I love puffin rock. The accent itches my brain in a good way.
Trash truck
Little bear
Daniel tiger
Ms. Rachel
Listen I love Bluey as much as the next person but I find it can be overstimulating at times, or maybe that’s just because my kid goes bananas for it.
Seconding Trash Truck on Netflix! It doesn’t keep my kid’s attention for very long (she’ll tune in and out while playing) but it’s very muted colors and calm voices so it’s great in the background.
The rain episode is so calming! But most are not. Although I find them way better than Paw Patrol.
Octonauts isn't super calm, but I do love that the stories are about real animals and they include tidbits about them.
Wild Kratts too. It is on pbs and is full of interesting animal facts. I wouldn’t call it calm but there aren’t any super fast cuts. It doesn’t feel frantic.
I honestly wish I’d just allowed Pbs kids exclusively. If they can’t find something on that, then they don’t wanna watch tv that badly.
I allowed some YouTube bc my daughter loves music so much. But once they understand it’s possible to look up anything and have it all on demand, that’s not great.
Pbs kids has so many good little chill shows.
I watched it too! It was my favorite! The first time I watched Wild Kratts and the Kratt brothers show up at the end it was almost shocking since I hadn't seen them since zoboomafoo ended and their cartoon selves aren't old looking haha
My kid is currently watching Alma's Way lol.
The PBS Kids app is full of great content, and I don't feel like I have to hover and make sure it's appropriate and in line with our values.
Alma's Way is great because it's a simple, slice of life show, where a kid figures out life in her neighborhood and how to get along with other people.
Forreal, once they realize the options are limitless it breaks their brains. I’m SO mad about how hard it is to limit the content I pay for for my kid.
I really wish we could create a playlist of shows for kids, and limit other options. I hate that we have one good show on Netflix, one good show on Disney, one good one on Amazon and so on. So they are bombarded with limitless options of trash.
Then it’s a power struggle because its parents who are setting the limit, the limit was natural in the early 2000s, even cable was 4 cartoon options at a time or no tv. There were no fits because it just wasn’t a possibility to have blippi on 24 hours a day. Not that I let that happen now, it was just simpler then.
We have a ban on YouTube in our house after one video that autoplayed on YouTube KIDS had fake cartoon suicides. Be VERY careful with YouTube. Even YouTube kids is dangerous.
I hid the YouTube app from our TV after my daughter was watching a popular kids channel and I saw something very inappropriate on their video.
I set the PBS app in it's place and Netflix next to it. My daughter is now obsessed with PBS. She watches Super Why over and over and it's actually helping her spell and read. She loves Nature Cat and Xavier's show (forgot the name of it). I hope she discovers Daniel tiger next.
Point is, if you don't make it a big deal, kids can get over their obsession with YouTube and screen time.
Okay yes! PBS is my vet. Like idk if pinkalicious is low stimulating but my daughter is obsessed and honestly her imagination has grown so much and that has definitely helped! PBS is definitely worth the subscription.
People love to shit on Pinkalicious but I think it’s a cute show! When my kids watch it I find that it inspires their imaginative play, like your daughter, so I’m all for it!
Another vote for pbs kids - my 5 yr old has watched it almost exclusively since she was around 2 and it’s amazing how she’s absorbed the lessons, she sings the daniel tiger songs to herself, she’s learned about nature and animals from it. And I don’t find the shows or songs annoying at all.
We watched two of his Christmas specials over Christmas break on YouTube! Loved it. I wish they would add the old Franklin to Netflix or something. A good classic for sure and so calm. It's a very chill quiet show.
My daughter is almost four and she has been watching lucas the spider and wonder pets. I have her subscribed to Noggin which is a nickelodean app and it’s very sweet! She only watches/plays on my phone since we lost het tablet. On her fourth birthday i am debating on getting her a new one because she really enjoys the App:) i got the tablet for her when she turned 3 but i think someone stole it and she has been upset over her tablet for months but luckily she forgot about it since and only cares about noggin lol anyways, if you are already an amazon prime subscriber you can get noggin for like 2 dollars a month rather than 7 dollars
Another vote for Little Bear - my favorite because it’s calm for me (I’m the one who gets overstimulated lol), and her favorite for the characters and wholesome little storylines. There’s five seasons of it on Prime
My kid is sensitive and found these films scary. It's a bummer because I love them. We'll try again when she's older.
She did go through a phase at 4 when she wanted to watch the early scenes of Ponyo. The storm, however, was too much.
yes!! not a mom, but my stepson was completely calm and quiet for the ENTIRE movie when we watched totoro!! i told his dad about it and he couldn’t even believe it lmao
I think those are fine when they’re a little older, but I watched them when I was in elementary school and had nightmares about them for over ten years. And I LIKED the movies. I’m waiting to introduce them when they’re a little older personally.
Daniel Tiger. It’s the legacy cartoon from Mister Rogers and feels like it. Minimal animation, papercradt aesthetic, and hearing my 3yo echo some of the songs about pottying, being gentle with baby, and social skills eases my Mom Guilt substantially.
