# Fuck! My Baby Broke The TV! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [May 8, 2005, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-my-baby-broke-the-tv/302894 "2005-05-08T03:16:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2005, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-my-baby-broke-the-tv/302894/21 "2005-05-09T00:15:30Z")
> [@Excalibre](#): > > Frankly, to me they’re a hell of a lot cuter than human young. Cat babies (and cat adults) do, however, puke on the sofa just as frequently as human babies. ---
**Author:** ![Elza\_B](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Elza\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elza_B)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2005, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-my-baby-broke-the-tv/302894/22 "2005-05-09T01:13:46Z")
> [@This Year's Model](#): > > Cat babies (and cat adults) do, however, puke on the sofa just as frequently as human babies. I just hope my husband doesn’t chase the kids around with a piece of newspaper and try to stick it under their mouths when they puke. (I’ve told him MANY times that the cats don’t like it…). E. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2005, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-my-baby-broke-the-tv/302894/23 "2005-05-09T01:17:36Z")
> [@Elza B](#): > > I just hope my husband doesn’t chase the kids around with a piece of newspaper and try to stick it under their mouths when they puke. 🙂 I always try to herd mine into the kitchen. She sits there on the tile being disgruntled, and then steps out onto the carpet and does it. Seems to do _her_ a lot of good. ---
**Author:** ![fessie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c37758/32.png) [@fessie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fessie)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2005, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-my-baby-broke-the-tv/302894/24 "2005-05-09T03:03:56Z")
> [@This Year's Model](#): > > 🙂 I always try to herd mine into the kitchen. She sits there on the tile being disgruntled, and then steps out onto the carpet and does it. Seems to do _her_ a lot of good. Ok, now I can’t tell if you’re talking about your kid or your cat. IME, cats throw up more often, but kids make up for it in volume & distance. Their little tummies hold a LOT of food. However, after a while you learn to read the signs (my daughter’s eyes become red-rimmed, like Uncle Fester) and turn them towards you. I’m much easier to clean than the carpet! You guys should know that only exhaustion is keeping me from posting multiple links to incredibly adorable baby pix. We’re talking CUTE! Strangers moan, beat their breasts & rend their tunics, they’re so overcome by my twins’ cute-i-tude! ok, not really…but they do get a lot of compliments! ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2005, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-my-baby-broke-the-tv/302894/25 "2005-05-09T03:07:36Z")
> [@fessie](#): > > Ok, now I can’t tell if you’re talking about your kid or your cat. Cat. I am child-free, though with eight younger siblings I cannot claim to have never helped raise a child. ---
**Author:** ![Plan\_B](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Plan\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Plan_B)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2005, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-my-baby-broke-the-tv/302894/26 "2005-05-09T03:18:20Z")
I wouldn’t try timeouts at this age. I’d wait until at least two years old. At this age it’s all about damage control. Don’t worry about teaching them much now. The most useful book I found is _Good Behavior_, by Gardner. Lots of helpful behavioral tips. But not for a while. GL ---
**Author:** ![andros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@andros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andros)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2005, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-my-baby-broke-the-tv/302894/27 "2005-05-09T05:17:49Z")
Maybe I was just one of those wierdo paranoid parents, but I childproofed the hell out of my house. Outlet covers, cord ties on everything, covers on the buttons. And I still have all my a/v equipment. Go fig. ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2005, 10:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-my-baby-broke-the-tv/302894/28 "2005-05-09T10:11:49Z")
Darn. Sorry to hear about that. Doesn’t sound good at all. ---
**Author:** ![wolf\_in\_second\_hand\_clothing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/9d8465/32.png) [@wolf\_in\_second\_hand\_clothing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_in_second_hand_clothing)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2005, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-my-baby-broke-the-tv/302894/29 "2005-05-09T15:07:56Z")
“When was the last time you turned off the tv, sat down with your kids… and _beat them_?” -Bender, Futurama ---
**Author:** ![Caricci](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/85f322/32.png) [@Caricci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caricci)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2005, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-my-baby-broke-the-tv/302894/30 "2005-05-09T15:32:43Z")
My kid broke two tv’s the same way when he was about your kids’ age. God, I hated that kid about then! Two things: they don’t make tv’s the way they used to and soon those babies will be far more reasonable. Next time you see one of the babies near something yell loudly. I’m not kidding. ---
**Author:** ![mack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mack)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2005, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-my-baby-broke-the-tv/302894/31 "2005-05-09T16:29:25Z")
I have twin 2 year old girls. They have a talent for de-programming the remote I use for the satellite and TV. I have the code memorized now. In the apartment we have an entertainment center where all the delicates are above the TV. Too high for them to get to. Unless they climb. :eek: They don’t mess with the buttons on the TV that much anymore. They either got bored with it, realized TV’s more enjoyable when they’re _not_ pressing buttons, or got tired of us yelling at them. Now their big thing is jumping on the couch and being really posessive about stuff (mine! mine!). In our other place we have a little TV where I made a shield of cardboard cutouts and duct tape covering the buttons that leaves only the eye open so the signal from the remote can get in there. Works pretty good. I also have all the cables zip-tied to the legs of the little stand it’s on, and the TV and stand are both zip-tied to posts on the stairs so the girls don’t pull it down. We have ‘movie night’ on the weekends where I roll out a cart with a projector hooked up to $60 DVD player and a $150 RCA home theater in a box. I deliberately bought cheap in case of damage or theft. I pull the screen down, hang the speakers on the walls and voila! They usually stay in their high chairs for the feature. When it’s all over, I pack it all up, and wheel it back into the bedroom where it’s safe. Then it’s back to the cheap little TV with the duct tape shield over the buttons. ---
