Thoughts of a tv in a toddler's room?

Cheryl - posted on 11/08/2011

What was the reasoning to put it in her room? My grandson had one in his room, and when his folks battled to get him to sleep, they would put a dvd on..... they soon realized that he was controlling them very well and put a stop to it, but with many tears. It would be better for her to watch her programme with the rest of the family. She is still young and needs supervision before she starts getting up to mischief by her lonesome :) xx

Katie - posted on 11/07/2011

"I'm also not sure the connection between tv and being good around people. Kids learn by example."


Kids learn from example, not a TV, and if parents were smart they wouldn't be sending their children to some strange camp where they don't know anyone overnight.
And I'm sure your Aunt didn't get a divorce because a TV! Thats silly, there obviously is a lot more behind that. And as for relationships, if refers to everyone including your partner. Every child's different.

Michelle - posted on 11/07/2011

All I can say is my son never would sleep so I ended up taking it out of his room!

Kelina - posted on 11/04/2011

I'm also not sure the connection between tv and being good around people. Kids learn by example.

Kelina - posted on 11/04/2011

My aunt had to watch tv in order to sleep-it allowed so much room to grow in their marriage that they are now divorced. I used to volunteer with an organization called young life. the kids weren't allowed to bring music or anything like that to camp. the ones who were used to falling asleep to tv, or music or whatever, always had a harder time sleeping. http://kidshealth.org/parent/positive/fa...
http://www.babycenter.com/0_tv-watching-...
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/childre...
these are all articles based on studies done(i can get those too if you'd like but they're ridiculously long) that back me up.

Katie - posted on 11/04/2011

I'm not sure where you get your sleep experts information from, a .com website or what ever, but my daughter does fine at sleepovers without her tv. As in relationships, I have to watch tv every night before bed and my husband DEALS with it. Also that is what subtitles are for. And letting them have some time to themselves isn't bad, My child is perfectly fine around people, great around the ones she knows, and shy around strangers. Wouldn't you want your child that way? Your child needs their own space too.

Bernadette - posted on 11/02/2011

Exactly what I was getting at, Kelina.

Tricia - posted on 10/31/2011

I have 2 yr old twin girls and they have a tv in their room as well. I admit, the tv is on most of the time in our house, and in their room, they watch tv for 1/2hr before bed. I find the shows on Treehouse and Disney to be wonderful for small children, teaching them letters, numbers, sharing, etc. My daughters watch certain shows, and others they don't pay any attention too, and perfer to play.

Kelina - posted on 10/31/2011

I don't agree with tvs in kids rooms. I think it teaches kids how to separate themselves from family. I'm also one fo those weird moms who won't let my son have his tos in his room-they get kept in the living room. I had a lot of sleep issues as a kid, and I don't want my kids to have to deal with that. What the sleep experts have said is that tv stimulates the brain and makes it active when it should be winding down. some people can falll asleep while watching tv but i wouldn't think that making it a habit while still a child would be a good idea for a couple of reasons. habits made in childhood are harder to break, when you get older. There's not always going to be a tv around for them to fall asleep on. It will make it difficult for a child to fall asleep at sleepovers. It can also potentially affect future relationships. If you need to fall asleep watching tv and your partner can't stand the sound then you fall asleep in the living room and your paretners in the bedroom. The sound of a tv on can affect light sleepers and can irritate roommates. And it also leads to a cycle that they'll be teaching their children. As you ca see I really don't like them!

Cherie - posted on 10/31/2011

i think its ok as most little ones really dont watch most shows all the way through well mine dont . i have 4 kids (3 rooms) a t.v in each the frist 2 kids have had t.vs in since 2 and 3 and even then they still hung in the living room and ran around the house but was great for sat morrings so they could watch diffrent shows(boy\girl) and in latter years when the next 2 showed up they had a t.v put in by the age of one and the same held true they ran around more then watching as long as u teach them rules for the tv i dont see a problem and fallow through with punishments for breaking the rules my teens know the tv will be removed if they are cought useing it at night we dont let them use it at night so after so many years they just fallow the rules and still have family time and active time too

Stephanie - posted on 10/31/2011

My almost 2 year old girl loves her morning cartoons, when I prefer to watch the news. She is cranky and irritable in the morning until around 10 am so we decided to put a tv in her room to calm her down and occupy her attitude with morning cartoons. She has a very tall sturdy dresser that the tv sits ontop of...She cannot reach it and will not be able to until she has hit her last growth spurt as a teenager (I can barely reach it) She only watches cartoons on nick jr. and she learns alot from them. This way she can have her cartoons to keep her from driving me insane (stay at home mom) and I can still have my shows. Yes she comes and gets me and we have playtime when she gets bored and that is the way I like it. I don't see any problem with it as she doesn't sit and watch tv all day long.

Katie - posted on 10/31/2011

My 2 1/2 year old has a tv in her room, she only watches it at night before bed. She will only go to bed if she falls asleep to the tv. There is a lot of good things children can learn from tvs, and before she had one, she'd have to sleep either in the living room or in my bedroom to watch it. My child still does a lot of other activities during the day and she's a really smart girl. They are good in my opinion.

Bernadette - posted on 10/31/2011

I wasn't talking about child-rearing experts, but sleep experts - they recommend the same for adults who have difficulty sleeping. Anything that is stimulating to the mind can hinder the ability to relax and go to sleep - and not just while you are actually watching it, but even when it's turned off. And if you use it to fall asleep, then this can make you rely on it in order to get to sleep, and then can't go to sleep without it.

