watching tv for baby

Francesca - posted on 05/04/2010

My daughter is 12 months. I have read about not letting kids under 2 watch television and think that I am somewhat robbing her if I choose that. We don't watch television often. (Although it is on in the background...to the music/radio stations most of the time) But when we do sit to watch television, its maybe once or twice a week. But when we do, we sit together and put on one of the programs that have a lot of songs. Like 4 Squares or The Wiggles. And we sing and do the actions together. She loves singing, and I get to learn some new ones. I don't see anything wrong with it.



But, we don't really have time for television. My daughter is an outside baby. As soon as she is fed breakfast, she is pointing to her stoller and squealling ready to go to the park.



I suppose, its everything in balance. And ultimately, what you are comfortable with.



Good luck. I am sorry I didn't have any descent suggestions for you.

Myla - posted on 05/04/2010

I dont have Cable. I buy the learning DVDs for my daughter that are put out by Sesame street and Baby Einstein, I dont rely on Tv to babysit her I let her watch it for as long as she likes.. usually she will watch it for like 10 minutes 20 minutes at most then she will want to play and I only do this once a day, My daughter is 7 months old and she is highly intellegent. She says Momma, Dadda, Papa, and Hi. She waves hello and goodbye. She reconizes the words No and Yes and she is learning sign language she knows eat and drink. If you ask her if she has a dirty diaper she shakes her head yes or no. Sorry but no amount of Scientist mumbo jumbo is going to convince me that educational programs are bad for children.

Brittany - posted on 05/04/2010

Personally I don't think that a 7 month old should be watching tv at all. Tv is full of messages, and influences, and as far as education goes, a child at that age has not developed a learning style yet so really interaction is the only way to "teach" them about their world because everything at that age depends on sensory perception.
Studies have shown that children who watch tv at 2 years of age and below are at a higher risk for obesity, learning disorders, etc etc. Personally my child never got to watch tv until she was nearly 3. She is 4 now. We don't have cable, a mutual decision between me and my husband. She gets to watch an hour of tv a day or an hour and a half. It depends. Generally she watches movies. So...one movie a day or I might put on a television show on the computer. Parents nowadays rely on tv to babysit their children, and everyone wonders why ADD and ADHD and all these "disorders" are rampant now. Instead on a cable bill, we have a gym bill. We go to the local gym instead, and our kid plays in "play class" or daycare while mom and dad work out, and then we all go to the pool. I dare you all of you seriously to unplug your tv's for one week and see how dynamic the change is in your family relations. Seriously, and if any of you do it, message me and let me know what you think.

Myla - posted on 05/04/2010

I see nothing wrong with a child watching tv... as long as it is educational.... My Nephew that I watched for the first 2 years of his life watched Sesame street everyday and he is now 4 and he plays just fine by himself... he does not want the tv to be on all the time... it just depends on how you react to your child as to if he or she is going to be a couch potato and just want to watch tv all day... Children want to be like their parents. if they see that you sit around and watch tv all day that is what they are going to want to do. My daughter watches barney and Sesame street and she stills loves to play by herself and be very active... So stop blaming tv for your children's laziness. if you want your child to be active.. you have to be active with them!

Heather - posted on 05/04/2010

Agree with Kim and Amanda totally...

Cheshmak - posted on 05/04/2010

More and more research is coming out every day stating that children under two years old should have NO TELEVISION exposure at all and very limited after that. There was something on the news just last night with footage of kids completely tuned out in front of tv. Your seven month old should not be watching tv even if he likes it. I agree with others who've already posted suggesting that you turn the tv off. We never watch tv when our son who is one is up. Only after he goes to bed. We also don't put on baby dvds, (baby einstein etc) for him because the research indicates it's not just what they watch that is the problem but the relationship being created between the child and the television.

Hope that helps.

Melissa - posted on 05/03/2010

Doctors do specifically tell us not to let children watch tv until they are two years old.
http://www.aap.org/sections/media/toddle...

