'Mummy, can I watch toddlerobics?'

When I read the Metro the other morning, I learnt a new word.  An article with the title ‘Toddlerobics on TV to help little flab-fighters’ (Metro, 2.11.07) explained that the ‘toddlerobics’ in question referred to Mini Movers, the daily exercise sessions fronted by Debra Stephenson and performed by pre-school children at 7.55am on cable channel Nick Jr, a special channel for pre-school children (no link to resident blogger Nick and the Grassroots Channel as far as I know!).

The article reported that a spokesman of Nick Jr saw the programme, developed in co-operation with fitness experts FitKid, as ‘part of our initiative to educate kids and families about balanced lifestyles.  It’s a fantastic way to encourage little ones to have fun, getting active every day.’  A person from FitKid added that ‘it’s becoming increasingly worrying about the amount of children who do not take regular physical activity and the impact it is having on their lives and our society.’  And the FitKid website, which calls Mini Movers the ‘first ever toddlaerobic workout’, claims that Nick Jr ‘reaches 4 million viewers a month’.

Mini Movers moved me in several ways.  I found ‘toddlerobics’, or even ‘toddlaerobics’, a catchy word that stuck in my mind – though I thought it a bit too complicated to be ‘toddler-friendly’.  It also made me uneasy, but at first I was not really sure why.  Seems like a good idea to get the little ones jumping up and down in front of the TV - better than watching something ‘inactive’, anyway!  I remembered the great times when my children were toddlers and we jumped up and down together in front of the TV to Fun Song Factory - nothing wrong with that!

And  then I remembered the children calling: ‘Come, daddy, it’s on!’ when I was busy doing something else, and I’d tell them to just go ahead without me, and when I went into the living room later they were just sitting or lying there, glued to the TV but doing zilch… and asking for a snack.  I also remembered that at times I had to stop myself getting angry with them – why, when they were allowed to watch their favourite programme, with all these great songs, games and dances, why would my children still come and disturb me and try to involve me when I had told them not to?

I can see many of Nick Jr’s Mini Movers trying to get their parents to do toddlerobics with them, at 8 in the morning, and ending up just watching the programme by themselves… and snacking.

Searching the internet I found that some parents bought the Toddlerobics book and found their children liked it but then those parents were clearly prepared to be actively involved themselves in the first place.