television

Jamie - posted on 06/17/2010

We dont watch much tv, sometimes i turn on nick jr while we are playing with her in the living room, just to have friendly music in the background, however, for some reason everytime yo gabba gabba comes on, her eyes immediately are glued to the television, its the weirdest little show but she loves it

Lindsey - posted on 06/11/2010

Our 11mo. old has yet to watch a full episode or DVD. We tried DVDs a while back, but it was obvious that he wasn't ready for it- zoned out and then lost interest really quickly. He loves to read and play.

Occasionally when he's on his way to bed, my hubby will have already turned it on and he'll get a glimpse. We don't typically watch a bunch of TV, either, though.

Amy - posted on 06/11/2010

i personally don't see there being a problem with watching tv...as long as it's not used as a "babysitter"...our daughter will be 1 next month and she definitely has her favorite shows...handy manny, mickey mouse club...mostly disney and nick jr shows. the tv is usually on most of the day but during that time we are playing and doing things and now that the weather is nicer we are out...so she isnt focused on it 24/7...but with alot of the shows she likes they are also learinig alot with them, so as long as the shows are appropriate i see absolutely nothing wrong with letting my little one watch tv

Emma - posted on 06/11/2010

my son loves the tv his programmes are on from whatever time he wakes up in the morning which is normally between half 6 and 8 until anything between 7 and 8 that night when he goes to sleep. he likes playhouse disney with winnie the pooh etc, and tiny pop. i dont see how it is bad for them tbh the way i look at it is if the tv keeps them occupied then he can watch it especially when me and my parents love to join in with some of the words and actions etc. i see it as a great way to spend time with the family cos we are all joinin in.

Tiffany - posted on 06/11/2010

Well, no TV for my son for at least the first two years. He is 10 months old and is doing great without it. For background noise we just listen to music, and he loves that. I have several big colorful board books that he really enjoys looking through too. I am sure when he gets older we will occasionally watch a movie, but that will be it. I too worry about TV contributing to ADD in children.

Jacey - posted on 06/10/2010

my son is 11 months and the tv is usually on during the day when we're home, even just as background noise. he watches the disney shows in the morning, handy manny, mickey mouse, special agent oso, usually while i get ready for the day and he eats breakfast. i dont think theres anything wrong with it, he likes the shows and honestly it keeps him content for a little while so i can get some stuff done. dont get me wrong i dont sit him on the couch all day but in the mornings he's in his high chair with some juice and a snack, its fine. he plays most of the day and doesnt pay too mcuh attention so i dont get worried. now that summers here we're outside more and get to do more so i dont think you have much to worry about, your child tv intake is in your control and only you know what works for you.

Valerie - posted on 06/10/2010

Yes, she loves the Waybuloo..Elmo and In the Night Garden or just anything musical!

Sarah - posted on 06/10/2010

I am surprised so many folks leave the TV on all day. We always have music playing but not the TV. We do not let our 11 month old daughter watch tv. We trust the professionals (i.e. American Association of Pediatrics) on this and worry that tv will contribute to ADD in children. When she is older I'm sure we'll let her watch a show here and there or a movie but not before she is 2. My biggest concern is that tv turns kids into zombies when they should be playing, reading or being active.

Felicia - posted on 06/10/2010

My little girl loves to watch PBS in the mornings. Sometimes if I need to clean the house I put on a Disney Movie for her. She loves watching the shapes and colors. Plus they teach her too.

Dawn - posted on 06/09/2010

We have TV on most of the time, most of it is children's programming. I have 4 children, 10, 5, 3, and my 11 month old. He doesn't sit and watch it very much at all, but he does show favorites, like Elmo and Mickey.

