baby einstein makes me feel like a bad mom

wifey26

DS beyond loves his baby einstein video!  i swore i'd never be one of those parents that put their kids in front of the tv for cartoons or whatever, and here i am letting him watch it.  i only do it once in a while, to buy myself 20 minutes to wash up bottles or something, but i feel awful.  but the kid LOVES the TV and i figure baby einstein is better than real housewives, no?

how often do you let you baby watch a baby einstein?

NoCode10

Don't feel bad about letting LO watch it sometimes as long as you aren't using it as a babysitter, KWIM? We let A watch it maybe once a week, I can't remember the last time he did though. I think its been about 2 weeks.

Littledeer84

The couple times that I have popped one in, she was not interested in it. But she is 4 months now, and the last time we tried was probably at least 6 weeks ago. I might need to try again! She is pretty intersted in tv now...at night on weekdays we put her in her bouncy chair in front of the tv with some toys for a little bit so that we can make dinner and do a few chores. Before I had a kid I thought I would NEVER do that, but then reality hit! I dont feel bad, I know we do what we have to do. I dont think you should feel bad at all for using the baby einstein to keep him happy for a little while!

KissyFishyLips

I just got 5 Baby Genius DVDs (it was a Groupon deal last month) and I've been wondering about this, too.  We haven't watched them yet, but I agree that it's much better than letting LO stare at reality TV, lol.  I know that there is a lot of controversy around the effects of these baby videos, but I think they're probably fine and even beneficial in small doses (not as a babysitter, like pp said).

SarahWaggy

Remy watches cartoons and baby einstein in the morning when I am trying to get myself ready for the day. I at first started feeling real bad about it, but then I realized that I need a couple minutes to myself every once and a while and if this is what it took to do it, I wasn't going to complain. It's not like he spends HOURS in front of the TV. It only keeps him occupied for 30 minutes at the most.

grlmom16

Every morning DD watched an episode of Mickey Mouse Club that I have tivo'd. It's about 25 minutes and she LOVES it, and allows me time to eat breakfast and get ready for the day. I think it's fine in moderation.

katana

I didn't let DS1 watch any TV until he was almost 2, but now it seems so silly, because now DS2 watches whenever he does, so unless your just planning one child, the next one will be watch more. Either way, we don't watch tons, and I'm not stressed about it.

kcisthebombdotcom

Well, there really isnt any difference between real housewives and baby einstein. There was some research not too long ago on baby einstein and it isnt beneficial for babies at all.

With that being said, there's nothing wrong with needing 20 minutes every now and then to get stuff done. If the TV works for distraction, so be it. As long as you're not using it as a babysitter, I don't see a problem personally. I'm a believer of everything in moderation.

JoannaJes

DD definitely looks at the TV when DS is watching a show. I can't really help it, I don't think it's right to sequester her just because her brother wanted to watch Sesame Street!

Here's an interesting article that talks about TV use in babies and toddlers (I think it kind of debunks the myth that any exposure to TV is harmful):

https://blogs.babycenter.com/mom_stories/why-you-dont-need-to-kill-your-tv/

Ananke

I let DS watch some BE or Sesame Street for about 15 minutes  2 or 3 times a day so I can do chores I can't do while wearing him.  I always put him in his jumperoo so he has something else to do also. He goes back and forth between watching the TV and playing.

Acendaneil

I watch tv all the time, but LO doesn't.  The one show that she loves is Bubble Guppies, and she likes Oobi, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, and Franklin.  I try to DVR the new episodes, or ones that we haven't seen...but they've been reruns lately.  They are morning shows and they allow me to get needed things done.  Other than that, we're out and about for the day.  Can't WAIT for it to warm up a little more, I have been dying to take her on a walk...that and I keep forgetting to get the stroller out of my husband's car.

shaw

Well....I honestly think that the visuals, sounds and music are beneficial.  My LO isn't quite old enough to remain interested for very long.  I do let him watch TV when he seems interested.  At this point, I encourage anything that involves words and music.  I think once they are old enough to play and go outside...it's a different story.  For now, I think TV stimulates the brain :O)

jenna3016

We have decided at this point not to let him watch tv.  He may catch a minute or two, but we are going to wait to let him watch shows or clips.

SIMBASIM

I don't care what anyone says, I heart BE! I let my man watch a few times a day. It's educational and he really enjoys the puppets. I am thinking of going to buy some. For me, I can get some serious crap done while watches. I think he gets tired of looking at my face all day so BE is a nice change of pace.

jpsen

SIMBASIM:

I don't care what anyone says, I heart BE! I let my man watch a few times a day. It's educational and he really enjoys the puppets. I am thinking of going to buy some. For me, I can get some serious crap done while watches. I think he gets tired of looking at my face all day so BE is a nice change of pace.

 

LO LOVES the BE puppets.  She doesnt really care about the other parts, but as soon as puppets come on she gets soooooo excited.