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Kids and Infomercials: How to Balance Screen Time and Learning

In summary, the conversation revolves around children's fascination with infomercials and their ability to remember and recite the products being advertised. The participants also share funny stories and discuss their own experiences with infomercials and their tactics to sell products. They also mention the potential use of infomercial techniques in education. Some participants admit to being infomercial junkies and the conversation ends with a discussion about jingles and their children's ability to remember them.
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pamperedlinda
Gold Member
10,264
I'll be the first to admit it, my son probably watches too much TV. He's fascinated by the infomercials too. He constantly tells me all about these 'great products' and that I need to hurry and order them before they are all gone! (and if I hurry and call I'll get another one free! LOL) Right now his latest kick is the Roll & Grow, the Debbie Meyers Green Bags, and some sort of pocketbook organizer thing. He can recite these commercials verbatim! I hope this is foreseeing his intelligence and that he will retain what he is taught in school.
 
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My boys are infomercial dreams!! They think I need everything they show on TV. Especially that pancake thing.
 
That's too funny! I have to intentionally stay away from infomercials or I'd have to build another closet in my house! :)
 
I still remember "Lee press on nails, they press on in seconds, no glue, no mess, simple press on Lee super stick tabs, then press on Lee press on nails!" I used to drive my parents crazy with it! LOL! Still can too! :)
 
I used to pretend I was Richard Simmons... he was cool back in the 70's and early 80's- now he's just frooty!
 
My son LOVES commercials. He wants me to get the Swivel Sweeper and the Pancake Puff pan.

A little funny:

We were in Target the other day and I was looking at something and he says "mommy, that doesn't leave any soapy residue?" (My son is 4 1/2). I looked at him funny and chuckeled and said "I don't think it does". He then says "that's good because Rogaine for men doesn't leave any soapy residue." I about pee'd my pants right there in the aisle!
 
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  • #7
Ummmm Diva Dear....he was frooty then too!
 
Maybe teachers should take some tricks from infomercials to help kids learn more!!! Also, I love it when I take time for an infomercial at my shows - people just crack up!
 
  • #10
SilverCeladon said:
My son LOVES commercials. He wants me to get the Swivel Sweeper and the Pancake Puff pan.

A little funny:

We were in Target the other day and I was looking at something and he says "mommy, that doesn't leave any soapy residue?" (My son is 4 1/2). I looked at him funny and chuckeled and said "I don't think it does". He then says "that's good because Rogaine for men doesn't leave any soapy residue." I about pee'd my pants right there in the aisle!
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That is too funny! Kids really say funny things, don't they?
 
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  • #11
Kate - tell me about your infomercial please.
 
  • #13
It's nothing really, I just pretend I am on an infomercial and use the Ron Popeil voice for saying what I want to say. I use it with a loud crowd to get them to pay attention.
 
  • #14
Hey! For all of you with infomercial-addicted kids...sit them down in front of the new products DVD we get each season - they'll become experts on PC tools. My 6yo can tell you all about our Master Scraper (aka Math-too Skwap-oo) and how it hooks onto the side of the bowl and can handle high temperatures.
When we're on line at the grocery store he likes to look in people's wagons and tell them how "Mommy's Pampered Chef products can help you cook your thtuff"
 
  • #15
I am an admitted infomerical junkie. I love to sit back and watch their spiel. I never buy but it's interesting to see how they try to sell it to you. DH and I bet on the "But wait..." moment. How are they going to get you to upsell to another set???
 
  • #16
wadesgirl said:
I am an admitted infomerical junkie. I love to sit back and watch their spiel. I never buy but it's interesting to see how they try to sell it to you. DH and I bet on the "But wait..." moment. How are they going to get you to upsell to another set???
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LOL _ when I was first married to my ex-DH...I was in grad school and had night classes. He worked during the days. I watched a LOT of TV and got suckered into more infomercial purchases that I'd care to admit - LOL
 
  • #17
I have said for years ( my son is now 14) If I could only put text books im commerical type form!!! My son has always remembered commericals!!!and infomericals .
 
  • #18
Don't get me started on jingles. I think my kids know every song with every commercial. They sing Safe Auto all the time.
 
  • #19
Kitchen Diva said:
Nooooo- he was sooo cool!
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Sorry, Diva, but I must agree with Linda.....he really wasn't! :p
 
  • #20
I was actually given watching informercials as "homework" from my Director! She said it was a good way to learn how to talk about PC Products.

I love the idea of having kids watch our PC DVDs. I love what your son does, Carolyn....looking in people's carts and telling them your PC stuff can cook their food! That's awesome....now I must teach my DD to do that! ;)
 
  • #21
Whenever DH and I see an infomercial (or the regular 30-second "buy this cheesy product" commercials), DH goes online to check the reviews of the products. 90% of the time, there's nothing good about them. If they were so great, they wouldn't have to resort to the "get a second one free when you call in the next 30 minutes" ploy. Right now, our favorite is the Sham-wow. Talk about a sham. :rolleyes: Their real-time demo may be in real time in that there's no time-lapse photography. But you can clearly see that the shamwow is already saturated when they put it on the spill on the carpet sample. And the wet sample isn't the one that they just showed someone spilling cola on - the puddle is different.The infomercial approach works great at shows to get people interested and having fun. And some products lend themselves to it - like the microfiber towel. You can put water in the batter bowl and soak it all up with the towel. Just like on the commercials.
 
  • #22
My ds loved infomercials & commercials when he was little one time we were in a store and you know how they will say on tv "not found in stores" well he saw a product in a store once and got so mad he was yelling "you can't find this in stores why is it here"!! he was like 5 years old at the time the people around us thought he was so funny they were laughing and that made him so upset that they were laughing at him.
 
