Babies: 0 - 3 Months

Newborn & TV

What are you thoughts on a newborn looking/watching TV? Too over-stimiulating? Just getting your thoughts.... I've heard both sides of it. My LO seems to like it- always turning her head towards it during tummy time or play-mat time. 

Re: Newborn & TV

  • It was too stimulating for my LO when she was a newborn. But all babies are different. If it doesn't affect yours then its fine. Now that shes older she'll glance at it every now and then but for the most part she just plays on her own when its on.
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  • My little guy glances at the TV when action parts happen... and he looks at my computer screen sometimes when it is on the bed. He doesn't seem to excited about it and likes to watch the wall more than anything else, lol.
     
     
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  • Honestly, from everything I've read it's not a good idea to expose your kid to TV before 2 years.  We're going to try our best to avoid it completely.  To each their own of course, and there are plenty of healthy children who spend time in front of it, but I'm still wary.

    https://www.aap.org/en-us/advocacy-and-policy/aap-health-initiatives/Pages/Media-and-Children.aspx?nfstatus=401&nftoken=00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000&nfstatusdescription=ERROR:+No+local+token

  • I limit tv, only because of the affect it can have on their development mentally. When I am watching tv while putting her to sleep, she gets really distracted, and is constantly turning towards it, so I usually have to turn it off.

    With both of my kids I am trying really hard to teach that you can have fun without being glued to a tv, and honestly the cartoons on television are pretty horrendous. Have you ever watched Adventure Time? Sooooo weird. We will watch Sesame street during breakfast and that's really about it. 

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  • I just had my 2-month appointment today and the discharge paperwork said no TV.  While I'm showering/getting ready, I will put on Sesame Street (if I can find it) or another similar show that isn't too weird.  She loved hearing Elmo's voice and loves anything with music and singing.

    Throughout the day, I watch Roseanne and HGTV.  I keep it really low and it's just background noise.  Hopefully she isn't terribly affected by Roseanne. :)


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  • imagerjeller32:

    I limit tv, only because of the affect it can have on their development mentally. When I am watching tv while putting her to sleep, she gets really distracted, and is constantly turning towards it, so I usually have to turn it off.

    With both of my kids I am trying really hard to teach that you can have fun without being glued to a tv, and honestly the cartoons on television are pretty horrendous. Have you ever watched Adventure Time? Sooooo weird. We will watch Sesame street during breakfast and that's really about it. 

    Hey I watch Adventure Time.. lol

    But being the type that has been glued to video games and the TV since I was a child, I know not to let that happen to my kids, because I am trying still to get unhooked off the video games. Luckily I have 300 acres of wilderness we can explore when they get older...

     
     
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  • smfdjosmfdjo member

    Maybe I am naive but I take watching TV as plopping your kid in front of the tv. If you are feeding him or having tummy time and he glances at it or it is background noise I don't think he is going to have ADD or sleeping issues.

    Now at 1 when they can understand and focus sure.  I highly doubt the other day when my son turned to watch golf he had any interest other than the noise and color because 10 seconds later he turned away. 

  • imagetrudibell:

    Honestly, from everything I've read it's not a good idea to expose your kid to TV before 2 years.  We're going to try our best to avoid it completely.  To each their own of course, and there are plenty of healthy children who spend time in front of it, but I'm still wary.

    https://www.aap.org/en-us/advocacy-and-policy/aap-health-initiatives/Pages/Media-and-Children.aspx?nfstatus=401&nftoken=00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000&nfstatusdescription=ERROR:+No+local+token

    At the same time, my newborn isn't going to spend all day watching TV. I don't see it as a health risk unless a parent is using TV as a babysitter, and a child isn't getting the appropriate exercise/creative play time.

    LO watches what DS1 watches before bed. I don't encourage nor discourage it; he looks away when he wants to. More often than not, he's happy just having mom and dad make funny faces at him but there are times when he's sitting with DS1 and he watches Diego. No biggie, IMO. 

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  • Up until he was about 5-6 weeks or so, my LO would just glance occasionally at it, and I would turn him away. Then I started noticing that he was definitely spending more time looking at the tv when it was on (and he can easily turn his head purposely to it), so I have been keeping it off unless he is sleeping. I would love to have it on for my entertainment, but I think not exposing him to it is more important. 

    Once I do start allowing him to watch a little bit per day, I plan to only have him watch more subdued shows (Mr. Rogers on DVD perhaps!) because jeez, most kids shows these days are craaaaaaaaaazy overstimulating. I really want him to learn play and entertain himself without tv. 

  • It depends on her reaction. Does she show signs of being overstimulated? At this age I don't consider them to really be watching TV so much as just responding to the colors and sounds.

    Now as for the debate on whether or not young children should watch TV, let's not kid ourselves. It's tempting to put a child in front of the TV if it's the only thing that's going to distract them and give us 30 minutes of quiet time to get things done. Anyone who says they're NEVER going to do it, unless you have no TVs in your home, I don't believe them. And then there's iPads. I see parents everyone using iPads to keep their children entertained/distracted. But that's another debate.

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  • Right now TV is always on in our house. DD does not bother with it, unless it is hockey! DH and I are big hockey fans so most times the TV is on NHL Network or a hockey game. DD will focus on the TV occasionally during hockey, but when my Mom watches her and has the crime dramas on (NCIS, CSI, SVU) she doesn't pay any attention that the TV is even there. It also helps that her swing is facing away from the TV and we put her on her play mat so the TV is not in her line of vision. 

    DH and I are not fans of kids shows currently on, mostly because some of our friends kids are being babysat by Dora, Mickey, Fineus & Ferb, or any of the other characters, and that is all they watch. DH and I purposely bought Fraggle Rock, Muppet Babies and Looney Toons so our kids don't have to watch the overstimulation that is on TV nowadays (man I feel old saying that). We will likely let her watch Sesame Street, or if I can find Mr. Rogers that would be great too when she starts focusing more so that she learns things.

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  • TV is on in the background while I'm on leave. However, I never set him in front of the TV, and even when we are doing tummy time or if he's sitting in a bouncer or whatever and the TV is in view, I shut it off. DS1 didn't watch TV till he was just under 2 (still barely watches it honestly) and we plan to do the same with this one.
  • imagesmfdjo:

    Maybe I am naive but I take watching TV as plopping your kid in front of the tv. If you are feeding him or having tummy time and he glances at it or it is background noise I don't think he is going to have ADD or sleeping issues.

    Now at 1 when they can understand and focus sure.  I highly doubt the other day when my son turned to watch golf he had any interest other than the noise and color because 10 seconds later he turned away. 

    This. I'm reading responses and I am confused if people are worried about a couple glances or right out sitting LO in front of the TV??

    Our TV is on practically all day since I am a SAHM. Occasionally my LO does show interest in the TV and I think it's because of the colors and lights. And quite frankly since he was diagnosed with Torticollis he turns in the direction of the TV sometimes on the side that used to be difficult to turn to. So even though I do other at home physical therapy with him, I'm so excited that he's easily turning his head in the direction that we need him to, even if it is a couple glances at the TV. 

    I don't think a couple glances are harmful. But that's just me. So many of us were raised differently from TV, to stomach sleeping, to sleeping with blankets, to homemade formula and we turned out fine. You have to do what you feel comfortable with. As many theories and studies out there for so many different things when it comes to raising our children, it's hard to narrow everything down to ONE right answer.

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