Thank God for Sprout!

I am sooooo glad we get the 24hour PBS Kids channel known as Sprout - Jay LOVES it!

I know and have read about some parents who don't let their babies watch any TV, however I need something on in the background for noise as I can't stand silence and we noticed that Jay was sometimes watching the TV when it was on so we figure that if it's going to be on, might as well put something somewhat educational on so if he does watch it maybe he'll absorb some of it and we won't have to worry about it being anything inappropriate.

Anyways, he started watching Sesame Street around 3 months old after he 1st saw Elmo in Barnes and Noble and was instantly drawn to the stuffed animal. He doesn't always watch all of Sesame Street but he does seem to pay attention more when Elmo's on.

I looked up what shows Nick Jr, Disney and Cartoon Network plays and really weren't impressed (there's not really much anymore on those channels for really little kids) and so I opted to let him watch PBS instead - you can't go wrong with Sesame Street and the rest of the shows on there seem to be pretty appropriate too (save for a few shows that seem to appeal to slightly older kids, such as Electric Company, Ruff Ruffman, Wild Kratts, WordGirl etc). WordWorld, while a cute show, is hit and miss with Jay - he'll watch it somedays and other days he just won't have any interest. Same with Super Why, Thomas, Caillou and Dinosaur Train. Sid the Science Kid and Martha Speaks both bore him right now. He does seem to like Clifford (which is usually on while he's drinking his 1st bottle of the day), Barney, Curious George and Arthur (which are usually on when I'm getting ready for work and he's stuck in his Pack n Play).

On the weekends it was a bit tougher though, as Sunday mornings PBS plays the more older kid shows and on Saturdays there just isn't much good on for kids nowadays (which is sad as I remember Saturday morning cartoons being AWESOME in the late 80s and early 90s... now ABC is the only channel with a 2hr block and the Magic School Bus is the only decent show in the line-up!). When Jay stayed with my parents for Thursday through Saturday trip hubby and I took up north for a wedding at the end of June and beginning of July my dad realized Sprout is on the basic digital starter line-up and I've been soooo glad for it!

It's nice to have something little-kid friendly on in the evenings, especially when he's eating his bedtime bottle and it's been great on the weekends too, as they show Sesame Street on there also.

Nina and Star
hosts of The Goodnight Show

The Goodnight Show with Nina and Star starts at 5pm and replays at 8pm and 11pm, so we usually catch the last hour and the first half hour around bedtime. It mixes the Sprout hosts teaching stuff with kids shows and other fun songs - we usually watch The Berenstein Bears, Driver Dan's Storytrain, the Rubba-Dubbers, the Nurdle Gurdle Aquafresh tooth-brushing song, a Jim Henson's Pajanimals song, Chica and the day's host from the morning's Sunny Side Up Show announcing the day's birthdays (he LOVES the Chica chicken puppet and watches her whenever she's on) and the commercials for the afternoon Sharing Show with the Patty the pig puppet (again, Jay LOVES the Patty puppet and watches her too whenever she's on).

Chica with the morning Sunny Side Up Show hosts Danesha, Sean, Kelly and Liz

On the weekends we usually catch the last hour or so of the Sunny Side Up Show with Chica and the 1 of the 4 daily hosts they rotate each week and sometimes Sesame Street at noon. In the afternoon we usually catch a little bit of the Sharing Show - he really likes this show called The Mighty Jungle which has... puppets! I swear, anything with puppets Jay will just sit and watch, lol... Bob the Builder is also on the Sharing Show and he seems to like that one too.

Patty from the Sharing Show and the main characters from The Mighty Jungle

She's ALWAYS crying about
something!!! WHY?!?!

The only show I really CANNOT stand is Angelina Ballerina. Now on Fridays, PBS plays a newer version of the show, but the version we often catch during the Goodnight Show is the older version and oh my gosh... I swear that mouse cries about something in EVERY episode - I have yet to see one where she doesn't cry about something. It gets really old and annoying. Fortunately Jay doesn't seem interested in her. I know a lot of parents complain about Caillou whining a lot, and while I notice he does whine from time to time, it's honestly not every episode like Angelina and her crying.

I also find the DirtGirlWorld show to be slightly creepy too, the way it merges actual people's faces and expressions with animation... soooooo creepy!

These guys creep me out with their big heads and realistic faces & expressions!

I know, I'm a horrible parent for letting my 7 month old watch TV... oh well, it works for us and honestly, while the TV may be on, he's usually playing with us or his toys half the time or eating or falling asleep so it's not like he's sitting glued to the TV like a zombie, it's just background noise and sometimes when something catches his attention (like whenever there's puppets on) he'll stop and watch for a few minutes.