Mom Says Toddler's Behavior Improved After Showing Him '90s Cartoons
"A lot of '90s childhood shows have lower stimulation than today’s shows and movies," one mom said.
Published April 4 2024, 1:58 p.m. ET
Every generation says they had the best shows, but maybe we millennials really do have a point when we say it.
The magic of those cartoons we grew up with — think The Magic School Bus and Clifford, to name a few — is something that apparently can't be replicated ... at least according to what this mom found.
This mom says that her kid's behavior improved when she replaced his current shows with the ones she grew up with from her own childhood in the '90s.
Do '90s cartoons and childhood shows improve kids' behavior?
The Instagram account @mamasandmesses features two Northern Virginia moms named Lauren and Sara who post about all kinds of parenthood-related content.
In one post from March 2024, Lauren said that she noticed when she started introducing her toddler son to the shows from her childhood, he not only seemed to require less TV overall, but he also slept better.
"I noticed he enjoyed them, but didn’t *need* them. We’d watch an episode or two and when it was time to turn it off he didn’t fight me or get upset, he just went back to playing!" Lauren wrote in her caption.
She went on: "Possibly the biggest thing I noticed was a change in his sleep! He was sleeping longer and better!"
Lauren believes that this is likely because "a lot of '90s childhood shows have lower stimulation than today’s shows and movies."
"I also love the messages and creative exploration a lot of '90s shows teach children," she added. "Don’t get me wrong, we still watch some Bluey, Ms Rachel, and Disney movies, but this little change has shown us positive outcomes in his sleep and behavior."
Some of Lauren's suggestions for shows that other parents might want to introduce to their kids include Franklin, Arthur, Clifford, The Magic School Bus, Berenstain Bears, Wishbone, Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, and more.
Overall, people seemed to agree with this mom's point.
"I miss when people wanted to make stuff to help kids and not just make addicted subscribers," one commenter wrote under Laura's post.
"My 3-year-old son’s absolute FAVORITE show is the original Blue's Clues with Steve! Super calm and relaxing but still interactive," wrote another.
"We noticed this when our son watched old-school Sesame Street instead of Cocomelon. He’d watch the screen for a few minutes and then grab some toys to play with, when it was over, no meltdown or tears when we turned it off," another parent commented.
"Thinking back now, shows like Oswald, Caillou, Little Bear, Little Bill, Franklin, Bear in the Big Blue House, Clifford, Dragon Tales, and Blue's Clues weren't overly stimulating and were actually quite calming, especially for being morning shows. Those were legit my favorite shows, and it took me thinking about it just now to realize why they were my favorites," said another.
What do you think — does Lauren have a point? Other parents seem to agree.
And is this a big win for millennials, who have long claimed that they grew up with the best media? (We really did, though!)