Kristina - posted on 05/02/2010

my son is only 5 months old and he loves to watch tv. he talks to it well babbles. so i think he is learning to communicate with it. He also loves to listen to the radio and just play. i will put him in his jumperoo and he will watch tv and play at the same time. I dont think it is bad. i mean if it was doctors would specifically tells us not to let them watch it.

Tia - posted on 05/01/2010

my daughter is 9months old and was intrdused to the tv from a baby and i dnt c it as a problem as its all the colours they r atrated to wat i did wid my daughter was played wid her while the tv was on n nw she jst crawls around n forgets the tv is on half the day try n play wid him while the tv is on n then it will take his mind of it my daughter lovs the cow n gate advert n thats the onli tym she actuly pays atention to the tv,good luck

Rebecca - posted on 05/01/2010

my daughter has never been interested in tv which is good. but i have been advised it reduces their initiative to talk

Amy - posted on 04/30/2010

My son who is 6 now and in Kindergarten is reading, knows how to add and subtract, and multiply (1's & 2's) knows his colors,shapes,and numbers..my point is I let him watch tv and even play on the computer so I think if done in moderation and explination no harm will be done it just may help. Ohh and he is not overweight or violent and is on a soccer team..

Janet - posted on 04/30/2010

Turn the TV off.

Clare - posted on 04/30/2010

its handy when you want 5 minutes to sit down and it doesn't do any harm, as you said its baby tv! They love all the bright happy characters on there! As long as he isn't sitting there all day which isn't right, just try making sure he is playing as well! And put him with some toys!
But i think its fine , as long at its not all the time. It can't hurt , having him watch baby tv! You know there isn't going to be swearing, violence or anything he shouldn't be watching! But mine loved music too! it used to put her to sleep when she was tired! :o) so try a few different things, music, a little tv, playing and get something that really takes his attention!

Louise - posted on 04/29/2010

The solution is to turn the TV off and encourage your baby to play with other toys and activities.

Wendy - posted on 04/29/2010

Its tempting to use the TV as an entertainment for any child..As a mum you get tired and just want something or someone else to distract the child while you have a cup of tea or go to the toilet in peace..There are other ways to do that though... Dont make the child reliante on a television set..Please turn it off.. Talk to your child instead. Good luck !!

Jared - posted on 04/29/2010

i have read that a child shouldnt watch tv till they are 2 years old. I think you should keep away your babies from the tv as much as possible. let them explore, go outside and play, read books. If you let them get to use to tv from so young thats all they will ever want to do. my baby has no interest in tv whatsoever. i can watch the tv and she never pays attention to it. Unless there is some type of music playing she'll start dancing along :) just keep the tv away from baby they'll learn more with other stuff

Jessica - posted on 04/29/2010

My baby is 7 months too and we will let her watch baby cartoons in the morning when she wakes up and then she won't watch tv the rest of the day. But if there is something on tv that my husband will be watching that's not appropriate I'll either tell him to turn it off or I'll take her in another room to play.

Lore - posted on 04/29/2010

since you said all he watches are baby tv and adverts that shouldnt be bad as long as he is not close to the tv and you monitor strictly wat he watches my little girl too enjoys watching tv since am young at heart we both have fun i only had to schedule her time so she wont get addicted i op this helps

Lynette - posted on 04/29/2010

Watching TV, any TV(educational or not) is bad for brain developement at this age. A great book on this topic is The Plug-In Drug: Television, Computers, and Family Life by Marie Winn

Mos - posted on 04/29/2010

I think what attracts children to tv watching is the colorful images that they see flicker back and forth. I've come to only watch kids appropriate things when my kids are around or just stop watching tv all together. I've found lots of fun stuff to do with my children since and a better use of my time too.