Christine - posted on 10/30/2011

I wasn't allowed to have a TV in my room growing up. But I remember wanting a little alone time, sometimes. We let our son have a TV in his room with no cable. It's out of reach and the same TV rules apply in the living room as they do in his own room. Works for us.

Erica - posted on 10/30/2011

First of all, I would totally ignore any "experts" on any child rearing advice. You cannot learn in a lab or classroom what must be learned first hand as a parent.
Second, I have always been under the opinion of no tv in my kids rooms until the can buy one themselves. Having said that, I will also mention that my reasoning is due to the fact that i have 4 kids ages 4, 5, 6, and 10. I do not have time or energy or even a brain to attempt controlling TVs in 4 separate rooms. But for you, one room and one child, go for it. Several friends of mine grew up with TVs in their rooms and they are not couch potatoes or entitled.

Bernadette - posted on 10/30/2011

I have heard of sleep experts recommending against having anything like this in the bedroom - they say that in order to develop healthy sleep patterns, the bedroom should be JUST for sleeping. Not for playing in, watching tv, using the computer or doing study (obviously that only applies to older kids) because you need to train your mind and your body that the bedroom is a place for complete relaxtion and is to be used just for sleep. People who use the bedroom in the above ways can have trouble letting their minds shut down when it's time to turn off the light and go to sleep.

Monique - posted on 10/29/2011

My 3 year old son has a tv and dvd in his room, I think it's ok for him because he knows it's a definite treat to be allowed to use it, and he knows I take away all the cords that it uses every time he's finished so he can't turn it on himself. he is a very active young child but loves to be allowed to watch his dvd's. ultimately it is your choice, maybe have a little chart with jobs or something for her to complete to be allowed to watch it....Good luck with your decision love!! Just remember it's up to you

Jenn - posted on 10/29/2011

I think it is crazy to have a tv in a child's room. Let them use their imagination. X

Kathleen - posted on 10/28/2011

We had/have it. We for awhile were going to take it out, but we just controlled how much he was allowed to watch it. Mostly at bedtime...except now he has figured out how to change his dvd's and press play. As long as you know how much, and what she's watching, and she's not always sitting in front of the television I wouldn't worry about it.

Teresa - posted on 10/28/2011

I'm completely anti-tv in anyone's bedroom. I got my first (and only) tv in my room when I was 18 and bought it myself. All it did was keep me in my room alone more.... even when my dad and I were watching the SAME shows. ;)

We have one tv in the living room that has no 'tv'... only plays dvds (since our vcr portion of the player no longer works). That's all we will ever have in our home.

Sharon - posted on 10/28/2011

Nope, we don't have one in our boys room and have no intention of it. Honestly,it never actually crossed my mind. I don't think its needed in there at all.

Vicki - posted on 10/28/2011

No chance, not until he's left school. If he's still living at home then and wants one in his room he can buy it himself.

Rachael - posted on 10/28/2011

i don't think it's necessary to have a tv in a 2 year old's room. i wouldn't put one in my son's room because i think that when he is watching tv it should be somewhere i can see him

September - posted on 10/28/2011

Personally I would never put a tv in our 3 year olds room. His room is for sleeping and playing not for tv watching. The only thing we ever do is give him some books to help him fall asleep and that's about it.

Suealice - posted on 10/27/2011

None of my childrten have a tv n there bedroom that's what the living room is 4 there bedroom is 4 playing and sleeping giving them a tv may give them the idea that they dnt need 2 get up and b active and become. A couch potato

Katherine - posted on 10/27/2011

Neither of my kids have TV's in their rooms. And I too plan to keep it that way.
A room is to play and sleep in. Not for TV, that's for the living room IMHO.

My parents never had TV's in our rooms either. I don't know, maybe that's why I don't have them.

Medic - posted on 10/27/2011

Neither of my children (5years and 21months) have tvs in their rooms and I plan to keep it that way. Growing up we were not allowed to have them until we were in highschool and we bought them or asked for them for xmas. We have one tv in the living room, one in our bedroom , and one in the garage (football!!).

Tara - posted on 10/27/2011

I think it is fine. My siblings and I were raised with tv/dvd/vcr/video games in each of our rooms from a very young age and none of us developed a sense of entitlement. BUT my parents weren’t that way either, they did not have a sense of entitlement and didn’t raise us that way. It was a luxury for us growing up and we treated it as such and my parents didn’t hesitate to remove it if we were irresponsible. They also didn’t allow us to veg in our rooms in front of the television all the time either… we always ate dinner together, had to do our homework, family game nights, family outings, etc. but they taught us that in life there is a balance between family time and time for yourself. So I don’t see it as a problem. My toddler doesn’t have a t.v. in her room as of yet but I have set up our IPad in her room some evenings and mornings with her cartoons/shows.

Karen - posted on 10/27/2011

we don't have a tv in our son's room and we won't. tv time is at our house is for all of us to sit and watch something together, i just don't want him sitting in his room alone watching it. we decided to take the same approach as my parents took with my brother and i - when we are old enough to purchase our own then we can have a tv in our room. my brother purchased his at 16 and i waited a bit longer as i had other priorities and bought one at 17 as i wanted to have it for when i moved out the following year.