Since my daughter was born I spend most of my spare brainpower thinking about how to be a good parent. In the spirit of creating value for others whenever you can, I'm going to start writing down my thoughts and opionins. Disclaimer: these are just my opinions, usually backed my some research. You do you, and consider me completely non-judgmental about it – if this is helpful, great, if not, ignore it!
First cab off the rank: children's shows. I am a "screen time is a tool to use" kind of parent rather than someone who is 100% anti-screens, and my main concern is that the content my daughter absorbs is as good as possible. My criteria are: shouldn't be excruciating for adults to watch, shouldn't have fast scene changes (bad for babies' brains!), the message of the episodes should be positive (no modeling that it is normal to be nasty to your siblings, thanks), and should not be engineered for addiction.
Here's my list of shows based on these criteria.
🟢 The "Green Light" List
These shows are the gold standard. They are gentle, respectful, and genuinely enjoyable for parents.
- Bluey (Disney+)
- The Verdict: The holy grail of children's TV.
- Why it works: It depicts realistic family dynamics with an involved dad and kids who are noisy but sweet. The pacing is perfect—not too slow, not too fast.
- Adult Factor: 10/10. It is genuinely funny and often moving for parents.
- Messaging: Focuses on creative play and emotional intelligence.
- Trash Truck (Netflix)
- The Verdict: Ideally "chill."
- Why it works: It is about a boy and a gentle garbage truck. There are no loud noises, no villains, and the animation is soft and misty. The pacing is very slow.
- Adult Factor: 8/10. It’s pleasant and relaxing to have on in the background.
- Messaging: Simple problem solving and friendship.
- Puffin Rock (Netflix)
- The Verdict: Beautiful and calming.
- Why it works: Narrated by Chris O'Dowd (The IT Crowd), the voiceover is delightful. The stakes are incredibly low (e.g., "Where is the berry?"), making it great for winding down.
- Adult Factor: 9/10. The humor is dry and the art style is gorgeous.
- Messaging: Nature facts and sibling kindness.
- Tumble Leaf (Prime Video)
- The Verdict: A quiet masterpiece.
- Why it works: Stunning stop-motion animation about a blue fox who finds objects. It is incredibly quiet with very slow pacing.
- Adult Factor: 7/10. It is visually interesting and not annoying.
- Messaging: Promotes "tinkering," physics, and gentle exploration.
- Stillwater (Apple TV+)
- The Verdict: Zen mindfulness for kids.
- Why it works: Based on the Zen Shorts books. A panda teaches kids mindfulness using Buddhist-style parables.
- Adult Factor: 8/10. Visually stunning and actually relaxes the parents too.
- Messaging: Managing emotions and perspective.
- Sarah & Duck (BBC / Tubi)
- The Verdict: Quirky and polite.
- Why it works: British animation with a very distinct, calm rhythm. The pacing is slow and the scenes breathe.
- Adult Factor: 8/10. Very dry humor that adults appreciate.
- Messaging: Curiosity and friendship without conflict.
🟡 The "Yellow Light" List
These shows usually excel in one category (like education) but fail in another (like adult enjoyment or pacing).
- Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood (PBS Kids)
- The Catch: Great for kids, tough on parents.
- Why: The social-emotional lessons are 10/10 ("When you feel so mad..."), but the show is repetitive and the songs are designed to be earworms.
- Adult Factor: 4/10. Many adults find the repetition grating.
- Sesame Street (HBO / PBS)
- The Catch: The pacing is faster than you remember.
- Why: It is the gold standard for education, but the "magazine" format means skits change rapidly. It can be a bit fragmented or hyper for younger toddlers compared to Mister Rogers.
- Adult Factor: 7/10. Celebrity cameos and parodies are fun.
- Octonauts (Netflix)
- The Catch: High addictiveness potential.
- Why: Excellent marine biology facts and teamwork, but the "Creature Report" song at the end is designed to be highly addictive. The action is faster-paced than the "Green" shows.
- Adult Factor: 6/10. Tolerable, but loud.
- Peppa Pig
- The Catch: Questionable role modeling.
- Why: It is actually quite funny for adults (British dry wit), but Peppa is frequently mean to her dad ("Silly Daddy") and excludes her brother George. Many parents ban it for modeling bratty behavior.
- Adult Factor: 6/10.
🔴 The "Red Light" List
These shows generally fail the pacing criteria (hyper-stimulation) or behavioral modeling.
- Cocomelon
- The Warning: Hyper-stimulation.
- Why: Scenes cut every 1–3 seconds. Research suggests this acts as a dopamine hit for baby brains, leading to a "zombie" stare during the show and withdrawals/tantrums when turned off.
- Adult Factor: 0/10. Excruciating.
- Paw Patrol
- The Warning: Addictive merchandise vehicle.
- Why: Essentially a toy commercial. The characters are one-dimensional, there is no real logic to the stories, and it is designed to sell plastic dogs.
- Adult Factor: 2/10.
- Masha and the Bear
- The Warning: Bad behavior modeling.
- Why: Visually impressive animation, but the main character (Masha) is often incredibly naughty and rarely faces consequences, harassing the poor Bear constantly.
- Adult Factor: 3/10.
