The Best Options for Keeping Nick Jr When You Ditch Your Cable

I love Nick Jr, and I’m not alone – many adults enjoy it just as much as children do. Best of all, I’ve found that keeping my family entertained with this channel doesn’t require committing to a lengthy cable contract.

In a hurry? All of the major live TV streaming services offer Nick Jr. Here are our top choices depending on your other needs:

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However, first you need a VPN to unblock US streaming services from . Our favourite is ExpressVPN. It’s definitely not the cheapest option at $4.99/month, but it just works – and across all your devices.

They have servers in 25+ US cities/states and 105 countries, which unblock access to premium streaming platforms available only in the US, as well as free “on demand” TV services worldwide.

You’ll have access to local platforms as if you were in the country, meaning you can watch BBC iPlayer as if you were in the UK, CBC Gem as if you were in Canada, plus hundreds more worldwide.

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Hotdog users get three months free at ExpressVPN, so it’s a “no-brainer” for us. Decide for yourself with their 30 day money-back guarantee.

IMPORTANT: Once you’ve installed your VPN and connected to a US server, you’ll still need to subscribe separately to access premium streaming services.

If you’re a parent of small children and you let them watch TV at all, the shows typically fall into two categories:

• Those that make you want to jump out a window just to make them stop. The much-hated Canadian Caillou comes to mind.
• The ones that you secretly look forward to because they feature cute characters, passably clever writing, and catchy songs you find yourself humming at odd hours of the day.

Nick Jr is firmly in the second category. So cue up the Paw Patrol theme and get ready to hop in the UmiCar, because we’re flipping the channel to Nick Jr.

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What Is Nick Jr

Before Nickelodeon was Nickelodeon, it was Pinwheel — “the world’s first TV channel geared strictly to preschoolers.” It was launched 1977 in Columbus, OH. And it featured the preschool show of the same name.

When Pinwheel was expanded into the national channel Nickelodeon in 1979, Pinwheel (the show) was relegated to weekday mornings. As such, it would become the foundation for Nick’s new weekday-morning preschool block when it launched Nick Junior (later Jr) in 1988.

Pinwheel was followed by Eureeka’s Castle, the first show made for Nick Jr. In 2009, Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS) reorganized the Nick channels, rebranding Noggin into Nick Jr.

Nick Jr is aimed at kids three to five years old, engaging them with questions and games. Shows typically feature relatable situations and original songs. They combine fun and play with learning both ABCs, numbers, shapes, colors, and so forth and more “life skills” concepts like problem-solving, managing emotions, and social skills. Protagonists are more likely to face conflict in overcoming daily challenges or mastering skills than they are by defeating a traditional enemy.

Nick Jr is part of Nickelodeon’s family of channels, which, besides the original Nickelodeon, includes NickMusic, NickToons, and TeenNick. Other channels aimed at the preschool crowd include arch-rival Disney Junior, PBS Kids, and more obscure channels such as ducktv, Hopster, Kids Street (formerly Kids Central), PlayKids, and everyone’s favorite pint-size toy-reviewer on Ryan & Friends.

Stream Nick Jr

Nick Jr is the only breakout spin-off channel from Nick. For some reason, the others don’t enjoy the same wide carriage. But that’s good news for you as a preschooler parent. It means Nick Jr is almost always with its big sister Nick in the base tier of services. And every streaming service carries it. This means you don’t need cable anymore to watch Nick Jr. Let’s look at some details.

FuboTV

Fubo’s mainly known as a sports-focused service, but they have just as many (if not more) non-sports channels as the other services. That Pro package ($79.99/month) includes Nickelodeon, Nick Jr, and Disney Junior. Fubo allows you to try out its service with a free trial.

Sign Up for a Free Fubo Trial

You’ll have to spring for the Extra add-on ($7.99/mo) or the Elite tier if you want NickMusic, NickToons, and TeenNick.

All plans come with unlimited cloud DVR and streaming on up to 10 devices at once. (FuboTV review)

Sling TV

Sling TV is cool because they take a modular view of channel bundling. You pick a small base plan, and if you want more, you add what you want. In the case of Nick Jr, you can get either Sling Orange or Sling Blue — they both provide it for $45.99/month. Save 50% on Sling TV now!

Save 50% on Sling TV Now

If that’s not enough, you can add the Kids Extra, which includes ducktv, NickToons, TeenNick, and more for $6/mo additional. Or, if you prefer, you can add either or both of Sling’s premium channels with a preschool focus: Hopster and PlayKids ($5/mo each).

The one downside: Sling TV does not offer Nickelodeon at all. (Sling TV review)

DIRECTV STREAM

DIRECTV STREAM goes big on everything: lots of channels, unlimited DVR as long as you sign-up online, and unlimited devices at a time. Unfortunately for your wallet, it also goes big on price: services start at $86.99/month. A 5-day free trial is now available for DIRECTV STREAM.

Get DIRECTV STREAM Free Trial

More bad news for parents of little Blues Clues & You! fans: that starting price will only get you Nickelodeon, Disney Junior, TeenNick, and PBS Kids. Nick Jr and NickToons are one tier up in the Choice package, which is $114.99/month.

