Television

Christine - posted on 11/24/2010

My 17 mo old LOVES sesame street and a couple other shows w/ lots of music and colors and stuff like that... and I, like several others, dont really see the big deal with watching some TV. I agree that he doesnt need to sit in front and watch for hours and hours, but sometimes it helps. My son gets up with my in the morning while I get ready for work..and while I do that... he's eating breakfast and watching a show. Everything in life is about moderation... and only you know your child best, so I think its important that mom's find a system that works for you. I just dont honestly believe that by letting my son watch tv for an hour in the morning and the evening is of that much harm to him.... especially with how active and interested in the outside world he is.... ;)

CHERYL - posted on 11/23/2010

hi my twins are 17m i also dont see what the bid deal is.they both like tv esp theme music and often dance and sing.they have their fav progrmes too.i dont ignore them they love books,toys and playing outside.we do lots together.painting,colouring and baking.my daughter says lots too. its also a bit of a distracton so i can get things done

Rachael - posted on 11/23/2010

Honestly, I don't see the big deal. There are all kinds of stimulating videos for babies. I definitely wouldn't overdo it, but I think that a little here and there is fine. My parents used to plop me in front of the t.v. constantly (which I wouldn't recommend), and somehow, I turned out with no developmental issues whatsoever. My son only likes theme music (like at the beginning of a television show). He's glued for those 15 or 30 seconds, then he doesn't care about t.v. after that. If you are concerned, though, you could start replacing "t.v. time" with some other form of stimulation, like singing or reading or playing with a bright, noisy toy.

Krista - posted on 11/18/2010

my daughter is 17 months and we never let her watch tv when she was small. now when we would like her to sit quietly and watch something, its almost impossible!! shes very busy, but she is also very advanced for her age( potty trained, speaking in sentances, she walked before she was 9 months, etc.) there is nothing wrong with a little bit, just try to be balanced! i have a friend whos daughter is 5 months older than mine who all she does is watch tv, and she hasnt hit her milestones on time or some even at all!!!

Tami - posted on 11/17/2010

The newest research is saying that for every hour of TV per day that your child under 2 watches, the likelihood of them developing an attention related disorder goes up by 10%. I'm not taking that risk. The Baby Einstein DVD's are genius marketing, and that is all. There is nothing of value. In fact, verbal skills in babies who watch TV are less than babies who do not. Babies need your face, your voice, you interaction. That is how they learn, not from a TV, even if it is an image of a mommy on the TV it is no substitute for us, our faces, our time. Research shows that even having the TV on in the room while you are doing other things with them is also harmful under the age of 2. that is why the American Academy of Pediatrics is so absolute with their recommendation.
I know you can make 'research' say many things, but since I started seeing those studies I turned the TV back off again (mine is 17 months, we were doing 30 minutes a day and he loved it).

Sue - posted on 11/13/2010

If you're going to put the kids in front of the tv, why not play something that's educational and stimulating at the same time? Nature channels and movies (like Disney's Earth) or Baraka are really captivating and keep a kids attention for a bit.

I agree, everything in moderation but the less tv the better in my opinion.

Shannon - posted on 11/10/2010

my daughter watches playhouse disney for a bit in the mornings while shes playing and eating her breakfast. it gives me time to tend to my son (or play around on the computer for half an hour lol). but after that, i turn on the radio channel on our cable and it stays on there until my husband gets home. we have a couple shows that we like to watch in the evenings and my daughter watches those with us. her favourite (as well as mine) is Glee. shes so cute she plays while the talking is on, and as soon as she hears music and them starting to sing she starts to dance and sing along with them. when we watch movies, i try to pick one thats about dancing or a musical so that she can dance and sing while its on. we're going to put her in dance classes when shes about 3.

Jessica - posted on 11/03/2010

Well actually early childhood research suggest that children under a year should not watch tv. Now I don't think they were talking about Baby Einstein. I know that some people don't believe in that but I started my son on them at about 3-4 months and they have videos geared toward that age. My son is 2 now and loves the videos. He speaks in 4 to 5 word sentences. Counts and knows animal names in spanish as well as English. He also knows basic sign language. I am very interactive with him while he watches them. He also has music recognition with the Classical pieces by Mozart, Vivaldi and more. They can be a litte addictive for him but as his mom I regulate his viewing. He only sees 1 to 2 per day sometimes not even at all. Now I know it is unavoidable for him to watch regular TV so I really try to regulate that as well and if he has to watch TV I am very interactive with him so that there is as much education as possible. Another suggestion would be to either turn your TV to the Kids Music station if you have Dish or Cable or just turn it off all together and put on some kids music CDs if you are alone with him. My son just loves music and sometimes I just get tired of the TV being on at all. Good luck. I hope this helped.

Susan - posted on 10/20/2009

Yep we spend an awful lot of time interacting etc its such a amall portion of the day in front of the tv.



Sheri - Sam loves Spongebob too!!!

Jenn - posted on 10/20/2009

I agree with Susan moderation. I don't think a half hour of a baby show will hurt them in anyway. Just as long as they are getting a lot of your stimulate from you other ways too. If first daughter watched tv as an infant, at 3 yrs old she's fine. Its all in how you feel about it really. This is just my feeling about it.

Sheri - posted on 10/20/2009

I agree that there is nothing wrong with letting your little one watch a little tv, provided it is in moderation. My son absolutely loves watching Sponge Bob, Go Diego Go, and something I think is called Secret Agent Oso. Granted, he is only 4.5 months old, and can't really watch for longer than half hour at a time, so he doesn't spend too many hours a day watching tv. But I have to say, if I need to get something done (like pumping, making/washing bottles, have a quick meal, or even take a shower) it sure helps that he can be stimulated by something other than me for a short amount of time! I make sure to stimulate him with lots of floor time and book reading, all that good stuff. But sometimes you need a half an hour to get something done, and the tv can really help with that!



Now, don't misunderstand me, I am not talking about using the tv as a babysitter or anything. But allowing a little bit of tv time throughout the day does not really seem all that harmful to me.

Susan - posted on 10/19/2009

I'm with Kendra on this one. We've got the baby einstein dvd's as well, and Sam loves them. I think it's the same as everything in life, In moderation. He does watch some TV and I find it especially good in witching hour. I don't let him watch it the entire time in witching hour, but it can calm him down for a bit.



But hey, this is just my opinion. I don't see a problem with it. And at this age, they are more interested in the bright colours and shades than anything.

Kendra - posted on 10/15/2009

My daughter loves watching the tv. If its so bad why do they make baby enstein dvds?

Alicia - posted on 10/15/2009

my son gets interested in the tv now and then. but we don't let him watch it... when he turns towards it, we turn it off and start playing games with him..

Alma - posted on 10/14/2009

I used to have the tv on while breastfeeding, to keep up with the ouside world or just for distraction, however when my son started watching and even stop breastfeeding to watch I became alarmed and decided that I had to give up tv watching at least when he is in the room. I dont want to get him used to watching is just not good for children and its surprising to me how a 4 month old infant can pay attention and get used to the tv being on.

Candice - posted on 10/13/2009

The American Pediatrics Association says that children under 2 years of age shouldn't watch any television and 2 and above should only watch 2 hours a day. My daughter will always turn her head to watch the t.v. so I try not to have it on in the house while she's awake. I have also read that the television doesn't really provide adequate mental stimulation for infants even the programs you would think would. Good luck!