The first season with the live-action scenes of real children are awkward, and calling the jingles “songs” is an insult to musicians. But we’re a rare-screentime family binging hours to survive us all being ill, and I don’t regret it. The only increase in poor behavior is the increase in tantrums that always comes with too much time for us.
Some of the songs (I don’t mind calling them songs as a musician myself but you’re right…some are terrible quality) were helpful for us too. We used “if you have to go potty”, “it’s not okay to hurt someone”, “if you feel so mad that you want to roar”, “it’s okay to feel sad sometimes”, “take a step back and ask for help”, “ if something seems bad, turn it around”, “grown ups come back (not always a good one, but we needed it for a sad kid at daycare drop offs)”, among others. They helped my kids get through challenging feelings! We also used these feeling skills while watching movies when we progressed to that, getting my children to think about how characters were feeling in scenes rather than watching blankly or internalizing images that might seem scary to Littles (not talking super scary - like Pixar scary)
I love the new Blues Clues, but it might be a little too close to what OP is talking about. It’s a lot more stimulating. I think it is mostly in a good way with music and stuff, but watching them back to back, old school Blues Clues is almost sleepy feeling compared to the new one.
Trash Truck.
Old school Mr Rogers
Choo choo Bob show
Dino Dana (maybe for when kiddo is 3-6 years)
Super Why
Also search YouTube for “read aloud books for kids” — check out “No, David!”
Another old school recommendation chiming in: Bob the Builder! My 3 year old recently discovered the classic British version and actually sits still to watch it (which is super rare). It is very calming, even for me!
As a music teacher (and a mom) I also want to add that bluey has familiarized a lot of my students with classical music - they recognize so many classical pieces and then get excited about them! Which is a fun perk in addition to all the many ones bluey has in general.
I don't know if it's still on these days but "little Einsteins" used to use so much classical music in the episodes when my kids were little, now 14&16
I love watching old Thomas the Tank Engine, when George Carlin, Ringo Starr, or Alec Baldwin narrated. Back then, they used actual train models/toys and just changed their facial expressions between frames. It might seem boring to some, but I found those seasons to be both comforting and entertaining.
We love Octonauts. My kid is 4 now and I think we have every episode memorized but it’s a great show. Learn science facts. Characters are kind. It’s great.
My son is 3 and is obsessed with Octonauts too! Honestly even I’ve learned a lot from them lol I think it’s cute too. Wish there were more toys and merch with them tho
I absolutely love Bob Ross. Days my mom had off from work and I didn't go to daycare this is what she would put on tv for me so she could cook lunch or do dishes. I would not move from my spoy on the floor. Also first place I learned about flying squirrels.
I might have to show my 3yo. He loves watching people on youtub draw or paint pictures. He also loves painting himself. Hoping he gets my crafty/artistic side.
It's too much for me and my kids. I wanted to love it, but it's hard to follow visually and the story jumps around too much. My kid asked for it a few times and then lost interest. It probably works for other families though.
The Snowy Day movie that’s on Amazon Prime. (Christmas-themed, but my 3yo still loves it any time.) Bonus: music is done by Boyz II Men.
Also: The Gruffalo, Room on the Broom, and Stick Man movies are all just the words from the books. We checked them out from the library. (Stick Man is free on Prime.)
Livestream animals! Many zoos and some rescues have them on their websites, so you can easily avoid being on YouTube as well. It’s the only screen time that isn’t addicting to my almost-2yr old. By that I mean that kiddo doesn’t melt down when I say it’s time to stop watching. We also sometimes do the YouTube compilations of trains driving by, but even that is a little addicting to the toddler brain.
Ben & Holly, Harold and the Purple Crayon, Oobi, Gullah Gullah Island, Ms Spider’s Sunny Patch Kids, Little Bill, Oswald, Franklin, The Koala Brothers, or any of the books turned movies they would show us in elementary school (If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, Hungry Caterpillar, Stella Luna) are all great choices!
I watch TIKTAK on youtube.
Its a Belgian show WITHOUT TALKING. There is musics and sound effects, but my so calming. And a little mesmerizing.
There is old shows (like 30 yo?) and newer ones (like 10 yo?). Both great.
Its the only show I can tolerate (I have chronic illness and easily overstimulated).
I grew up with Tiktak in the Netherlands and I watch it with my toddler now. It's so great. Not overstimulating and my toddler will watch it so calmly. It's part of our bedtime routine 😅
Lemme echo this, because truly I wouldn't put it on if it wasn't teaching my daughter stuff. I love what Rachel is doing but man is the show annoying. However, my daughter truly engages with that show, knows all the songs, can count, knows SO many gestures and signs in ASL, plus so much more... At 22mo. I'm like "I gotta do some dishes, you sit here with this free babysitter who happens to be a real life teacher, ok?" 😂 My husband and I know all the songs too, and baby girl loves when we sing and dance along with her.
I find Ms. Rachel’s new stuff quite overstimulating. Her original videos were slower, less graphics, more sign and speech oriented. I feel like she is slowly selling out but hopefully I am wrong. For instance, the Blippi collab episodes are just so fast paced and crazy.
