Any moms here?

You could turn the television off and play with him. No one needs television.

When our children were small they mostly watched videos )on tape no less!) rather than broadcast television. This meant that there was an element of choice and decision making involved on all sides. It was also possible to say "Not now, but later." and actually be honest.

Of course now there is Netflix, etc., so life is not quite so simple. But that can also be cancelled.