Brenda - posted on 06/09/2010

My daughter is almost 11months old and she doesnt show interest in the tv. I too am a stay at home mom and I leave the tv on all day long on cartoons and she never wants to watch it lol. Guess she keeps herself occupied by practice walking and crawling everywhere she can and gettin into anything she can. I dont see a problem with it unless they are watching it all day long. I would only limit it to like let them watch tv 3 times a day. morning time 15 mins afternoon 15 mins and late evening like 10 mins so they arent wired and cant go to sleep lol. I dont think its that bad of a prob unless they are watching tv all the time! I dont understand what baby thats older than 6mnths will want to watch tv a lot, they wanna get into everything and crawl around I dont think they are even like paying attention to it bc other things are on their mind lol. But as they get older, def tv watching is not good if they watch a lot of it. I think it leads to being lazy and gettin hooked on video games and stuff like that. But idk im not a doc r anything lol just my opinion.

Erin - posted on 06/09/2010

iam glad iam not the only one who lets there child watch tv some days i feel guilty (like the days we are home all day) other days im like whatever he likes it so idk ?!?!

Melissa - posted on 06/09/2010

My 11 month old daughter has never watched a show before. I have the news on in the morning and she will glance at it but she does not have much interest in it. She is to busy crawling, playing with the dog or exploring. We don't have cable and don't watch TV during the day, we tend to only watch videos here and there after she goes to bed.

Jennifer - posted on 06/09/2010

My son learned to speak from the backyardigans. So in my opinion TV is not bad.

Amelia - posted on 06/09/2010

My 11 month old son loves The Weather Network and In The Night Garden which he gets to watch after dinner...other than that he could care less about the television. He really liked Dr. Phil when he was tiny....maybe it was the bald head he could relate to :) For the most part, I have the television on a music channel....We would rather listen to music than annoying cartoons

Jennifer - posted on 06/09/2010

My little boy has been watching TV since he was 3 months old. Sometimes he is so qued in you can't get his attention. He loves the moose from Nick Jr. Otherwise he just glances at it while he is playing. He tends to glance when there is music and singing going on. It is so cute. I feel like he is learning.

Michelle - posted on 06/09/2010

I work from home most days and even though I think it is bad, I'll admit that the tv is typically on. Granted, it's never on anything I want to watch but always on Sprout. He loves The Wiggles and Sesame Street. Other than those two shows I've noticed that he doesn't pay much attention to it. I hope this doesn't come back to bite me one day.

Teigha - posted on 06/09/2010

You know, I think the main problem with TV watching is not my 8 month old; it's me! I'm the zombie! Sometimes I'll be sitting in the floor with my son and I'm the only one staring at Barney like I need to learn the daily lesson on friendship! That was truley taking away quality interaction, so I keep TV watching to his special Sesame St time and that's it!

Erin - posted on 06/09/2010

Well ladies, your posts make me feel better about our tv. We also usually have it on as background noise, usually on her channels. She really doesn't pay much attention to it. I also put it on the music channels too. My sister scolded me the other day about it. But its different for everyone.

Janet - posted on 06/08/2010

Personally my daughter watches as little t.v. as possible. I too am a stay at home mom and used to have it on all the time in the background to break the silence, but once I kept seeing that zombie look in her eyes from staring at it, I switched to the radio. It was a hard transition but ultimately I think better for us both. Now we dance and move to the music instead and she doesn't look like a t.v. zombie anymore. I will admit though that if I absolutely HAVE to do something and i need a really good distraction the t.v. does a great job, and most likely cause she rarely sees it on anymore!

Nykee - posted on 06/08/2010

I have my tv on kid's shows/movies all day during the day. Sometimes they ignore it, sometimes they watch it don't think it's harmful as long as they're still active.

Teigha - posted on 06/07/2010

My son is 8 months old and he has "TV time." Like your child, he doesn't really watch the TV; he just plays with his toys while Sesame Street is on in the background. Since he's not staring at the TV like a zombie with drool running fromhis mouth, I figure there's no harm done. I personally think it's better that he hears interactions, abc's and 123's in the background that silence. Maybe I should let you know that while he is having Bryson time playing in the floor and watching Sesame Str, I am taking a shower or doing some other mommy thing.

What's scary is my childhood friend's mom telling me that when her children were young, she would sit in them in their swings directly in front of the TV and "they would just talk to the TV like it was having a conversation with them." That I think is the unhealthy way to introduce TV to a child!