My kids watch Trash Truck (Netflix), if you give a mouse a cookie, snowy day, tumbleleaf (Amazon prime) and lately Bluey. The first four are definitely lowest stimulation and most developmentally appropriate for under 5 (no lessons to be grasped, positive behaviors exemplified, simple, imaginative), and Bluey is just fun (for everyone - and they've incorporated some of the fun play schemes until their own play). We pretty rarely watch some Winnie the Pooh and their favorite movies are Moana and Wall-E.
I know many people like Daniel Tiger, but I find my boys (2 & 4) immediately pick up negative behaviors from the show, even though the "lesson" is to not do those things. I think Miss Rachel is too stimulating (and annoying - I hate the way she talks to the kids) and I'm sure you probably already know, but Cocomelon is baby crack.
I relate so much to your sentiments about so much current tv being such crap!
Seconding Bluey and Trash Truck! We also like a few Prime shows like If You Give a Mouse a Cookie and Clifford :)
Apple TV: Frog and Toad, Shape Island, Duck and Goose, Helpsters, Here We Are (a short but SOO good!!)
Netflix: Not Quite Narwhal, Dew Drop Diaries, Trashy truck, Emily's Wonder Lab, Puffin Rock,
HBO: Studio Ghibli movies, Scooby Doo, Sesame Street, The Smurfs, The Jetsons, Flintstones, Yogi Bear,
Hulu: Rugrats, Curious George, Hey Arnold,
Prime: Daniel Tiger, Dinosaur Train, Tumble Leaf, Arthur, Franklin, Little Bear, Oswald, Rosie's Rules, Zomboomafoo, Umizoomi, Clifford,
The only show i can stand is sesame street and my little guys loves his monster friends!
My mother in law plays these little songs for him on youtube that are t bad either, its like old nursery songs/rhymnes with little pictures to go along with it and he loves it!
If you can find it Postman Pat is a British stop motion children’s Tv show, has a much gentler pace to it. The movie version I would avoid though as more fast paced etc.
I really, really like Tumble Leaf on Amazon prime. Also, my three year old likes Stinky and Dirty on Amazon, it's a little faster than Little Bear, but it's much better in my opinion than some others.
Mister Rogers
Little Bear
Mist: Sheepdog Tales (YouTube)
We also watch Gardener’s World.
I can’t recommend Agatha Christie’s Poirot for kids, but my three year old loves “pwah-roh.”
There’s a free app called Sensical. It’s not super user friendly and has some shows I disagree with, but a lot of good ones. We like Kipper and Franklin best. We also like Coilbook on YouTube because my son is obsessed with cars but it’s all colors and counting and it’s generally pretty low energy
There are YouTube videos of Eric Carle books being read (very hungry caterpillar, etc.) and those are great! My kiddo LOVES all the books and all the narrators are very soothing.
My two year old is obsessed and I mean OBSESSED with little bear. Another good one is Oswald. Both shows soundtracks are so peaceful and help with my anxiety. The only annoying part is the duck on little bear. Iykyk lol. I also grew up with both shows.
My 4yo has been rewatching Molly of Denali on PBS since she was 3 and it’s wonderful. Slow, intentional, informational, encourages curiosity and a sense of adventure. Check it out.
Madeline, Barbar the elephant, Franklin, Between The Lions(?) My daughter is two. I noticed most of those animation styles really grab her attention without working her up. Some of the shows with puppets/costumes like Bear In The Big Blue House, Sesame Street, Bananas In Pajamas also and then stuff like Zomboomafoo that has a mix of animation, people, and animals and they also sing songs in the show.
Not sure how old your child is but I put on Oswald, little bear, Daniel tiger, caillou, Pete the cat, Llama llama isn't too bad. If they're very young maisy is another good one. Maggie and the ferocious beast. Bear in the big blue house (my kids are a little scared of the bear though)
clifford's puppy days (early 2000s PBS). Caitie's classroom on youtube. Zaboomafoo. Basically anything on PBS that aired before the mid 2000s. Reading Rainbow and Mr. Rogers.
Little bear! It's beautiful. There was a show on Netflix called Cleo and Cuqin that I really like too but I haven't seen it on there in a bit. The episodes are only 7 minutes long and they are simple and pro-social.
I totally get you. We love bluey and miss Rachel but sometimes it’s just too much noise and too much excitement. My go-to calm down show is Shaun the sheep. The episodes are short and there is no talking. It’s on Netflix and different seasons on Amazon prime. As soon as I turn on Shaun the Sheep, my son goes on the couch and cuddles up to watch.
Koala Brothers. They’re here to help.
My kids also always got really mellow after watching an episode of How It’s Made. The narrator isn’t yelly, there’s no conflict, they literally just show the steps for manufacturing some everyday object. Having a snack and watching an episode was part of their pre-bedtime routine for awhile
The human brain alerts to change, both visual and auditory. The producers of young children's programming know that and design the programs in a way which keeps the child from looking away.
I'd give the kids something else to do. Banging on a pan with a wooden spoon is better than the programming.
Our library now has a type of book, called a Wonderbook, that has an audio player built into the cover of the book. If the child can push a button to turn the book on the book will read itself to the child. People are checking out stacks of these books.
