We’re a Netflix family – we signed up soon after a stormy night messed up the aerial connection to our Multichoice dish and required us to book a service guy to come out to see what was what. Let’s just say that the aerial remains unserviced and we’re very happy with our fuss-free Netflix subscription. After a one month trial we managed to persuade the family to share a family contract with us (it wasn’t too hard!) that can host up to four users plus a kids profile. We’ve found Netflix to be not only a cheaper option for us but also we are now firm believers that TV on demand is the way to go.

Now, we don’t let the kids watch a lot of TV in our house, but we do watch an episode here and there and Friday night is definitely the night for some pjs, popcorn and some TV time. I recently found out about a few rad features on Netflix that I never knew about and so I thought I’d share them with you.

Here are some of my favourite features:

Take Back the TV | Multiple Devices

With the kids hogging the telly during the day, and sport consuming the weekends, it’s easy to lose touch with your favourite show as a parent. The good news for Netflix customers is that once you have an active Netflix membership, you can have up to six devices registered to your account at any given time. What’s more, you can simultaneously stream or download to up to four devices at once, depending on your plan. So while the kids get cosy with Peppa Pig on the tablet, mom can get her The Letdown fix.

Peace in the Backseat | Download to Go

Planning a long journey or trip to the hairdresser? No sweat. Netflix has introduced a feature that lets you download some of its best TV shows and movies to watch offline. Now you can download your kids’ favourite shows while connected to your Wi-Fi, for them to watch later.

Keep it Clean | Pick your Profiles

You can have up to five individual profiles on a single Netflix account, allowing different members of your household to have their own personalised Netflix experience, built around the TV shows and movies they enjoy. By giving your kids their own profile, they can use Netflix freely, without access to inappropriate content.

To create a profile, make sure you click the box indicating that this profile is for a kid. When you go in to Manage Profiles to edit the account, you can choose the type of content that they are allowed to watch — this is broken into two categories: “For Little Kids Only” and “Older Kids and Below”. Whichever one you choose, they’ll be presented with the Netflix for Kids page. The “Older Kids and Below”  option will then  list programs suitable for children under 12 years old (TV-Y, TV-G, TV-PG) and the “For Little Kids Only” option will offer you peace of mind, listing absolutely no PG rated content.

It’s so Interactive | Branching Narratives

Netflix recently announced interactive shows for kids, called Branching Narratives because viewers can control certain aspects of the story – including the ending. Kids are able to make choices and plan their own adventures. They decide how the story proceeds and what happens next. The first series, Puss in Book: Trapped in an Epic Tale, was created in partnership with DreamWorks Animation and features 13 different storyline choices and two endings. The second interactive show on the platform is Buddy Thunderstruck: The Maybe Pile.

The Nifty Recommendation Tool | Netflix tells you what to watch based on the shows you’re already watching

Choosing what to watch next can be tricky when there is so much to choose from. That’s why Netflix has a nifty recommendation system. It is  based on your personal tastes and preferences; and makes recommendations based on storytelling. The service will recommend your tot (and you) series and films they may not otherwise see on the service.

So have you read this far to get to the giveaway? Read on. This giveaway is for new subscribers as well as those of you who are already signed up – so if you have an internet connection, enter now to win!

1. Like & Share the pinned Facebook post about this giveaway on Heart Mama Blog
2. Comment below on this blog post below with your child’s favourite Netflix show (I’d love some new recommendations) or if you don’t have kids, then let me know what you’re watching.

The competition closes on Friday 25 May at 12h00 and the winner will be selected via Random.org. The winner drawn must have followed all necessary steps above in order to qualify for the prize. The prize is available for all South African entrants with their own . Good luck everyone!