Anna Lucia - posted on 04/29/2010

Turn off the TV. Watching TV at such a young age...is ...NOT GOOD! Stimulate your child w/ walks outside, exploration, looking out a window, music, talk...not mindless "stuff" which is what most television programs provide. Video games when a child is older is just as bad. Believe me, I know. I teach Kindergarten and can always tell which children are the ones who have spent far too many hours in front of a television.

Simone - posted on 04/28/2010

My baby, now 16mths, is the complete oppisite and i have had the tv on heaps throughout his life. he just doesn't care much for tv and only really looks if there is music on. i think some are just drawn to it more than others. i rekon its ok as long as you don't use the tv as a babysitter but just as a treat.

Sara - posted on 04/28/2010

You might do some internet research on how babies' brains develop and the effect tv has on this. Focus on the Family has some excellent links and resources, and there are a number of other groups who research this topic. Please, just turn off the TV, and enjoy this time with your baby! They grow up too fast anyway.

Janelle - posted on 04/28/2010

Our 14 month old daughter has never been interested in the tv, until the other day we put on a playschool nursery rhyme dvd and she loves it. But as soon as the singing stops and they read a story or do craft, she goes off and plays with her other toys. Reason being is we have never encouraged her to watch it. As a result, she is much happier playing with her other toys. I agree, turn off the tv. We've only just turned it on and she gets half hour in the morning, then in the afternoon, of singing. If she's that restless, we go for a walk to the park or read books, another thing she loves. Distraction is the key.

Angie - posted on 04/28/2010

Turn the tv off and you won't have to block him.

Vanessa - posted on 04/28/2010

If you continue to let your child watch the advertisments, once they are able to link the ad to what they see in shops, then you have yourself some problems!

LeeAnne - posted on 04/28/2010

I agree with the mother below. Don't start a bad habit at 7 months. When we were raising our children they weren't allowed to watch TV during the school week and I never considered or heard of television for an infant. Again, we didn't allow out children to watch TV during the week because we encouraged them to join after school activities, soccer, dance, band, sports, clubs, etc. and they didn't have time for TV. Granted they couldn't keep up with their peers on the last new sitcom but they were happy and have thanked me that I discouraged television. It is a horrible waste of time.

Crystal - posted on 04/28/2010

Turn off the TV and turn on life.. He is going to learn so much more if he is taught by you rather than slowing his development by letting him watch TV.. this is an incredibly bad habit, and needs to be stopped. Babies should watch no more than an hour of TV a day, studies show that the brain is LESS active while watching TV no matter what the program is.The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that babies be kept away from television viewing all together. Cornell University conducted a study that seemed to provide a correlation between television viewing under the age of three with an increase in cases of autism. It has also been suggested that early TV viewing can lead to Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Television is known to be a culprit of childhood obesity, so doesn't it seem that the longer we wait to expose our children to television the better? Some DVD's such as baby einsteins suggests it helps your baby learn, but what they don't tell you is that you have to be there interacting with the child about what is on the screen, just parking them in front of the TV is not how they learn. While some of the videos made for babies do entice me I personally choose to follow the recommendations of The American Academy of Pediatrics regarding my child. I can teach my child using CDs, books, and flash cards.

I'll stick to these tools until my child is older. Taking risks on my child's health is not an option for me. Ultimately though, deciding if a child should be exposed to television or not is a decision that parents must make for their own children.

Jen - posted on 04/28/2010

Are you actually asking us how to reduce your child's TV time? I'm sure there is an off/on switch on the set?