**Author:** ![fessie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c37758/32.png) [@fessie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fessie)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2005, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-my-baby-broke-the-tv/302894/32 "2005-05-09T17:19:07Z")
**Mack** that made me laugh out loud! **Caricci** - My yelling is definitely getting louder and becoming less inhibited. m’kay, the monkeys are up on the chairs, gotta run ---
**Author:** ![Marlitharn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/779978/32.png) [@Marlitharn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marlitharn)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2005, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-my-baby-broke-the-tv/302894/33 "2005-05-09T17:51:26Z")
When my daughter was very small, she decided the VCR must be hungry, because after all, didn’t it keep spitting out all the tapes I put into it? Apparently, hungry VCRs want bananas. She’s six now. She doesn’t do things like that anymore. Hang in there; eventually they grow some sense. Of course, it disappears again when they turn 13, but at least you’ll have a few years of rational discourse to look forward to. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Goob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c77e96/32.png) [@Mr.Goob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Goob)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2005, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-my-baby-broke-the-tv/302894/34 "2005-05-09T20:07:05Z")
When my nephew was a wee one, he broke their TV. It was a big console monster and he was pushing all the buttons at random. It was locked onto one channel. The on/off, volume, picture were all fine as long as you only wanted to watch the same channel 24/7. Turns out there is a four digit code for a repairman to use to get into some oddball menu features. The father found this out when a kind guy in the repair shop looked it up and told him over the phone how to fix it. Every other shop he called wanted him to bring the set in for repairs. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2005, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-my-baby-broke-the-tv/302894/35 "2005-05-09T22:33:32Z")
**fessie** , once the little ones go down for their next nap, could you provide us with the make and model of your TV? This might be a tractable problem. If it turns out not to be, check your area for TV repair shops. Not to get a repair quote on the TV, but to see if they have a used TV to sell you, cheap. We got our 27" Sanyo for ninety bucks. ---
**Author:** ![cher3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@cher3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cher3)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2005, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-my-baby-broke-the-tv/302894/36 "2005-05-09T22:41:56Z")
I agree with **Plan B** about the timeouts. They are just too young to get it. Redirection is the word. And babyproofing. ---
**Author:** ![fessie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c37758/32.png) [@fessie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fessie)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2005, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-my-baby-broke-the-tv/302894/37 "2005-05-10T02:50:08Z")
Hey **Kaylasdad99** it’s a Philips/Magnavox TS2544, I think it’s 25". That’s a great idea about checking a repair store for a used one - we buy everything else used (we don’t have anything nice, either) but it didn’t occur to me re: the TV. I checked at [allexperts.com](http://allexperts.com) and their person said the video IC output was bad (?) and it should be about $125 to fix. No idea if that includes labor - here in Chicagoland that’s usually a pretty sizeable figure. We stopped at Best Buy on Mother’s Day - egad, never saw so many TVs in my life - and all of them in lousy lighting conditions! Have to say, none of them excited me. Of course, all of you are right about babyproofing. We had one of those portable fence enclosures surrounding all of our AV. What happened is I moved it b/c on that particular day the kids kicked it up another notch & started climbing _everything_, like little fiends, so I thought putting them in the enclosure would be the easiest way to keep them safe & still let them play together if I need to leave the room. Plus it’s a nice way to take them outside with me, since there’s no fence. Of course, I let down my guard for a moment while they were roaming & zappo! No more Elmo! Surprisingly, I don’t really miss it! Now they’ve turned their attention to my Sony CD jukebox, its big dial is apparently mesmerizing. Fascinating how kids are - we both yelled when my daughter had her hand on the dial, and she looked at us & started to cry a little, and then went over to their brand-new climbing/sliding castle with this inquisitive sound, like - “If one object is forbidden, does that mean everything is?” So we reassured her, yes, that’s your toy, you can climb on it. Now she’s watching the Maverick’s game with her Daddy on the little TV in our bedroom, apparently she likes the round ball. ---
**Author:** ![Caricci](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/85f322/32.png) [@Caricci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caricci)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2005, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-my-baby-broke-the-tv/302894/38 "2005-05-10T13:12:29Z")
If it’s any comfort, this is really the absolutely worst age for toddlers. It’s the combination of new mobility and baby brains. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Tiger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@Mama\_Tiger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Tiger)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2005, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-my-baby-broke-the-tv/302894/39 "2005-05-10T16:43:50Z")
You might also check floor model/last-of-the-old-model sales; I got a 19" flat screen Sylvania last year at Best Buy for under $100 that has a great picture and has been a really good TV. It was an old model, last of the floor models, and originally cost more than twice what I paid for it. Just keep an eye on your keys. At that age, my daughter hid my keys in the spacewarp – you know, the place accessible only to preverbal children – and of course it was two months before she condescended to retrieve them from the spacewarp for me. :smack: (To this day, at age 29, she’s still apologizing for it – there’s nothing like instilling a lifetime of guilt over one small action! 😃 ) ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2005, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-my-baby-broke-the-tv/302894/40 "2005-05-10T18:18:26Z")
[This might be useful,](http://www.p4c.philips.com/na4/t/ts2544c/ts2544c_dfu_aen.pdf) if you’re okay with getting a .pdf file. It’s the user’s guide for your set. I don’t know if you’ve already tried one or more of the remedies on page 8, but if it can resuscitate the box without you paying a hundred twenty-five smackers, it’s worth a try [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-my-baby-broke-the-tv/302894.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-my-baby-broke-the-tv/302894.md?page=3)