If it’s any consolation, you also get a bunch of regional sports channels only DIRECTV STREAM has, so you can unwind with a home team ballgame after Ryder and his team of pups have played themselves out. (DIRECTV STREAM review)

Hulu + Live TV

Just like Fubo, with Hulu + Live TV, you get Nickelodeon, Nick Jr, and Disney Junior in the base package for $82.99/month. Also like Fubo, NickToons and TeenNick (though not NickMusic) are in an add-on that’s $7.99 additional per month.

Get Hulu + Live TV Free

What’s not like Fubo? You also get Disney+ and ESPN+, together with all of Hulu’s on-demand catalog of shows and movies. The plan comes with unlimited cloud DVR (9 months of storage) and simultaneous streaming on two devices. (Hulu + Live TV review)

Philo

Philo is where it’s at for saving money. With over 65 channels for $28.00/month, you cannot beat it on value. And because they don’t have tiers, Nick Jr, Nickelodeon, NickToons, and TeenNick are all included in that. Try Philo free for 7 days.

Try Philo for Free

Bonus: you can stream Ryan & Friends, a free channel featuring YouTube superstar Ryan. What’s the catch? Well, you and your kids will have to go without Disney, NBCUniversal, or Warner Media channels. There’s also little to no live sports, news, or local programming.

Getting an antenna can mitigate that somewhat, but for some, it’s a dealbreaker. Still a heck of a deal. (Philo review)

Other Ways to Stream Nick Jr

• Paramount+: Paramount Global’s in-house on-demand streaming service has crazy amounts of Nick content, including a ton of classic Nick and Nick Jr shows. It’s entertaining for your kids, a trip down memory lane for you, starting at $7.99/month. (Paramount+ review)
• YouTube TV: YouTube TV has over 100 channels for $82.99/month including Nick Jr, Nickelodeon, NickToons, TeenNick, PBS Kids, and Disney Junior.
• Nick Jr App: Part learning games, part video-streaming app, it features word-free menus with pictures made just for kids who haven’t quite mastered reading yet. You need a TV provider login to access a lot of the content.

Streaming Devices and TVs for Nick Jr

The services above support most streaming devices in use today:

Other than DIRECTV STREAM, they also support Android TV devices. Other than Philo, they support Samsung smart TVs. Fubo, Sling, and Hulu support Xbox gaming systems. Hulu supports PlayStation and Nintendo Switch gaming units.

So the streaming reviews for complete lists.

Nick Jr Alternatives

When it comes to streaming services for kids, there’s no shortage of free/low-cost options. Nick Jr is one, of course, but not the only one:

• Disney Junior: Home of Doc McStuffins, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, and PJ Masks, the content is very similar, in tone and format, to Nick Jr. Have fun keeping straight which show is on which channel!
• PBS Kids: The kids channel/video app for parents who feel guilty about the amount of Nick Jr/Disney Junior their kids watch. Favorite titles: Curious George, Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, and Sesame Street. And, yes, Caillou.
• Kidoodle: Streaming platform with live-person screened content for kids, plus bedtimes, curfews, and analytics on what they’re watching. Free with ads, $4.99/mo to remove them.
• KidsBeeTV: Nursery rhymes, baby shows, and other age 5 and under videos, lots of educational material, but also Pinkfong. It is $4.99/mo after 7 day trial.
• National Geographic Kids: App/website/channel filled with all kinds of fun facts about everything from penguins to presidents. Site/app has interactive content; everything is free.
• Netflix: Yes, the Netflix Kids profiles are surprisingly good at keeping out adult content (better than YouTube). Just make sure to set a lock on the grown-ups’ accounts.
• Cakey: Platform enables parents to create their own collection of curated YouTube content for their kids. Free, but only available for Apple.
• YouTube Kids: Mostly safe version of YouTube for kids. If that “mostly” bothers you, go with a different platform.
• Sensical: Ad-supported free platform with hand-picked, vetted content from the folks at Common Sense Media.
• PlayKids: Original and licensed programming, ad-free, safe, and educational. It is $4.99/mo after free trial.
• KidzBop: Kids sing (sanitized) versions of Top 40 songs. A karaoke app is available so your kids can get in on the fun too.
• KidTube: This 100% guaranteed clean entertainment for your kids, provides content across a dozen topics. It is $4.99/mo after 10-day free trial.
• Amazon Kids+: Adjustable age filters, time limits, up to four profiles, and you can make kids watch the educational stuff before cartoons. Starting at $2.99/mo after a one-month free trial.

Wrapping Up

So whether your little one likes to use her mighty math powers with Millie, Geo, and Bot, play Blue’s Clues with Josh, or join Mr Grouper, Gil, Molly, and the rest of the class, you don’t need a cable account to tune into Nick Jr. Just sign up for one of the live streaming TV services above, and you’ll be singing The So Long Song to your cable company in no time. We recommend Hulu + Live TV.

Other Family and Kids Channels

Here are our options for watching alternative family and kids channels:

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Frank Moraes

I am a Senior Content Editor at Hotdog.com, specializing in sports streaming and regional programming issues. With a PhD in Atmospheric Physics from the Oregon Graduate Institute of Science and extensive experience in remote sensing technology, including early video streaming, I bring a unique technical perspective to the streaming industry.

My expertise in sports coverage, particularly for out-of-market games and regional sports networks, stems from years of hands-on experience as an early adopter of streaming services and my work addressing fans' viewing challenges. As a longtime cord-cutter and subscriber to multiple streaming platforms, I combine my technical knowledge with practical user experience, making me a leading expert in the field of sports streaming and entertainment technology.

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