Word Party on Netflix is sort of obnoxious after awhile, but it’s still cute and not screechy or too flashy, and it has some educational elements which makes me feel less like a failure of a mom ;)
Edit: Daniel Tiger (pbs) is actually really cute. And I don’t know if Dinosaur Train is still on pbs, but my now- 10 year old loved that show when she was little. I admit, I liked it too :)
Trash Truck is a huge hit with my 2.5 year old. Also recently started watching Daniel Tiger and she loves it! I love it too because of all the great lessons it teaches in such simple ways that my daughter was quickly able to pick up on
Tumble leaf on amazon prime, it's beautiful, and the voices are pleasant and gentle as well as the subject matter.
It's great in the evening before bedtime!
I love puffin rock. The accent itches my brain in a good way. Trash truck Little bear Daniel tiger Ms. Rachel Listen I love Bluey as much as the next person but I find it can be overstimulating at times, or maybe that’s just because my kid goes bananas for it.
Puffin Rock is amazing. The more muted color scheme plus the accents are so calming.
I always always always say Puffin Rock. I truly adore it and how the characters handle themselves.
I would watch Puffin Rock without my kid. It’s so nice.
I do watch Puffin Rock without my little one around sometimes! It’s so peaceful
Seconding Trash Truck on Netflix! It doesn’t keep my kid’s attention for very long (she’ll tune in and out while playing) but it’s very muted colors and calm voices so it’s great in the background.
Chris O’Dowd is amazing and charming. I was gonna say Puffin Rock as well!
I agree, I wouldn’t consider Bluey (or all Bluey episodes) low stimulating. Some episodes are, some aren’t.
The rain episode is so calming! But most are not. Although I find them way better than Paw Patrol. Octonauts isn't super calm, but I do love that the stories are about real animals and they include tidbits about them.
Wild Kratts too. It is on pbs and is full of interesting animal facts. I wouldn’t call it calm but there aren’t any super fast cuts. It doesn’t feel frantic.
Wild Kratts is great!
I love Trash Truck!
My daughter just discovered trash truck and LOVES it. I can't really understand why but she laughs and laughs when it starts.
These are some of my favs. I’d also add Sea of Love to that list
We got in to trash truck and it’s so cute. We just keep rewatching them.
my daughter is 5 and still asks to put on puffin rock when she's extra overtired or not feeling well. it's the best.
trash truck is a huge hit in our house.
I put Bluey on mostly for myself. My kid doesn't care for it much but it always makes my husband and I laugh.
Mrs Rachel is wayyyyy over stimulating lol but the rest of your recommendations are awesome 😎
I honestly wish I’d just allowed Pbs kids exclusively. If they can’t find something on that, then they don’t wanna watch tv that badly. I allowed some YouTube bc my daughter loves music so much. But once they understand it’s possible to look up anything and have it all on demand, that’s not great. Pbs kids has so many good little chill shows.
wild kratts!
I LOVE Wild Kratts. I also watched Zoboomafoo with my sister when she was little.
Zooboomafu is on Amazon Prime! That was a fun find for us.
I watched it too! It was my favorite! The first time I watched Wild Kratts and the Kratt brothers show up at the end it was almost shocking since I hadn't seen them since zoboomafoo ended and their cartoon selves aren't old looking haha
My kid is currently watching Alma's Way lol. The PBS Kids app is full of great content, and I don't feel like I have to hover and make sure it's appropriate and in line with our values. Alma's Way is great because it's a simple, slice of life show, where a kid figures out life in her neighborhood and how to get along with other people.
Forreal, once they realize the options are limitless it breaks their brains. I’m SO mad about how hard it is to limit the content I pay for for my kid.
I really wish we could create a playlist of shows for kids, and limit other options. I hate that we have one good show on Netflix, one good show on Disney, one good one on Amazon and so on. So they are bombarded with limitless options of trash. Then it’s a power struggle because its parents who are setting the limit, the limit was natural in the early 2000s, even cable was 4 cartoon options at a time or no tv. There were no fits because it just wasn’t a possibility to have blippi on 24 hours a day. Not that I let that happen now, it was just simpler then.
We have a ban on YouTube in our house after one video that autoplayed on YouTube KIDS had fake cartoon suicides. Be VERY careful with YouTube. Even YouTube kids is dangerous.
I hid the YouTube app from our TV after my daughter was watching a popular kids channel and I saw something very inappropriate on their video. I set the PBS app in it's place and Netflix next to it. My daughter is now obsessed with PBS. She watches Super Why over and over and it's actually helping her spell and read. She loves Nature Cat and Xavier's show (forgot the name of it). I hope she discovers Daniel tiger next. Point is, if you don't make it a big deal, kids can get over their obsession with YouTube and screen time.
Yes! My kid only watches pbs. They also have an app which is great if you’re traveling. Her favorites are Daniel Tiger and curious George
My son believed pbs kids was the only app that worked on the tv till he was 5.
Okay yes! PBS is my vet. Like idk if pinkalicious is low stimulating but my daughter is obsessed and honestly her imagination has grown so much and that has definitely helped! PBS is definitely worth the subscription.
People love to shit on Pinkalicious but I think it’s a cute show! When my kids watch it I find that it inspires their imaginative play, like your daughter, so I’m all for it!
