Nick Jnr - Much Better Than That American Rubbish! (Nickelodeon)

Member Name: karenuk

Product:	Nickelodeon
Date:	24/03/01 (941 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Excellent TV suitable for all ages, wide range of programmes, mixture of old and new

Disadvantages: Several doses of The Wombles one after the other is enough for anyone!

My youngest daughter, who is nearly five, was off school ill yesterday. As every parent will know, it is a full-time job keeping a sick child happy, while still looking after the others and getting the housework done. This is where Nick Jnr - the Nickelodeon channel for the younger kids - really comes into its own.

When kids are ill, they often just want to lie down on the settee, maybe wrapped in a blanket and cuddling their favourite toy, while watching television.

For parents, there are a few things to consider while selecting suitable television viewing - it has to be age appropriate and suitable. The last thing you want is them to watch a frightening programme or something too sexual. So that's This Morning and Trisha out then! (Ha Ha)

The terrestrial channels are good for children’s' programmes at certain times of the day. So if you don't want to keep checking your watch to see if the wonderful Tweenies is soon to be followed by the dull, dull, dull Working Lunch, the digital channels are recommended.

My older children prefer watching Nickelodeon or Cartoon Network, but some of the programmes are definitely aimed at older kids, so a five year old would get bored or not understand the show. Some cartoons can be rather violent or feature big scary robots or monsters - not always what a poorly child wants to see.

My ten year old would happily watch Sabrina the Teenage Witch twenty-four hours a day (and has tried to at times, during these Sabrina weekends they have!), and although it is one of the better programmes for her age group, I do think the British programmes are better.

This cultural aspect is especially important for young kids, who need to know the last letter of the aphabet is ZED (not ZEE), that we get water from a TAP (not a FAUCET) and that if an American is taking off his pants, he's not about to expose his bum to the world!

So Nick Jnr is the answer - continuous
television from 6am until 7pm, which fits in perfectly with my daughter's waking hours. The programmes are varied, predominantly British, a nice mixture of old and new, and - most importantly - all are suitable for the youngest of children.

My daughter was able to watch television, doze on and off as she needed to, but never had to ask for the channel to be changed. This meant I could sit and cuddle her for a while, watch an old favourite programme of mine, then nip off to bake some bread while she was engrossed in something. Of course, I would not normally advocate using the TV as a babysitter, but a sick child is a good enough reason.

So what did we watch? Well, I caught up with a few classics from my childhood - The Wombles (before they changed it and brought in the Spice Girl Womble!), Paddington Bear (Why was he furry, when everyone else was paper?) and The Clangers <insert weird whistling noises for effect> who are true icons.

She watched Blue's Clues, which is one of her favourites and more modern. For those that haven't seen it, there are two dogs - a blue one called Blue and a magenta one called (Go on, guess) Magenta. With help from a man called Steve, the viewers help them solve clues throughout the programme. No, it does nothing for me either, but my daughter thinks it's brilliant.

Other programmes featured include Ivor the Engine, Bod, Bagpuss (ahh, memories...), Mr. Benn, Bananas In Pyjamas, Mr. Men, Babar, Thomas the Tank Engine and the popular Bob the Builder (Can they repeat it? YES THEY CAN!).

So my daughter was happy - well, as happy as a poorly child with a stomach bug, sinusitis AND an ear infection can be - and I managed to tidy up, bake bread, sort out the clothes and cook tea. Phew! Now, what was it I did as a housewife and mother? Oh yes, just lazed around drinking tea all day. Hmmm. At least Nick Jnr is around to make our job just that little bit easier. It is also a nice lit
tle nostalgia trip for us thirty-somethings... Enjoy!

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