Michelle - posted on 08/20/2010 ( 59 moms have responded )
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Is anyone else's 3 month old attracted to the bright lights and sounds of the television? Our son loves to sit in front of the TV with dad. I am wondering if it is bad for him because I know they aren't supposed to watch television until the age of two. My pediatrician says it can be visually stimulating for them. What is everyone else's opinion on this??
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Heidi - posted on 09/28/2010
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I watched my sister raise her two oldest daughters with completely different philosophies in this department. The eldest rarely watched the television and was given a lot of one on one attention. For example they would talk to her, sing songs with her, take her for walks, etc. She's now in the second grade testing at the 7th grade reading and math level. The younger of the two was allowed to watch quite a bit of television during the first two years. My sister was dealing with serious postpartum depression so she wasn't able to put the same amount of energy in that she did with the eldest. The younger is now four years old and she doesn't read, she doesn't speak clearly, she's not potty trained and she's hyperactive.
Watching this happen made the decision much easier for me. The only television my four month old daughter watches is when her daddy is watching a football game and I'm playing with her on the floor in the same room. Please do the research. Read the studies. There's a reason pediatricians say an infant younger than 2 years old shouldn't watch television. The TV is NOT a babysitter. Babies learn to speak by listening and watching your facial expressions and the way your mouth moves. They need to interact. Besides, it's the best feeling in the world when your baby reaches up and holds your face in their tiny little hands.
Amina - posted on 09/28/2010
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i dont know really but my 4 month old baby loves watching tv if one of his bother blocks his way he gets upset its so amssing i like it coz i get to do other things we are lucky i gues
Tracy - posted on 09/23/2010
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Again... THANK YOU! I may not be getting the "worst mommy of the world award quite yet." I thought i was being a horrible mom for placing my daughter in front of the TV. One day it was on, and it just clicked... she was watchin' it... like even mesmerized by it. Big fan of Baseball? Tennis? and Sponge bob... I guess the color green and who knows... lol. Don't get me wrong... it is limited but what a great thing to help when ya just need a minute to do "mommy things..." Love it. I feel great knowing I am not the only mommy out there letting thier babies watch the TV. :-)
Cheryl Stinson - posted on 09/17/2010
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I don't think letting them watch the tv is bad. My daughter loves it. My parents have a huge tv and it is very easy for her to see and she loves all of the bright colors and movement and loud noises! She is an ESPN fan and she loves her Baby Einstein dvds as well!
Maria - posted on 09/16/2010
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o my gosh my son is gna b 4 mths old this mth n he luvs tv 2 :p its a wonder how he can jst sit ther n watch it w/o any distractions. hes evn startd playn w toys as well :D the whole thing w watchn tv is bad i think is ridiculous bc tv can teach them a lot. it all depends on wut u let them watch of course. my son likes to watch spongebob of all things :p
Cheryl - posted on 09/15/2010
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My son has been attracted to the tv for at least the last month....I us the 3mo baby Einstein DVD once a day during what I call the "witching hour" (normally btw 6:30 and 7:45) so that I can get dinner cooked!
Kristy - posted on 09/15/2010
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My baby is 3 1/2 months old and it's the same story. Dad has her and just sits in front of the tv. I tell him not to let her watch, but I guess at least he is holding her for me. I personally don't let her watch.
Amber - posted on 09/11/2010
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My little guy likes to watch TV when his older brother does. Since I limit brother's TV to one show a day, I'm not too worried about it.
Angela - posted on 09/09/2010
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My 4 month old daughter loves the TV. Anytime it's on her eyes are glued to it! I try to avoid letting her stare, but sometimes it's the only thing that will calm her when she's upset.
Owens - posted on 09/09/2010
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i think its fine. i never want my TV to be a babysitter or anything, but if my daughter thinks that the hunting channel is interesting to watch with dad, or music videos, im not going to keep her from watching. i agree that it is visually stimulating
Krista - posted on 09/09/2010
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My son loves the TV! Even if I turn him from it he will move his head to look at it. Its really cute and funny. I don't like him seeing anything negative so at times I'll allow him to watch a bit of Treehouse (or big brother with me) I don't really like that he watches it too much though.