  • #23
Kitchen Diva said:
I used to pretend I was Richard Simmons... he was cool back in the 70's and early 80's- now he's just frooty!
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Still love the shorts!!
PRICELESS!!
 
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  • #24
krzymomof4 said:
Still love the shorts!!
PRICELESS!!
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As bad as I want to, I'm just not gonna go there......
 
  • #25
aside from infomericals my daughter loves the free credit report commericals and her and my dh sing them in the car!
 
  • #26
cewcooks said:
aside from infomericals my daughter loves the free credit report commericals and her and my dh sing them in the car!
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We love that one also! Especially the one of him in the car. Gage and I jump up and down and sing it around the living room. :sing:
 
  • #27
My 8 year old son and I went into the As Seen on TV store and he was in heaven. He was like Mom here are those crafting scissors I was telling you about.. you would think he was in a candy store he was so excited to see all the stuff shown on TV.
 
  • #28
Oh my God LInda this is too funny, my DS who is 4 is the same way. And yes watches alot of tv but is very active too!! He sees all these things we "need." This morning he hollered at me to come see the green bags. And proceeded to repeat just about the whole commercial to me!! But boy do i hate the childrens ones. He "needs" everything he sees.

And he really thinks we could use the Betty Crocker cake decorating set. And then he loves to see them in the stores. Hey momma this is what i was telling you about!
 
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  • #29
My children LOVED the Deli-Pro infomercial (they were 3 and 4.5 at the time)!! They could be engrossed in playing, and they'd manage to hear that commercial come on, drop everything to sit in front of the TV to watch it, and as soon as it was over, they were right back to the other room to play...it was HILARIOUS!!! They were sure I needed one...some day when they are older I might buy them one as a joke!!
 
  • #30
My 3 year old son isn't really into infomercials, but he can quote you pretty much any commerical you can think of. A few of his favorites are "Cha cha cha! Charmin!", "Do a Dolp, Do Do a Dolp of Daisy" and my favorite...the Pantene Ice Shine Shampoo commerical. ROFL
 
  • #31
My favorite commercials are the new "Go Meat" commercials by Hillshire Farms. I could watch them over and over again. My DH is very thankful that I enjoy these as opposed to anyother meat company b/c he works for SaraLee who owns HF, but still, they are so fun to sing to.
 
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  • #32
Another funny one. My son watches a lot of PBS and he asked me if we had any TVs that were connected to an antennea. I told him no, but granny does. He said that I needed to call her because he had an important message for her. That her TVs won't work in Feb 2009 unless she gets a special connector box. I asked him how he knew all about this and he said because the man on the TV told him! He's now very concerned that my granny won't have TV. LOL
 
  • #33
In my family it's not the kids that copy commercials, etc it's my Dad! lol.... and his favorites to copy? Richard Simmons and PeeWee Herman. He can sound just like either of them right down to the PeeWee laugh. And when he goes grocery shopping he'll recite the commercials in the store when we pass certain products and call other products by his favorite "naughty names" for each. He also loves to make silly puns like picking up a head of lettuce in the first aisle and saying "let us get started!" He's the biggest kid I know!
 
  • #34
My DD says I need the AquaGlobes. "Then you won't have to worry about watering the plants mama." She was also convinced that I needed the buckskin organizer bag and the roll n grow.
 
  • #35
My DD has the Its my money and I need it now. She would walk around yelling it. Just like in the commercials.
 
  • #36
fikibiff said:
My DD says I need the AquaGlobes. "Then you won't have to worry about watering the plants mama." She was also convinced that I needed the buckskin organizer bag and the roll n grow.
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9yo DS keeps telling me I need the AquaGlobes. So I asked him which of our ZERO houseplants would you like me to water with it? And I remind him that I kill more plants than I nurture. His response was that maybe I'd keep more plants alive if I had the AquaGlobe because I wouldn't keep forgetting to water them. Gotta admit... he had me there.

But he is also very concerned about the PBS public service announcements about changing to digital in 2009. Our family lives in the dark ages with no cable or satellite dish. Every time DS sees those announcements, he gets worried again until I remind him that we will get the converter box for each of the tvs and he isn't going to lose anything. Now he is trying to figure out the price for cable for a month because he is trying to figure out a way to convince me that paying for 3 converter boxes is somehow more expensive and irritating than just getting cable.
 

Related to Kids and Infomercials: How to Balance Screen Time and Learning

1. How much screen time is appropriate for children?

As a general rule, experts recommend limiting screen time (including TV, computers, tablets, and phones) to no more than 1-2 hours per day for children ages 2-5, and no more than 2 hours per day for children 6 and older. It's important to prioritize other activities like physical play, social interaction, and educational activities.

2. Are infomercials appropriate for children to watch?

Infomercials can be entertaining for children, but they are ultimately designed to sell products and may not always provide accurate information. It's important for parents to monitor what their children are watching and to discuss the difference between advertisements and educational programming.

3. How can I help my child balance screen time and learning?

One way to balance screen time and learning is to set limits on screen time and encourage other activities like reading, playing outside, and hands-on activities. You can also find educational programs or games that your child enjoys and limit non-educational screen time.

4. Is it normal for my child to recite infomercials and want to buy the products?

It's not uncommon for children to become fascinated with infomercials and want to buy the products they see advertised. However, it's important for parents to teach their children about responsible consumerism and the difference between wants and needs.

5. How can I use infomercials as a learning opportunity for my child?

You can use infomercials as a way to teach your child about marketing and advertising. Talk to them about how infomercials are designed to sell products and may not always provide accurate information. You can also use infomercials to discuss budgeting and making informed purchasing decisions.

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