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Parenting after a Loss
Question about TV and babies.
Im a SAHM and Mr. Seminole works a lot so Im alone alot. I leave the TV on pretty much constantly to "keep me company". Even at this young age Abby LOVES the tv but I really try to turn her away from it.
My question is, does anyone make a product that is "ok" for babies to watch? I ve heard there is something about the scene switching that is linked to babies and ADHD (and believe me, Abby's mommy and daddy did terrible in school so she needs all the help she can get!)so i've always been leary of tv for her.
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Re: Question about TV and babies.
the whole TV debate really bugs me. i'm at home all day alone too and like you, keep it on for background noise/something to watch if i need a break, etc. i grew up on TV and i've never had any learning/attention issues, nor does anyone I know who has also grown up on TV.
i also try to turn hadley away from it for the most part, not because of that, but because i'd just rather she look at me and interact with me than the TV, but she calms right away when she does look at it so i don't always fight it. she is only recently starting to get interested in looking at books, but i can't sit there and show them to her or read to her all day since i do work. i feel like you pick your battles with what it good/bad and do the best you can with what you have to work with.
I tend to agree with you May. I have an education background and have found that people are quick to say "this kid has this and this kid has that" and that's why they have a D in Math. No, it's bc the kid didnt study. (Def. not in all cases, I know there are some serious developmental problems that children can have so Im def. not discounting those)
I guess I was just hoping there was a tested product out there that was alittle better for her so I could actually take a shower and eat my lunch without any guilt LOL
Just sayin.
DD loves her Baby Einstein videos! She watches a video in the morning while I get ready for work. After she has breakfast, I dress her and pack her bag. Then I set her up on the living room floor with toys and put on one of her videos. That's when I get dressed, do my hair and makeup, and brush my teeth. The videos are about 25 minutes long, and I am always finishing up when the credits come on!
Her favorites are Baby Neptune and Baby Van Gogh.
I really like the Praise Baby series because they have very simple backgrounds... maybe all white with a baby interacting with a bunny or a ball. Things like that. It's the same scene for a while and then it switches, but it's calm and simple-- not like some of the crazy cartoons out there. You can get them at Christian bookstores and they're all praise and worship songs, so I suppose that would have to be up your alley too!
However, I do really like Franklin and Little Bill (not sure if that's the name-- the one written by Bill Cosby). The messages are awesome, the images are simple and slow moving and there aren't any silly voices or off-the-wall characters. Yesterday Little Bill had a friend come over who has Cystic Fibrosis and was in a wheel chair and it was SO cool to see how the producers worked such a valuable lesson into a 30 minute cartoon.
My pedi is a big no-tv kind of pedi and this is what he told me: tv teaches babies to learn about things in 2D and its much harder to learn about something in 2D and then transfer that to 3D. The example he gave about BE was that a baby learns about the puppet playing a piano in 2D before he might ever see a piano being played in real life in 3D. When you know about something in 3D it's easy to understand it in 2D but not the other way around. For babies at least, I guess.
That being said, when we have bad days around here I turn the tv on so fast! I leave it off most days but some days I just need him to be distracted so I can get stuff done or rest or whatever. I like to have the radio on or I play different kid CDs for J5. No judgements coming from me, but I just wanted to share what my pedi said and what we do.
No offense to your pediatrician, but that sounds like bunk.
We try to keep DD away from the TV as much as possible, but there are times when she's crabby and I have to get ready for work - and something on TV will entertain her while I dry my hair, etc. I read a study too that early TV watching can lead to kids with ADHD, so that's why I'm not too crazy about having her watch it. She's very interested in it though, so if we have it on - we sometimes have to turn it off because she's watching.
DH drives me a little crazy with this. He tries to let her watch "Fifi and the Flowertots" before he puts her to bed at night. He thinks it makes her sleepier or something.
No offense taken! Like I said, I put the tv on somedays too. Basically, I like to have it off because I know myself and I'd get sucked into shows (Days of Our Lives, whatever is on ABC Family) and that's not cool. It's better for me to not even know what I'm missing, you know?
When Ethan was that age he LOCKED onto the TV, ANY TV in any room wherever we were...I think bc of all the colors and moving pics. ?Now that he is older he really doesn't notice it much. ?I put on a baby einstein DVD or DVRed Sesame Street while I'm showering, and he'll pay attention a bit, but toys and me are much more interesting.
I also left it on during the day for awhile, but I have been trying to leave it off more and more and I'm actually glad that I have. ?I turn on some music for "background noise" and we jam out to whatever is on the radio or on the music channels on TV.
I read an article about a study on whether TV really did "rot your brain" and basically having the TV on had no effect whatsoever on babies - not positive or negative - at this point its ALL novel stimulation. ?The only age where there was a slight detrimental effect was around 2.?
I've found that when I leave it off then I am less likely to stop and watch for a few minutes here and there and I play with him more. ?Don't get me wrong, I was never just sitting and watching it, but I am lot more productive with it off...that is just me though. ?
Now the laptop....that's another story and a whole other battle that I need to fight.?
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