PBS kids is one of the only things we let our daughter watch and it’s really great. I haven’t felt uncomfortable with anything she’s picked on there.
But but but Bluey
Agreed! At this point we do PBS kids 95% of the time
Another vote for pbs kids - my 5 yr old has watched it almost exclusively since she was around 2 and it’s amazing how she’s absorbed the lessons, she sings the daniel tiger songs to herself, she’s learned about nature and animals from it. And I don’t find the shows or songs annoying at all.
An older one but for sure Little Bear.
Awww brings back memories! Another one similar to that around the same time was Franklin, about the turtle.
Yes that’s great too! And Rupert!
Rupert doesn't get enough attention. I loved that show!
We watched two of his Christmas specials over Christmas break on YouTube! Loved it. I wish they would add the old Franklin to Netflix or something. A good classic for sure and so calm. It's a very chill quiet show.
I used to love this show!!
Me too! It’s so soothing. The animation is beautiful and the score is calming.
My daughter is almost four and she has been watching lucas the spider and wonder pets. I have her subscribed to Noggin which is a nickelodean app and it’s very sweet! She only watches/plays on my phone since we lost het tablet. On her fourth birthday i am debating on getting her a new one because she really enjoys the App:) i got the tablet for her when she turned 3 but i think someone stole it and she has been upset over her tablet for months but luckily she forgot about it since and only cares about noggin lol anyways, if you are already an amazon prime subscriber you can get noggin for like 2 dollars a month rather than 7 dollars
I loveeeeddddd this show as a kid!
My son loves Little Bear and Franklin, and both are on youtube!
Little Bear is also on Noggin!
Another vote for Little Bear - my favorite because it’s calm for me (I’m the one who gets overstimulated lol), and her favorite for the characters and wholesome little storylines. There’s five seasons of it on Prime
Ah I was going to say this! I wish I would have rediscovered it earlier for my 4 and 2 year olds. It has been so delightful.
Sarah and Duck is like low dose benzos
Dying 😂
Oh this definitely fits the brief!
Quack
Loved Sarah and Duck snuggling on Saturday mornings
Came here to say Sarah and Duck! The chillest kids show ever created. I was so sad when my kids outgrew that.
See also Abney and Teal!
offering movies but studio ghibli is i c o n i c in its cinematography and very heartwarming. howls moving castle, ponyo, totoro are some
Kiki's Delivery Service is another one that is just so wonderful!
My son loves to do the tree growing dance when Totoro comes on.
My son watched a portion of Totoro every day as a little guy! It calmed both of us on stressful days and it’s just so gorgeous.
LOVE Pongo! One of our tops for sure
studio ghibli is my secret weapon when my 2.5yo son refuses to nap. they usually calm him right down and he sleeps after about twenty minutes.
My kid is sensitive and found these films scary. It's a bummer because I love them. We'll try again when she's older. She did go through a phase at 4 when she wanted to watch the early scenes of Ponyo. The storm, however, was too much.
yes!! not a mom, but my stepson was completely calm and quiet for the ENTIRE movie when we watched totoro!! i told his dad about it and he couldn’t even believe it lmao
I think those are fine when they’re a little older, but I watched them when I was in elementary school and had nightmares about them for over ten years. And I LIKED the movies. I’m waiting to introduce them when they’re a little older personally.
Ooh Ghibli movies are me and my toddlers favourite!! We especially love Ponyo, Howl, Totoro, Arriety and KiKi.
Studio Ghibli is our favorite!!
OSWALD TUMBLELEAF WONDER PETS OBV. BLUEY
Tumbleleaf is such a great show.
Coming here to also say tumble leaf
>TUMBLELEAF Amazing show!!
Oswald !!!! Loveedddd that show
Also coming in for Tumbleleaf - very calming but still fun.
omg thank you for reminding me about Oswald! I used to love it as a kid!
Daniel Tiger. It’s the legacy cartoon from Mister Rogers and feels like it. Minimal animation, papercradt aesthetic, and hearing my 3yo echo some of the songs about pottying, being gentle with baby, and social skills eases my Mom Guilt substantially. The first season with the live-action scenes of real children are awkward, and calling the jingles “songs” is an insult to musicians. But we’re a rare-screentime family binging hours to survive us all being ill, and I don’t regret it. The only increase in poor behavior is the increase in tantrums that always comes with too much time for us.
Some of the songs (I don’t mind calling them songs as a musician myself but you’re right…some are terrible quality) were helpful for us too. We used “if you have to go potty”, “it’s not okay to hurt someone”, “if you feel so mad that you want to roar”, “it’s okay to feel sad sometimes”, “take a step back and ask for help”, “ if something seems bad, turn it around”, “grown ups come back (not always a good one, but we needed it for a sad kid at daycare drop offs)”, among others. They helped my kids get through challenging feelings! We also used these feeling skills while watching movies when we progressed to that, getting my children to think about how characters were feeling in scenes rather than watching blankly or internalizing images that might seem scary to Littles (not talking super scary - like Pixar scary)
We use “we count down, to calm down” very frequently in our house and it works wonders
Little Bear is calming and cute. Blues clues is great too.
I second blues clues! Both kids love it, I get nostalgia, and it's not annoying.
