Tv..??

myrumam

I tried doing a search on this but I couldn't find exactly what I was looking for.
Do you mommas let your baby look at the tv for a small amount of time? Sometimes when DD is in one of her lounging things, she finds the tv and it keeps her awake and alert without seeming to get over stimulated. The tv is a pretty great distance from her so I'm assuming she can only see the light/movement/colors.

I feel a little guilty feeling slightly relieved she's being occupied for a few minutes while awake and I can get something done or just sit back for a minute... Is that terrible??

leah665

My little one finds it and stares at it for a bit. I doubt there is anything wrong with it. Especially at this age.

LaurenBee24

My lo likes it, but if I catch her looking at it I turn it off. They say they shouldn't get screen time before 3 years old, but I doubt we will last that long before I cave and park her in front while I have a shower. Lol

meganraschke

@LaurenBee24 do you know why they say to wait until 3?

BryDienta

We try to turn him away from it but if he watches a little from time to time I'm not going to beat myself up about it. Another one of those things I said I would never do as a parent! That list is pages long now. Haha

chein1

Our tv is on all day. All day. It's background noise, and my toddler loves her sing along shows on Netflix. I'd say she actually sits and watches for like 10 minutes every hour. She just watches as she passes by on her way to play with somethings else. She is obsessed with books and art supplies so tv is not a hindrance at all. I see nothing wrong with tv. Therefore if LO looks at it Im not concerned, but she prefers fans anyway.

jasmineluke

LO looks at it occasionally especially when she's super fussy in the evening or fighting the bottle tooth and nail I'll turn on the TV to distract her from herself so to say. I've been doing this on and off for the past 2 weeks for 5-10 mins here and there. They only see flashing lights /shadows/sounds and I figure it's not that different from their toys which do the same thing. The one thing I don't do is let her watch before bed time when we are winding her down.
For example tonight at bedtime she was fighting the bottle hard and gagging for no reason, pushing the bottle away (it had been 4 hours since last feed and she always drinks at the same time). I turned the tv on to distract her and she took to the bottle easier. Right after she finished I turned the tv off and burped her and she went down for bedtime without a fuss.
The more you try to turn it off or avoid them seeing it the more curious and wanting they will be towards it! I don't know that's my take on it but who knows hahah

chein1

jasmineluke said:

LO looks at it occasionally especially when she's super fussy in the evening or fighting the bottle tooth and nail I'll turn on the TV to distract her from herself so to say. I've been doing this on and off for the past 2 weeks for 5-10 mins here and there. They only see flashing lights /shadows/sounds and I figure it's not that different from their toys which do the same thing. The one thing I don't do is let her watch before bed time when we are winding her down.
For example tonight at bedtime she was fighting the bottle hard and gagging for no reason, pushing the bottle away (it had been 4 hours since last feed and she always drinks at the same time). I turned the tv on to distract her and she took to the bottle easier. Right after she finished I turned the tv off and burped her and she went down for bedtime without a fuss.
The more you try to turn it off or avoid them seeing it the more curious and wanting they will be towards it! I don't know that's my take on it but who knows hahah

Yes!!! Since ours is on a lot, DD1 doesn't pay attention to it because she's accustomed to it.

AiramJ

Oops. I feel bad for letting my little one watch TV. Not even on purpose, he just happens to be on my or my husbands lap when we watch, or he is in his rocker when we watch telly. He stares at the screen, big eyes and looks entertained and interested. I always said I won't let him watch it until he is older, but now...hmm. And I found this about why it's a bad idea to let kids watch telly before 3 years old:
https://www.healthychildren.org/English/family-life/Media/Pages/Why-to-Avoid-TV-Before-Age-2.aspx

kim1228

I have it on while I'm nursing or he is happily
playing on his mat or swing so I stay entertained (I can only baby talk so long!) I don't think he even noticed the TV is on. When he does tho I'll be sure to cut it off!

millereliz13

He watches the morning news with me. I've tried flipping him around and he turns back.

AiramJ

Mine does the same! I turn him away and he tries to do a 180 back to the TV!!!

KLHauck12

Here is how I think of it...the reason they say no tv for under 2 is because they cannot learn from it (article posted above references how they take it the images). In the first 3 years, children need hands-on learning. Watching TV is not hands on and can distract them from the hands on playing.
That being said, our TV is on in the background all the time. I only turn it off when LO and I are playing (because she has just started to be distracted by it). But while feeding or putting her to sleep she doesn't notice. I let her look at it when she is fussy because it distracts her. As she gets older, I'll try to have it on less because we'll be playing more. But right now she doesn't do a lot and I need the distraction and noise or I get bored. But it's already a lot easier because she is actually engaging with me now!