TV and baby

wieb67

Do you all let your LO watch tv or look at apps? I sometimes have the tv on while nursing but discovered my in laws are showing him videos all the time on their iPads - not really comfortable with this but not sure how to bring it up. They are just so obsessed with electronics and cannot see anything wrong with it...

ConversationFear

I've read an article here or there discussing the research that has "proven" the damage that will be done to your child's development if you let them watch TV before the age of 2. Then I think about me and my husband and our families and circle of friends and how the TV was probably on in all of our houses all the time when we were infants and toddlers, and yet, we still managed to turn into rather well-rounded, intelligent adults.

My consensus? You should always do what you are comfortable with. For every 20 child experts saying TV is bad for babies, there were 20 more 10 years ago claiming that Baby Einstein videos were the greatest thing ever. If you don't want your relatives flashing their iPads in LOs face you need to tell them that you've set regulations on how much "screen time" you would like your little one to have.

I don't think parents should ever use the television as a sole source of entertainment and education, but I don't they should be totally discounted as rubbish either.

Everyusernameistaken

I kept LO #1 away from actively watching tv and using apps until he was 2 (though I did have my shows on in the background for the first few months sometimes, and I know my mom and sister showed him stuff on their ipads after he was 1,despite my requests not to). This LO, I'm trying to keep tv away as much as I can never place him where he can really see it but it's hard when his big bro is watching so I'm sure he'll watch sooner than LO #1 did.
I
don't really see a point of purposely giving a newborn screen time though. I kind of hate the glazed look he gets when he has seen the tv. But when they're a bit older, no biggie (in moderation of course) Sesame Street gets us through the day!

Daisy1232

My baby's favorite movie is Con Air. Nick Cage all the way (want to gif so bad)

HorseLover11

Maybe it's just me but I feel like she's learning when she watches a little TV with us or a baby Einstein video - just staring at all the colors and shapes - there's so much to take in and I don't feel it's doing harm but that's just me. we do plenty of other activities throughout the day away from the TV and when she's eating and I'm watching she's staring at the boob lol

Soogerplum

When I need to do a load of laundry or cook dinner, I put her in her swing and turn on Baby Einstein and she loves it. It holds her attention long enough for me to get what I need to get done. I feel like it's more of an issue when your toddler watches tv all day long every day in place of playing outside or with toys.

Everyusernameistaken

Soogerplum said:

When I need to do a load of laundry or cook dinner, I put her in her swing and turn on Baby Einstein and she loves it. It holds her attention long enough for me to get what I need to get done. I feel like it's more of an issue when your toddler watches tv all day long every day in place of playing outside or with toys.

I guess this is the main thing about TV, it's not that TV itself is bad, it's that it can displace other important activities kiddos need to grow and develop. It's all about balance.

RedBaramid

Soogerplum said:

When I need to do a load of laundry or cook dinner, I put her in her swing and turn on Baby Einstein and she loves it. It holds her attention long enough for me to get what I need to get done. I feel like it's more of an issue when your toddler watches tv all day long every day in place of playing outside or with toys.

I found some bright color high contrast videos that buy me about 20 minutes while she's in her swing. She gets bored after that and cries.  I MAYBE use them once every 3 days.  I'm sorry but honestly I have to agree the real problem is when kids and tots watch TV instead of doing brain growing activities.. right now our babes are indeed starting to grab and reach and interact, but a lot of their development is still occurring by just observing the world around them.  I see no harm in letting them observe some bright colors and movement set to classical music, especially if it lets me shower or eat.

JanisBaby14

DH and I are huge TV watchers. I will occasionally catch DS looking at the TV. His favorite show so far: It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia.

He maybe watches 5-10mins a day. But of course being a FTM now I'm freaking out of its more. I hate information like this. What to believe?

debikae

My pedi said no screens for 2 years is what's advised, but that common sense really is what should be followed. 

seamonkey0814

Thank you for starting this discussion. DH and I talked about this a lot while I was pregnant and swore that DS would get zero screen time. We both watch too much TV and don't want to pass the bad habit on to our kids. Of course it only lasted a month or so after LO was born and now we're back to turning on the tv in the evenings and LO is already staring at the screen We have now promised that when he gets older, can play more and has an earlier bedtime, we won't waste the short time we have with him between work and bed on TV. I'm worried we'll have a hard time sticking to that too though. I feel so guilty. It's the only thing I feel like we're totally failing with

julestony

Constant TV viewing isn't good for the LOs. Stand your ground, thus isn't a small issue. While I made this clear with my MIL, she disregarded it. However, last week when she came over, first thing she did was turn on the tv while I was nursing DD. Dd turned her head towards the tv a few times and I'd turn it back and at the same time say "No, sweetheart, tv isn't good for you...it affects your brain and development." After three times, she finally turned it off. Hoping it stayed off most of the time DD was awake.

doglover31

We will have the TV on while DS nurses and when he is in the room with us. He will stare at the screen sometimes, but I just think he likes the different colors and lights on it.

mana8503

doglover31 said:

We will have the TV on while DS nurses and when he is in the room with us. He will stare at the screen sometimes, but I just think he likes the different colors and lights on it.

This. She's more interested in her hands right now though.

mana8503

Meant to add we do let her look at the tablet when we Skype with her brother and sister. It's about once or twice a month.

camichael84

I guess maybe I'm a stupid FTM, but I never even considered that DD could actually be watching TV in the sense that we do this early. We certainly don't plop her in front of it, but it's on in the background. I like the noise, and DH just likes the TV so it's usually on. It'll catch her eye from time to time and DH and I will always laugh that she's "watching TV". I thought it was just the lights and bright colors and perhaps the sound attracting her to it, just like her toys do.

LoveOBX917

I have the tv on pretty much all day but I always position LO so her back is to it. When people talk about "screen time" for babies I always figured they meant how much a LO is exposed to the tv, like when I'm watching it and it catches baby's eye for a minute. I honestly didn't know people sat their babies down in front of a tv or iPad for entertainment. I haven't done any research on the effects of tv, just seems plopping a baby on a play mat would serve them better than popping them in front of a tv.

ashaw512

Tv keeps me sane with a toddler, it really helps when I'm doing something with baby, cooking, not really cleaning bc I make her help with that. But sometimes DS stares at the tv when A is watching a movie.

pshaortao

I usually have the TV on all day but lo is always facing away from it so it's not an issue. The only time we let her look is when we need to get her head to turn as far to the left as possible to stretch her neck if nothing else will do it at the moment.