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Ask HN: What shows would you recommend for toddlers?

4 points by robinyapockets ↗ HN
Yesterday I sat with my 3 year old in front of the computer to watch a kids show. We've avoided having our child watch "tv" as long as we could, but... it does come in handy.

I've been bothered however by the fast paced editing, and lack of pedagogical input most of them have.

Would love to hear what the parents in this community think.

Thanks!

28 comments

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pndy
Czech animated cartoon Krtek (Mole) would be fine I believe
h2odragon
"Rocky and Bullwinkle"

The puns can help cause lifelong joy in playing with language.

brudgers
I've been bothered

Consider that you are not a toddler.

Consider that you are not an expert in child psychology.

Nor preschool educator.

Most of what we are conditioned to think about TV is we are moral failures to let our children watch it.

My understanding, for I am not an expert in those things either, is that toddlers and children learn slowly over years. And it's not TV that makes crappy adults.

Good luck.

codingdave
I'm not an expert either, but my understanding from listening to the experts is exactly the opposite of yours. That toddlers are just soaking up information, including behaviors and how to communicate, and if there is ever a time to not sit them in front of TV, it is those years.

That being said, everything needs a balance and has its place. TV as an occasional helper won't be the end of the world. We didn't give our kids much TV, but when we did, it was Pingu.

philomath_mn
> it's not TV that makes crappy adults

Love this. I am always trying to limit screen time but this is a good reminder of all the other important parts of parenting (and the fact that I used to watch TV all day and am mostly ok)

8b16380d
My kid likes to watch videos of garbage trucks driving around and picking up trash cans. Also, he likes the evening news. YMMV
stevenhubertron
My daughter loves the same. Just fascinated by garbage trucks running their routes (many videos on YouTube). She also likes the show Trash Truck on Netflix whose only similarity with the real thing is the truck.
giantg2
I know I watched the news growing up. I question if it was the right call. I certainly learned a lot, but wow is it negative, and increasingly inappropriate.
cpach
Pingu is quite good, and Plonsters too. I think both of them are available on YouTube.
ranic
My kid loved Dora the Explorer. It asks kids to engage with it, so it feel like a more active experience than a show that's meant only to be watched. I used to watch it with her and we'd shout at the TV and jump around and even then it doesn't have that frenetic energy of a lot of other modern shows.
ezekg
I have the same feelings as you -- most children shows are a bit ... much. Tumble Leaf is a good one. Slow pacing. Other good ones are Puppy Dog Pals, and Bluey (very short episodes). Also, the old VeggieTales episodes are always good, like Rumor Weed or Fib from Outer Space.
yakytaky
Daniel Tiger is decent. It teaches kids a bit of EQ, which I think is pretty cool.
hulitu
Let them play with other children of their age. Television and the majority of movies are just brainwashing.
helij
I don't find anything brainwashing in Peppa Pig and Bluey, both of which are a huge hit with the kids/toddlers. I watched many episodes of both and in my opinion they are great.
Dracophoenix
I'm not a parent, but if you're able to get your hands on some older PBS/Nick Jr. shows like:

*Clifford the Big Red Dog

*Sagwa the Chinese Cat

*Dragon Tales

*Arthur

*Franklin the Turtle

*Little Bear

*Thomas the Tank Engine

giantg2
Surprised that Thomas wasn't mentioned more by others.
toast0
If you're going to watch Thomas, I recommend the older ones with model trains and a narator only, not the modern ones with animation and different voices for each train.

It's still not a great behavioral model as usually Thomas screws around for most of the episode and then manages to make it right in the last 30 seconds, but you could watch a lot worse. And sometimes it's narrated by Ringo Starr.

giantg2
Hmm, the ones I saw usually weren't like that. Some episodes he screws up and makes it right. But others, he's the helper. In some ways it's good to show that people sometimes make mistakes and then fix them.

On a side note, it seems there aren't many boys shows these days. Some mixed shows, and a lot of new girl focused shows. Maybe I'm out of touch though.

philomath_mn
Another vote for Bluey: it is a silly, wonderful, beautiful show for both kids and parents.
b20000
the A-team series from the 80s
logicalmonster
> Would love to hear what the parents in this community think.

I don't know if this is easy, popular, or the best approach, but for a young child, I would consider picking a cutoff year that you're comfortable with and going with kids shows that were popular before that time period.

The advantage of this strategy is that these shows are a bit more time-tested, were built in a Hollywood that was not as focused on building sequels and franchises quite as much, not burdened with modern political complications (yes, kids shows in current year can be overly political), and arguably focused a bit more on universal positive life lessons.

When they get a little older and more independent I think becomes more of a challenge on how to proceed.