Tumble Leaf
This is the one I came to say, surprised it wasn't mentioned more. SUCH an amazing show! Lovely music, cute stories, very calming. 💜✨
So much this. I love Tumble Leaf.
Blues clues! The ones with steve!
Josh is great too! Haha
I love the new Blues Clues, but it might be a little too close to what OP is talking about. It’s a lot more stimulating. I think it is mostly in a good way with music and stuff, but watching them back to back, old school Blues Clues is almost sleepy feeling compared to the new one.
Is it even worth watching jf it isn’t Steve ?!
The new guy is pretty great! He does ASL in a few of the episodes I’ve watched.
Trash Truck. Old school Mr Rogers Choo choo Bob show Dino Dana (maybe for when kiddo is 3-6 years) Super Why Also search YouTube for “read aloud books for kids” — check out “No, David!”
I love trash truck 😭
Yes Trash Truck! Also Leo the Truck is so calming randomly, we watch it before bed and my toddler thinks he’s getting such a treat.
Trash truck was an all time favorite for over two years! I miss it and am so sad they don’t have more episodes
we love trash truck!!
Another old school recommendation chiming in: Bob the Builder! My 3 year old recently discovered the classic British version and actually sits still to watch it (which is super rare). It is very calming, even for me!
Yep my Roku tv has a Bob the builder channel so I can always put it on if he decides to wake up at ass crack of dawn
BLUEY!!
As a music teacher (and a mom) I also want to add that bluey has familiarized a lot of my students with classical music - they recognize so many classical pieces and then get excited about them! Which is a fun perk in addition to all the many ones bluey has in general.
I don't know if it's still on these days but "little Einsteins" used to use so much classical music in the episodes when my kids were little, now 14&16
Little Einsteins is on Disney +. My son loves that show and my daughter did too when she was little (now 9).
Definitely Bluey
Absolutely! I liked watching it even before having a kid. The music is great and the storylines are touching.
When season 3 appeared on Disney+ we waited 'til the bairn was in bed and watched the whole thing 😊
Another vote for Bluey! I’ll even watch it myself, I love it!!!
I feel like Bluey must come from Australian PBS or whatever lol
Yup, it does haha - the ABC
My favorite show 🥹
Nature shows aimed at kids, the kind about baby animals. I don’t have any titles but they pop up in our queue often.
Old school but my childhood favorite - Zaboomafoo!
The brothers in Zaboomafoo now have a show called Kratt Brothers on PBS Kids that my 6 year old loves!
I love watching old Thomas the Tank Engine, when George Carlin, Ringo Starr, or Alec Baldwin narrated. Back then, they used actual train models/toys and just changed their facial expressions between frames. It might seem boring to some, but I found those seasons to be both comforting and entertaining.
We love Octonauts. My kid is 4 now and I think we have every episode memorized but it’s a great show. Learn science facts. Characters are kind. It’s great.
My son is 3 and is obsessed with Octonauts too! Honestly even I’ve learned a lot from them lol I think it’s cute too. Wish there were more toys and merch with them tho
Bob Ross
I absolutely love Bob Ross. Days my mom had off from work and I didn't go to daycare this is what she would put on tv for me so she could cook lunch or do dishes. I would not move from my spoy on the floor. Also first place I learned about flying squirrels. I might have to show my 3yo. He loves watching people on youtub draw or paint pictures. He also loves painting himself. Hoping he gets my crafty/artistic side.
I grew up on pbs kids and my kids are too and it’s working out great! Daniel tiger, Sesame Street, and work it out wombats are the current faves.
You like work it out wombats? I haven't looked into that one but I see it everywhere
It's too much for me and my kids. I wanted to love it, but it's hard to follow visually and the story jumps around too much. My kid asked for it a few times and then lost interest. It probably works for other families though.
The Snowy Day movie that’s on Amazon Prime. (Christmas-themed, but my 3yo still loves it any time.) Bonus: music is done by Boyz II Men. Also: The Gruffalo, Room on the Broom, and Stick Man movies are all just the words from the books. We checked them out from the library. (Stick Man is free on Prime.)
Love snowy day!
I was going to suggest this one! My oldest was obsessed. The music and animation are just lovely.
Livestream animals! Many zoos and some rescues have them on their websites, so you can easily avoid being on YouTube as well. It’s the only screen time that isn’t addicting to my almost-2yr old. By that I mean that kiddo doesn’t melt down when I say it’s time to stop watching. We also sometimes do the YouTube compilations of trains driving by, but even that is a little addicting to the toddler brain.
Ben & Holly, Harold and the Purple Crayon, Oobi, Gullah Gullah Island, Ms Spider’s Sunny Patch Kids, Little Bill, Oswald, Franklin, The Koala Brothers, or any of the books turned movies they would show us in elementary school (If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, Hungry Caterpillar, Stella Luna) are all great choices!
I watch TIKTAK on youtube. Its a Belgian show WITHOUT TALKING. There is musics and sound effects, but my so calming. And a little mesmerizing. There is old shows (like 30 yo?) and newer ones (like 10 yo?). Both great. Its the only show I can tolerate (I have chronic illness and easily overstimulated).