Brittany - posted on 09/05/2010
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My daughter is 3 months now and she is attracted to the lights and sounds.I let her watch it for a little while but not to long. Then I will play with her or take her for a walk depending on what time it is
Razany - posted on 09/04/2010
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my daughter is three months too, she loves to watch t.v, so ive been putting in the baby einstein movies and she loves to watch them. :)
Louise - posted on 09/03/2010
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My 3month old baby girl loves the TV too. She sits smiling, gurgling and shrieking at it. It's handy when you need to get something done but I dont leave her there too long - one tv addict in our home (me) is plenty! lol
Vicky - posted on 09/03/2010
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My son is 4 months now, and has loved the tv from the beginning. He gets upset if I put him under his playgym to go do something and I don't have the TV going in the background! He loves the bright colours of playhouse disney and I often move his legs and hands to the music, and he LOVES it.
Michelle - posted on 09/03/2010
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My four month old baby girl likes to play on the floor and watch her dad play games on the Wii. I think it's ok because she's not 13 years old watching some mind numbing reality tv show.
JACKIE - posted on 09/03/2010
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my boys favorite daddy and me time is watchin his daddy play video games it keeps him quite for ours except when he is laughin with his daddyd
Tania - posted on 09/03/2010
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My just 4 month old loves the TV, he is allowed some TV time in the morning when I am getting organised to take Miss 4 to daycare. He alternates between watching her and watching the tele. He gets over it pretty quickly so then I just carry his bouncer around the house with us.
Fathmath - posted on 09/02/2010
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my 3 month old watches TV too:) glad to know other lil ones are like him:) but its not good....sigh
Chantel - posted on 09/01/2010
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My son watchs the TV all the time. I have to actaully turn it off if I want to play and get some reaction otherwise I may as well be talking to myself.
Clare - posted on 08/31/2010
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Yep our little one loves the TV too...not just cartoons either, although she does have her favourites to watch:)
Ashley - posted on 08/31/2010
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My little girl who is 4 months old will stop nursing to roll over and watch TV. Sometimes I have to turn it off and sit in darkness. At first I thought it was funny but it can get a bit bothersome sometimes.
VIVIAN - posted on 08/30/2010
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my three month old daughter also watches the telly. she gets really facinated when you sit with her in front of the televison nd then she watches with rapt attention
Jamila - posted on 08/29/2010
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lol i thouhgt i was the only one.. my son will watch any show that comes on...i try not to just let him sit there and watch it but sometimes he gets mad if he cant see it, so ill put baby shows on for a lil while, ill just limited his time watching it
Kristina - posted on 08/28/2010
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My 3 month old daughter loves the TV. I put her in her bouncer and she sits there so peacefully just looking at the TV, sometimes she would even smile at it. I dont think its a problem it helps me sometimes when i need to put her down for a second to do something!
Allisha - posted on 08/27/2010
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My 3 month old loves the tv to... I sit him in his rocker near the window so he looks out the window and at the tv..The tv is on basically all day as my 3 yr old loves watching abc kids.My daughter use to watch dora all the time last year and when people would tell me to much tv is bad for kids id tell them "it can be all bad if i have a 2 yr old teaching me spanish"..
I think its great for their imaginations!
Jodie - posted on 08/27/2010
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My daughter is 3 1/2 months and loves action movies and any bright lights. All my kids have liked TV. I think it is a good distraction and they really enjoyed the stimulation.
Alicia - posted on 08/27/2010
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my 3 monthold loves the tv. she just stairs at it i put on cartoons for her and shes comfy watching it for a while while i do house work.
Annaliese - posted on 08/27/2010
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Good post,the other day my mother in law told me not to let her watch TV though my daughter who's only 3months seems to totally like it.I was planning to ask her pediatrician too
Jennifer - posted on 08/26/2010
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My 3 month old LOVES the TV I have to turn it off sometimes to get her attention, and I try not to let her watch for very long. I try to keep her busy with playing most of the time or reading.
Sarah - posted on 08/26/2010
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my son does the same thing has been since he was about a month old. One of the only ways to keep him happy lol
Ashley - posted on 08/26/2010
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idk anything bout this but my son ajay is 3 months and if the tv is on he will almost break his neck to try and stare at it we have to turn it off in order for him to sleep eat anything! ill let him watch barney in the morning tho but i wanna talk to his dr and make sure its ok
Rashell - posted on 08/25/2010
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i have a 3 months old who i just started letting her to watch tv and i find it as a life saver i am a single mother and my daughter is a very unhappy baby who does nothin but scream 24-7 cuz of really bad tummy problems i found out that she liked the tv one day when i had put her on the floor infront of the tv when it was on and she stoped crying right away i had tryed to do everything from running the vacumme to sitting on the dryer to get her to stop crying and nothin else seamed to work so i find it as a life saver and as long as it is learning stuff i think it should be ok
Carolyn - posted on 08/25/2010
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My 3 month old daughter likes to watch it for a bit at night. We pick her up from the sitters house and her and daddy go to the pool and then come home and we play and talk to her, but when she gets fussy I feed her then we put the tv on. I think it's the birght lights and sounds that attract her!!