Christina - posted on 04/28/2010

From what I've been told and understand, children under the age of two shouldn't watch television, especially the commercials. I believe the reason they should NOT is becuase of the constant stimulation commercials are designed to give off to their targets(kids). Commercials are usually only 30 secs long, bright and colorful. The volume is set higher to catch attention and the pictures flash quickly so the kids don't turn away. This mesmerizing 30 sec flash stimulation can condition the brain to recieve constant entertainment without provoking crictical thinking or engaging the child's imagination. Long term, this conditioning MAY make it more difficult for the kids to focus on less exciting material. (ie: school lessons, religious meetings, books without pictures and detailed instructions) The child can quickly loose interest if their teacher doesn't jump around the room in bright colors and make them laugh. Sometimes children are required to sit, listen and think about what is being said. They may have to use thier mind to build a picutre; when they are in front of a t.v. they dont' have to use thier imagination because the image is given to them. To my knowledge all the research data and statisctis aren't finished but they are begining to link children under the age of two watching t.v. with ADHD. Honestly I'm not even sure where I heard this but it seems to make sense to me. I know some will argue little Einsteins is a great educational program for young ones, however Beethoven didn't stop his concert every 9 mins to flash pictures of barbies, bicycles, army toys and Junk food. I agree playing classical music for your children is great and discovery channel is awesome but not for infants and todlers. Just my thoughts.

Melissa - posted on 04/28/2010

Additionally, there has been research that shows that television that is on in the background as children are playing distracts the child and prevents them from fully engaging in their playtime--even if they aren't watching the program!

Melissa - posted on 04/28/2010

Children can not learn from television. Research has shown repeatedly that shows such as Baby Einstein do not work!
"...for every hour a television was turned on, babies heard 770 fewer words from an adult, the new study found. Conversational exchanges between baby and parent dropped 15%, as did the overall number of vocalizations made by children"
Read more: http://www.time.com/time/health/article/...,8599,1902209,00.html#ixzz0mQiYfw5O


http://www.time.com/time/health/article/...,8599,1902209,00.html

Karen - posted on 04/28/2010

TV on or not really is your choice. Being aware of what is on is important. My 19 mo has a couple of shows that he likes that allow me to take a 5-10 minute shower and to focus on fixing meals.

I don't have any shows on with him unless they are cooking or music shows. Soaps, comedies, news shows, and even some of the kids shows are too old for babies and toddlers; they are scary, have "angry people with angry voices and guestures," have swear words, show sex scenes, and display violence.

I save my shows for when I am folding laundry when my son is napping or for when he goes to bed.

The other thing to think about is if he is watchng tv, he is not interacting with you. He is not hearing you talk; he needs to hear you talk to learn language. He is not playing with toys; he is missing out on all those learning activities. It's ok to spread out the toys across the room and let him choose which things to explore or play with.

Good luck finding the balance that will work for you and your baby.

Erin - posted on 04/28/2010

Many studies have been done, including one with the Baby Einstein videos, and have proven that t.v. has an impact on young brains. They are called the Formative Years for a reason. The brain is laying pathways, learning to figure out the senses, and making a foundation that it will grow on through out life. The constant flicker of lights can and will change the ways that a brain forms, and most often to the detriment of the baby. Their little brains simply cannot process what it's seeing and will try to make sense of it, causing pathways to form differently then they would have. Think of this; if you have a child that's 2 or older have you ever asked them "Why?" they did something? Chances are the response was "Because" or some other answer that they heard someone else say. A child's brain is not able to understand "Why?" until at least the age of 7. They are just not able to process the question and understand the ramifications of an answer. The fact is that t.v. can and will impact a baby's and child's brain and we are kidding ourselves if we think otherwise!

Alison - posted on 04/28/2010

I'm convinced that the studies on babies watching tv are misleading. I refuse to believe that minimal screen time, balanced out with autonomous play and interactive play, is truly harmful. Many years ago I heard that Sesame Street was being blamed for ADD. Please! Humans are much more robust than all that.

In my home I try to keep the focus on how much time we are spending on other activities, rather than counting the hours the girls are in front of the tube.

Erin - posted on 04/28/2010

Babies who are exposed to t.v. on any kind of a regular basis have been proven to develop slower than babies who have no t.v. Screen time for children under 2 yrs old in not a good thing because of the fact that their brains are learning how to work and screen time, especially commercials, too young will cause a child's brain to become ADD or ADHD. Also, to much background noise is not good either because of over stimulation and can make it harder for babies to learn to focus on things. The more t.v. your children have the worse off they will be in the future!!