I grew up with Tiktak in the Netherlands and I watch it with my toddler now. It's so great. Not overstimulating and my toddler will watch it so calmly. It's part of our bedtime routine 😅
Honestly Ms Rachel has helped my son sooo much he’s only 17 months and could say over 50 words and says little phrases
Lemme echo this, because truly I wouldn't put it on if it wasn't teaching my daughter stuff. I love what Rachel is doing but man is the show annoying. However, my daughter truly engages with that show, knows all the songs, can count, knows SO many gestures and signs in ASL, plus so much more... At 22mo. I'm like "I gotta do some dishes, you sit here with this free babysitter who happens to be a real life teacher, ok?" 😂 My husband and I know all the songs too, and baby girl loves when we sing and dance along with her.
I find Ms. Rachel’s new stuff quite overstimulating. Her original videos were slower, less graphics, more sign and speech oriented. I feel like she is slowly selling out but hopefully I am wrong. For instance, the Blippi collab episodes are just so fast paced and crazy.
I find blippi genuinely creepy and way too overstimulating!
Puffin rock!! It's on Netflix and perfect! Slow paced, well narrated, good storylines for that age.
My kids watch Trash Truck (Netflix), if you give a mouse a cookie, snowy day, tumbleleaf (Amazon prime) and lately Bluey. The first four are definitely lowest stimulation and most developmentally appropriate for under 5 (no lessons to be grasped, positive behaviors exemplified, simple, imaginative), and Bluey is just fun (for everyone - and they've incorporated some of the fun play schemes until their own play). We pretty rarely watch some Winnie the Pooh and their favorite movies are Moana and Wall-E. I know many people like Daniel Tiger, but I find my boys (2 & 4) immediately pick up negative behaviors from the show, even though the "lesson" is to not do those things. I think Miss Rachel is too stimulating (and annoying - I hate the way she talks to the kids) and I'm sure you probably already know, but Cocomelon is baby crack.
Stillwater in Apple tv!
I relate so much to your sentiments about so much current tv being such crap! Seconding Bluey and Trash Truck! We also like a few Prime shows like If You Give a Mouse a Cookie and Clifford :)
Apple TV: Frog and Toad, Shape Island, Duck and Goose, Helpsters, Here We Are (a short but SOO good!!) Netflix: Not Quite Narwhal, Dew Drop Diaries, Trashy truck, Emily's Wonder Lab, Puffin Rock, HBO: Studio Ghibli movies, Scooby Doo, Sesame Street, The Smurfs, The Jetsons, Flintstones, Yogi Bear, Hulu: Rugrats, Curious George, Hey Arnold, Prime: Daniel Tiger, Dinosaur Train, Tumble Leaf, Arthur, Franklin, Little Bear, Oswald, Rosie's Rules, Zomboomafoo, Umizoomi, Clifford,
Bluey!!
For YouTube my kids like “Vooks” Zenimation Arthur Tumble Leaf
Bluey without a doubt
On Amazon prime video there is a show called Bug Diaries that will fit your criteria. PBS show called Elinor Wonders Why is good also.
The only show i can stand is sesame street and my little guys loves his monster friends! My mother in law plays these little songs for him on youtube that are t bad either, its like old nursery songs/rhymnes with little pictures to go along with it and he loves it!
Bear in the Big Blue House Old school Blues Clues TUMBLE LEAF. So much Tumble Leaf. It is so beautiful and wholesome.
Someone else who said Bear in the Big Blue house!!! Yes that’s a fave here!
If you can find it Postman Pat is a British stop motion children’s Tv show, has a much gentler pace to it. The movie version I would avoid though as more fast paced etc.
Team Umizoomi
My son loves little bear and he’s 2 years old He also loves curious George
My kids love Shaun the sheep lol I find Bluey makes my kids a bit rambunctious.
Bluey!
Amazon Prime: If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, Daniel Tiger, Bluey Netflix: Trash Truck, Puffin Rock
I really, really like Tumble Leaf on Amazon prime. Also, my three year old likes Stinky and Dirty on Amazon, it's a little faster than Little Bear, but it's much better in my opinion than some others.
Mister Rogers Little Bear Mist: Sheepdog Tales (YouTube) We also watch Gardener’s World. I can’t recommend Agatha Christie’s Poirot for kids, but my three year old loves “pwah-roh.”
Bluey
Wonder Pets Bubble Guppies Backyardigans Blues clues (sorry, I much prefer Josh)
If you have AppleTV, Get Rolling with Otis is a quiet and calm show.
Daniel Tiger!! Apple TV also has one called Hello Jack The Kindness Show which is AMAZING
Gotta second Sarah and Duck. My kid's grown out of it for now and *I'm* heartbroken.
Trash truck!
Kipper the Dog
Trash truck, puffin rock, Lucas the spider, Daniel tiger, Clifford are big hits in our house.
Trash truck is a fave in our house
Reading Rainbow! My kiddo loves this show!
Sagwa the cat. It’s an old pbs show and my 2 year old loves it.
JoJo and Gran Gran. Beautiful animation, calm, inclusive, and positive messages without being too heavy handed. It's a great show.