Allie - posted on 08/25/2010
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My 3.5 month old son likes the lights, colors and sounds. I let him watch an episode of Sesame Street or Wonder Pets in the morning before his nap. Normally I just leave it on the childrens music station to allow him to hear the music while we are playing.
MICHELLE - posted on 08/25/2010
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My baby is 3 months and loves to watch Dora the Explorer and Toy story . I think its the sound of the voices and bright colors.
Lisa - posted on 08/24/2010
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My daughter is also 3 months and loves the television. My husband and I have a huge 60" tv, so it is very easy for my daughter to see it. She loves watching cartoons on Nick, Jr.!
Her doctor says that she is developmentally at 5 months of age. Yay! :) So, if tv is helping that, so be it!
Alyse - posted on 08/24/2010
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My son is almost 4 months and loves the TV. I dont think that it is harmful due to the fact that they dont understand. I just make sure that what he is watching is not something violent. I put animal shows from Oasis and animal planet.
Shaunte - posted on 08/23/2010
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my little one (may 15th) LOVES the tv. i think it is ok, as long as they are not right up on the tv.
Noelle - posted on 08/23/2010
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My baby is 3 months old and is also attracted to the TV. He loves the sounds and the bright lights. He only watches a few minutes here and there while I am watching a show but he really loves the youtube children's songs videos on the computer. What's better than that? It's stimulating and helping him learn all at the same time.
Karen - posted on 08/23/2010
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My Baby is just 3 months and he loves the TV. I don't encourage it as I have heard that it's bad for them but I do find him turning towards the TV. I'm sure a little bit of TV wouldn't do them any harm. They're just figuring things out :)
Heather - posted on 08/23/2010
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My son especially likes the commercials that have songs in them. He will look at it sometimes but he is always going so he doesnt stay interested in anything for very long.
Krystal - posted on 08/23/2010
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My opinion is that it provides them with visual (and aural) stimulation and what can be better than that? Alternatively, you can place your child under a play gym where they are getting similar stimulation - so the argument against TV at this young age doesn't really stick for me. So long as TV time is not replacing quality one-on-one time with your child, I believe a little bit here and there is no different than watching their play gym - and perhaps even better.
Kirsten - posted on 08/23/2010
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My son is 15months and loves to look at the bright colors. My husband seems to think its okay, but I limit the time to only a couple of minutes. I feel like focusing might hurt his eyes (I know if I watch TV too long my eyes hurt). Be careful about the baby learning videos, I heard that children actually learn better from talking & listening then sitting in front of a DVD.
Morgan - posted on 08/23/2010
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My son has been watching Tv since we brought him home..I try to keep it on Nick Jr during the day..But he loves watching UFC with his Daddy...He won't even look at me when that's on..Haha..I really don't see anything wrong with it..It helps me be able to do the things I need to do around the house, and lets me take a shower without having to drag his swing to the door of the bathroom (He loves the sound of running water)...
Emma Louise - posted on 08/23/2010
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yeh, my 3 month old son also likes the tv, he likes to watch bis 3 older brothers playing on the wii as well. i think its just the fast moving lights that attract their attention...no harm has come to my 3 older boys from watching tv at an early age x
Helena - posted on 08/23/2010
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i have a 3 month old and he is the same way, it keeps him calm and it also makes him laugh, i really don't see anything wrong with it, as long as your not sitting your child infront of the tv for hours at a time. a little won't hurt :)
Kerry - posted on 08/23/2010
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my little girl is 3 months old and she love watching tv xx
Lisa - posted on 08/22/2010
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My son is 3 months old as well and loves watching TV. I actually think its nice because it keeps him entertained for a bit while i do homework, clean the house and have time for myself.
He doesnt watch it that often cause i dont watch much tv myself. I actually think its a good way to stimulate his brain. It also depends what movies/shows you put on for him. I put on 0-2 aged cartoons. Such as clifford, barney, sesame street, and the wonder pets. Learning channels are great as well. I noticed he likes certain things and others not as much.
Leah - posted on 08/22/2010
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my son loves sitting with daddy watching all the car shows on tv, he only gets about 20mins or so every couple of days but its the best way i could find for him and daddy to spend quality time together until he is old enough to start doing other things like actually fixing up cars and helping daddy with stuff ect. he loves it and i cant even distract him from it even though he is a real mummy's boy.
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