Jenn - posted on 04/28/2010

Have you considered replacing the TV with music? Your baby is young enough to forget about the TV if you never have it on in front of them. My son is turning three and has never watched the TV or videos. It's kind of funny because now if we're at someone's house and they have the TV on, he tells them to turn it off, LOL! Anyway, I taught him how to use the stereo, so his kid's CDs are just like a TV for him. When I need to get things done around the house, I put on a CD for him and give him a book that goes with it. He has learned so much from listening to those CDs over and over and he's so proud he knows how to turn the stereo on and off and find the track he wants. Just an idea...

Sara - posted on 04/28/2010

turn off the TV.

September - posted on 04/28/2010

Turn the tv off! tv before the age of 2 is harmful and after the age of 2 should be limited. Our son is 18 months old and does not watch tv. Instead we read, sing, listen to music, dance, go for walks, go to the park, do crafts, cook together, play hide and seek or just hang out and talk. The tv is just not necessary in our home :) Good luck!

Carla - posted on 04/28/2010

I only used DVDs so I knew exactly what she was watching. At 10months the Baby Einstein DVDs are pretty good.

Toni - posted on 04/28/2010

My child is 11months old and has been interested in the TV from the very start. He doesn't just sit around and stare at the TV. While he's eating breakfast, I turn on a cartoon for him - something appropriate and he really only pays attention to the music. During the day, if the TV is on, he goes about his own business playing and turns towards the TV if he hears an upbeat song. I don't think there's anything wrong with a little TV as long as it's not their only interest. If you think he needs a break, turn it off. If this upsets him, you might have to take some time to play other games with him to get him interested in other things.

Rachel - posted on 04/28/2010

Word of warning, young children cannot properly digest fast moving pictures in their brains. Be careful you don't expose your children to TV at a young age. It is true, if a child watches tv they tend to lose the ability to self play or imaginative play. they expect more entertainment rather than creating their own. My children never watched TV until they were almost two and even then I limited it to one show a day. They learnt to play outside a lot which was great!

Kappy - posted on 04/28/2010

Perhaps he could watch videos instead of TV? Disney has several videos out that are like music videos. It has clips from various movies in the parts where the characters are signing songs. There are also Sesame Street videos that have lots of clips linked together that are interesting for kids, but do not include the commercials.

Barbara - posted on 04/28/2010

Don't let him watch television. If you need to get something done and want him to stay put, you can always put on a DVD for him, like Baby Einstein (no commercials!!!).

I have the opposite "problem". My 15 month old son could not care less about television. He'll look at the screen for about five seconds and then loses interest. I wonder what that's about??? Sometimes I'd love to be able to have him sit in front of a show for 20 minutes instead of being under my feet when I'm trying to make dinner...

Ashley=) - posted on 04/28/2010

Tv all the time not good..turn it off and let your baby explore its what the do best and while doing it the learn.Read to your baby and let them play with educational toys ,play rolling ball to them and take them out side to explore the outdoors and i agree music is great for babys and you will see them starting to dance to the music thats so cute to see.My second is 16mths she loves to colour and play with her toys and loves dancing.I allow her to watch tv twice a day.

Charlie - posted on 04/28/2010

turn it off , play music instead .

Rosie - posted on 04/28/2010

You could turn the TV off?................. put on the radio?.............have nothing on at all??.............

Kim - posted on 04/27/2010

Young children love commercials because they are loud, and colourful. If you don't want him to watch tv, turn it off. I don't watch anything in front of my child that I don't think she should see.

Burcu - posted on 04/27/2010

thank you amanda it is more clearly

Burcu - posted on 04/27/2010

yes.. ı don't want him watching tv because of being harmful for improving of brain as ı get the doctor advise