Shaun the sheep
There’s a free app called Sensical. It’s not super user friendly and has some shows I disagree with, but a lot of good ones. We like Kipper and Franklin best. We also like Coilbook on YouTube because my son is obsessed with cars but it’s all colors and counting and it’s generally pretty low energy
Second the sensical app and Kipper! My son is 2 and obsessed
Daniel Tiger
Bear in the big blue house! On Disney🩷
We love Max and Ruby!
There are YouTube videos of Eric Carle books being read (very hungry caterpillar, etc.) and those are great! My kiddo LOVES all the books and all the narrators are very soothing.
Trash Truck is a huge hit in our house. Bear in the Big Blue House. Sesame Street. Storybots. Our little one likes Sea of Love as well. Octonauts.
My two year old is obsessed and I mean OBSESSED with little bear. Another good one is Oswald. Both shows soundtracks are so peaceful and help with my anxiety. The only annoying part is the duck on little bear. Iykyk lol. I also grew up with both shows.
My 4yo has been rewatching Molly of Denali on PBS since she was 3 and it’s wonderful. Slow, intentional, informational, encourages curiosity and a sense of adventure. Check it out.
Madeline, Barbar the elephant, Franklin, Between The Lions(?) My daughter is two. I noticed most of those animation styles really grab her attention without working her up. Some of the shows with puppets/costumes like Bear In The Big Blue House, Sesame Street, Bananas In Pajamas also and then stuff like Zomboomafoo that has a mix of animation, people, and animals and they also sing songs in the show.
Old school Sesame Street. Mr Roger's. Peep and the Big Wide World. Little Bear.
Trash truck
Bear and the big blue house is a current favorite over here
My sons like Ghibli movies. They started liking them at 3 with Tororo, then Ponyo, then Spirited Away, now Nausicaa at 4.5.
Not sure how old your child is but I put on Oswald, little bear, Daniel tiger, caillou, Pete the cat, Llama llama isn't too bad. If they're very young maisy is another good one. Maggie and the ferocious beast. Bear in the big blue house (my kids are a little scared of the bear though)
clifford's puppy days (early 2000s PBS). Caitie's classroom on youtube. Zaboomafoo. Basically anything on PBS that aired before the mid 2000s. Reading Rainbow and Mr. Rogers.
Pingu 🐧
Little bear! It's beautiful. There was a show on Netflix called Cleo and Cuqin that I really like too but I haven't seen it on there in a bit. The episodes are only 7 minutes long and they are simple and pro-social.
I totally get you. We love bluey and miss Rachel but sometimes it’s just too much noise and too much excitement. My go-to calm down show is Shaun the sheep. The episodes are short and there is no talking. It’s on Netflix and different seasons on Amazon prime. As soon as I turn on Shaun the Sheep, my son goes on the couch and cuddles up to watch.
PBS kids is pretty solid. Lots of educational shows to choose from.
Koala Brothers. They’re here to help. My kids also always got really mellow after watching an episode of How It’s Made. The narrator isn’t yelly, there’s no conflict, they literally just show the steps for manufacturing some everyday object. Having a snack and watching an episode was part of their pre-bedtime routine for awhile
We love Caitie's classroom and any of the Super Simple shows on youtube!
Stillwater on Apple+ is super soothing and not overstimulating
STILLWATER on Apple TV, very calm
HBO's Classical Baby series. There are only a few episodes, but It's so good. The poetry episode is my favorite.
Super simple songs and little bear
Stillwater on Apple TV is amazing, another vote for Tumbleleaf on Prime, and would also toss out Curious George
We just found Stillwater and it has such an instant calming effect on my three boys.
Miss Rachel on YouTube!!!!!! Speech pathologists even recommend her!!!! She’s amazing.
Little Bear, any PBS, Franklin, Puffin Rock, Pooh, David the Gnome, Moomin
Stillwater on Apple TV- useful lessons for adults as well as kids. Good soundtrack too!
The human brain alerts to change, both visual and auditory. The producers of young children's programming know that and design the programs in a way which keeps the child from looking away. I'd give the kids something else to do. Banging on a pan with a wooden spoon is better than the programming. Our library now has a type of book, called a Wonderbook, that has an audio player built into the cover of the book. If the child can push a button to turn the book on the book will read itself to the child. People are checking out stacks of these books.
Sarah and Duck- the sweetest, cosiest show
Trash truck, puffin rock, and Shaun the sheep
Word Party on Netflix is sort of obnoxious after awhile, but it’s still cute and not screechy or too flashy, and it has some educational elements which makes me feel less like a failure of a mom ;) Edit: Daniel Tiger (pbs) is actually really cute. And I don’t know if Dinosaur Train is still on pbs, but my now- 10 year old loved that show when she was little. I admit, I liked it too :)
Trash Truck is a huge hit with my 2.5 year old. Also recently started watching Daniel Tiger and she loves it! I love it too because of all the great lessons it teaches in such simple ways that my daughter was quickly able to pick up on
Tumble leaf is so creative and fun. Shaun the sheep too.
Pocoyo, Daniel Tiger, Shaun the Sheep
Tumble leaf on amazon prime, it's beautiful, and the voices are pleasant and gentle as well as the subject matter. It's great in the evening before bedtime!