Leslie - posted on 06/07/2010

My 11 mos old doesn't watch it everyday but when we are home and I need to get stuff done, I put on Wonder Pets which he loves and a couple other ones from ON Demand. I think its stimulating for him to watch shows on his level bc he laughes, dances, jumps around, points and jabbers with them. Kids shows aren't the same as when we were little. They teach kids more and everything. My son is just as entertained as when my husband or I play with him or he plays by himself or with his cousins. I think he is well-rounded right now and TV isn't gonna hurt. I don't knock parents who don't let their kids watch TV and I don't use it as a babysitter all day but sometimes you just need a break or to get some things done. Whatever works best for you, but I wouldn't worry too much about it;-)

Shalaina - posted on 06/07/2010

Also, like others, we like to get our walks in everyday and trips to different parks, etc!

Shalaina - posted on 06/07/2010

I am completely like Erin Dickinson. I am home alone with him during the day and do not want to sit in silence. It is on quite a bit through the day but for most of the time it is just some background noise for us. He gets excited for the 'Flo' commercials and we watch Price is Right. I love when a commercial comes on that grabs his attention and he dances and claps to it! (He is 10 months old as well.) But, I will never let him sit and stare at the TV for hours on end!

Gail - posted on 06/07/2010

I have a 10mth old,, mainly have the TV on in the evening on the Disney channel. Its normally on in the background as he will watch a bit then play with his toys then a bit more... He loves the song in Mickey Mouse Club house,,, watches bits of special agent ozo,, and my favourite (bit old for him really) but Handy Manny,,, lmao my hubs and i will watch along with him and sometimes we are engrossed and Josh has lost interest and is playing with his toys....

Erin - posted on 06/02/2010

i wanted to add that while i keep the tv on its on his channels not mine so i watch cartoons pretty much all day if we r home :)

Terrill - posted on 05/30/2010

I am a stay-at-home-mom with a 10 month old and another one on the way. I try to get out as much as possible with my son but that is not always easy. When I am home, I tend to have the tv on in the background though my son only pays attention to it if it is one of his shows or music, he loves music:)

I was concerned about letting him watch tv also, in fact before I had him, I said I would not let him watch tv! But I have found that if I play with him, read to him and generally keep him entertained, he does not pay much attention to the tv...except when those bloody Go compare commercials come on! :) I figure as they get older, there is more for them to participate in and therefor less opportunity for them to watch tv.

Terra - posted on 05/30/2010

My first child started really watching TV a little before she turned 2. She loved Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Dora, etc. Kinsley doesn't watch TV at all. It's usually on, but she's not interested in it.

Melissa - posted on 05/29/2010

I usually have it on around the house when we're home during the day but so far my daughter doesn't pay much attention to it. The only time she seems really interested is if it's something that has music. Then she bounces up and down "dancing." She especially likes the theme music to Sex and the City! It makes her giggle ;)

Erin - posted on 05/28/2010

This maybe bad but....i leave the tv on all day with his shows he plays most of the time but he occasionally watches it he loves certain shows like mickey mouse club house...mainly its bc we have a small house and the livng room is his play room and iam home all day by myself so im not going to sit in silence :) i personally dont think its bad my son is just fine playing without it or with it he can still entertain him self but he loves the colors and songs!!

Vicki - posted on 05/27/2010

About 10 minutes now and then - as in maybe every other day. I only use it when I really need something to distract him to get something done, or like yesterday he was grizzly with teething pain and 10 minutes of tv distracted him.

I don't like the zoned out look he gets when watching tv, it's nothing like when he interacts properly with a toy. Therefore I generally don't have it on when he's awake.

Kate - posted on 05/27/2010

We let our now 3 year old watch a lot of tv and dvds last year when l was pregnant with the twins and now he doesn't usually care if the shows he likes are on or not. Sometimes he still asks to watch the Baby Einstein DVDs. l'm glad he didn't get totally hooked on tv watching. But some people are more prone to addictions than others. l guess he's one that isn't so adictive.
The babies and him get to watch their shows in the mornings and l like shows later in the afternoon. lt works out well for us.