When BK#1 was tiny, I was set in my ways that she would never be glued to the TV and that I wouldn’t allow her to watch TV all the time. All the flipping time. Little did I know, I was in a for a rude awakening!
Toddlerhood quickly kicked in! Shortly after she turned one, her activity level spiked. Not only was she always on the go, but I was constantly entertaining. She never wanted to be alone, was always into things and I never got a spare second to do much of anything. Hooray, you are developing perfectly tiny human, but really can we cool it for half a second?!?!
I would kill for just a tiny little bit of the energy that toddlers seem to have. I found myself doing everything I possibly could to get her to play on her own just so I could run to the basement to throw a load of laundry in, let the dog out or go to the bathroom. A simple 5 minute task always seemed to have a toddler in tow. She 
played by herself pretty well, but unless she was in a pack and play, it never lasted too long. That’s okay! Yes, children need to learn to play alone, but when they are growing, they are starving for information and constantly learning!
One morning I woke up with a migraine the size of Texas. I could barely open my eyes, much less entertain a toddler. I was laying on the floor, hoping closeness would suffice and the chant of “ball, run, read, doggies, chase, sing…” started. I am sorry my tiny human, but I just can’t.
I did what I always said I would not do. I turned on a cartoon. I searched “Nursery Rhymes” on Netflix and hoped to find something to help me entertain until her daddy got home or my meds kicked in, whichever came first.
Flash forward a year later and cartoons are part of our everyday activities. You know why? Because, sometimes you just can’t! Sometimes we simply cannot compete with toddler energy and we just need to chill out for a second. Don’t abuse it, but I want you to know that it is okay. One parent to another: It will not scar your child to watch a little bit of TV. Most of the time they even learn a thing or two.
That being said, here are some BurritoBuzz favorite Netflix shows for little ones:
EDUCATIONAL
- Leapfrog – There are 12 episodes total and the are all extremely educational! Math, science, numbers, letters, shapes, phonics, etc.
- Mother Goose Club – I think it’s super corny, but BK#1 loves it! It’s nursery rhymes and children’s songs sang by kids in little costumes and/or cartoons.
- Baby Genius – Nursery rhymes and children’s songs. Nursery Rhymes are so important for reading and vocabulary development and music is so influential for a child.
- Little Einsteins – This our babies’ absolute favorite right now! BK#1 loves that there is “a mission” and actions with the songs, and BK#2 adores the music!
- Curious George – Not strictly educational, but entertaining and there is always a little lesson in each episode.
- Clifford & Clifford Puppy Days – A lot like Curious George. Not strictly educational, but definitely lessons in each episode. Fun and cute characters!
This isn’t on Netflix any more (it just was removed), but definitely worth mentioning.
Daniel Tiger – Created by the “Mister Roger’s Neighborhood” foundation. Every episode is a life lesson. Manners, emotions, friends, family, going to the doctor, potty time, pets, weather, siblings, imagination and much more! Sometimes we get a little sick of the same tunes, but it is BK#1’s absolute favorite and she really has learned a lot from it! Now, like I said it’s not on Netflix, but you can catch it on PBS every day at 11am or on their website. PBS in the morning is generally always toddler friendly.
BURRITOBUZZ MOMS APPROVED
- Minions – Your toddler probably won’t have a clue what is going on, but it’s loud, funny and high energy, so of course they love it.
- How To Train Your Dragon 2 -Adventure, dragons and action!
- Sammy & Co. – It is multiple episodes about a turtle and his sea creature friends. Super cute and my animal lover approves for sure!
- Puffin Rock – A Netflix original cartoon about the Puffin bird. There are multiple episodes about the cute little bird’s family and their day- to- day life.
- Penguins of Madagascar- Crazy and funny little penguins rescuing their penguin friends from Dave the octopus.
- Brother Bear (1&2) – “When a young Inuit hunter needlessly kills a bear, he is magically changed into a bear himself as punishment with a talkative cub being his only guide to changing back.”
- Masha & The Bear – Originally it was a Russian TV show and it is translated into English. Super funny little girl tormenting a bear. Reminds me a lot of Tom and Jerry silliness
- Home – Super cute new Netflix series based on the movie “Home”, about an alien planet making Earth their home, befriending a human, trying to find her mom and saving the Earth!
- Lilo and Stitch – An oldie but goodie! Alien experiment comes to earth and finds a little girl who makes him her pet. She teaches him to be good and how to care about family. Very kid friendly and awesome example of a family that isn’t “perfect”. Whatever that is!
- Stella and Sam – Adorable show about 9 year old Stella and her 4 year old brother Sam. I love that big sister Stella always lets Sam come on all of her adventures!
Aswith anything, TV is only okay in moderation. Make sure you child is active and not sitting in front of it all day! Also, remember to preview what your children watch first. They are tiny little parrots and there are a lot of things in “PG” movies that I wouldn’t want my kids saying or doing!
– Amanda
Perfectly Imperfect Parenting 