyed? Our DD likes Planet Earth and the Oceans (national geographic) - she will watch about 30 min at a time but we only watch them occasionally. She is also SO into YouTube and will request to watch various animals or things.

Sleeping: she doesn't sleep, literally a battle every day, Then she will wake up in the middle of the night and want to go play with her trains.. ideas? Suggestions?

Toy suggestions? She loves and will play over and over again making houses, couches, ect. with blocks or anything non-ending, but if it has a finish, she will only do it a few times and not like to play with it anymore. Any good suggestions for this age?

Thank you!!!

DS (now 4) loved www.starfall.com at this age.

Polly

I did not, at that age, give my DS screen-time *in order that* he would learn - but tbh, the people who say no screen time at all until 2 could come and look after my non-napping baby while I cook supper/have a shower/make a telephone call/sleep past 5.30am :-) So yes, DS used to get to watch carefully selected DVDs sometimes. As a baby, he loved the Baby Einstein ones (about which I like everything but the name). Then came the Thomas the Tank Engine obsession, the Clangers (actually bought out of nostalgia for me and DH, but really, they don't make children's programmes like that any more and they should!), and one Fimbles DVD although he didn't like that enough for me to buy more than one. A baby sign and singing DVD, and a musical alphabet DVD. Some time later, yes, David Attenborough everything, although were (still are) things we watch together rather than things he watched alone. Online, Starfall, the Thomas the Tank Engine site (although IIRR they ruined that a bit later, dunno what it's like now) and I remember a counting game from ?Woodside Primary that he liked. As you see, most of his screen time was "educational" in some way, but really what I was trying to do was to keep it calm and non-stressy, which tends to lead you that way.

Sleep: sympathy. Key point: does she have a problem, or is it only you who have a problem? I mean, is she getting tired and grouchy, or is that just you? :-) If she's fine, she might not be too young for a "you can be awake but you must stay in your room" rule.

Best toy I remember from around that age was a set of (good quality, in-tune) children's handbells! Mixed blessing for parents though...

We have a station called BabyFirst that both of my kids loved from a very young age. It's pretty much all educational so I wasn't too worried about them watching it a little each day as I was trying to get things done around the house.

As far as the sleep, my 2yo son struggles with sleep. We do give him 2mg of melatonin every night to help him fall asleep but unfortunately it doesn't last all night. I do remember when my daughter was 2.5 she dropped her nap and started sleeping better at night. Is that an option?

Toys- She is a great age to start pretend play. We bought the Fisher Price Loving Family mansion for DD 2nd birthday and she's played with it ever since (now almost 4). The house is really big so there are lots of different ways to decorate. Play kitchens and food are another good open ended activity. I know it's generally thought of as a boy toy, but DD also has always liked trains.

ColinsMum- I am the one who needs more sleep. Somehow she can do without much. She is the type of kid that if we are on vacation and don't want to go back for naps we don't have to and she will be fine the whole day (the one plus!!!).
BUT skipping naps doesn't mean more sleep at night, we tried. And I so desperately NEED the hour/hour and a half she takes the afternoon nap. The issue is she wakes up continuously throughout the night. The other day I let her get up and play because I was still up.... but she likes to get up around 2-3am when I am mid-REM. I put a music player in there the other day and she was rocking out in the morning but not sure if she used it at night.
utkallie: she loves her wooden plan toys people and makes houses for them out of blocks. I will check out the fisher-price, sounds really neat! I think we are going to get the Educo wooden house for her 2nd birthday (in about 3 1/2 months) so I will compare the two! Thanks!!

My dds had these: http://www.clevershoppers.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=1428 - It has 10 dvds on various topics for babies, they also liked signing time. I used it so that I could take a shower, or if I had to take care of "life's necessities". It wasn't a babysitter for hours...just a few minutes at a time.

Before she turned 2 my daughter told me "Buttons the bear broke his arm just like Woody." The button that held one of the arms onto her bear "Buttons" had fallen off. The entire arm came off, just like when Woody's arm pops a seam in Toy Story 2. I'm pretty sure she understood what she saw, and related it to the real world. We typically keep her TV viewing commercial free though, and limited to special times, or times when we wouldn't be able to interact with her anyway, like shower time.

We tried to limit tv for various reasons. Then DS started asking questions about stuff he'd seen on the TVs in restaurants... you know, the ones with the sound turned WAAAAY down. I couldn't hear it enough to understand, but he could.

We still limit TV, and since I have a background in video, we tend to watch mostly artsy stuff, often requiring audience interaction. Meh. For a while he tried to use every TV as a touch screen.

But I really don't think it slowed down his language aquisition, since clearly understands 90% of what is being said on the radio on adult programmes and will ask for definition of terms. On TV shows made for kids he clearly gets as near 100% as anyone.

He's 2.5 now. I'm a little worried about taking him to theaters because he's so used to discussing stuff while it's in progress.

I'm not sure the 2 yr tv rule makes sence even for non-giftie kids. I think it's more to do with using non-human babysitters. And if ya gotta and ya can, ya will. BALLANCE, people! (I hate parenting experts. I'm gonna write a book called "authenticity," and make a big show of making them all look like idiots... oh, wait, that's probably not a great idea, is it? <sigh>)

(DS does not sleep much, and mostly wants technically correct train models right now. Erm. Good luck on sleep and toys is all I can say ;))

-Mich

We haven't done many DVDs for the same reasons above... I was just curious because she seemed to be like a sponge the times I do let her. We don't do TV - well one crazy day she did watch some Nick Jr .

Our main struggle now is sleeping. Please don't take this the wrong way but I am home full time with her and it takes every ounce of energy I have to entertain her and keep her busy throughout the day that by night I am so exhausted and just need to spend some time for myself and sleep. She refuses to give me this time. She is screaming right now to get out of her crib, (and we never did cry-it-out) but I am just so freaking exhausted I don't know what to do.

Hi there- we have let our LO watch videos occasionally at about 14 mos- usually something benign that interested him- so the "All About" series- construction, helicopters, trucks, trains, etc. Plus I really like Miyazaki films- "Kiki's Delivery Service" is a nice, gentle, visually stunning film. "Totoro" too.

My child is a low sleep needs child he struggles to sleep. What helped me immensely was the 'BabyWhisperer' Series of books by Tracey Hogg. We never did CIO, but we did use 'gradual withdrawal'. I highly recommend "the Babywhisperer Solves All your Problems". There is also a related sleep forum with really nice helpful moms and dads- www.babywhispererforums.com and you can post your questions about sleep there and get good advice in a place that doesn't support cry it out....

HTH and Hugs- It WILL get better- I do remember the utter exhaustion and horror of sleep deprivation.