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2nd Trimester
raskind17
member
Any one having a TV in the nursery?
raskind17
member
We had a tv in one of the guest rooms, now nursery. We figured we would put the tv back in so that when we are rocking etc. that we could watch.
Just curious as to your thoughts... is that tacky?
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Any one having a TV in the nursery?
**warning...child development specialist here** I wouldn't say tacky, but totally unnecessary and not developmentally appropriate. AAP recommends no TV viewing for children under 2. "Pediatricians should urge parents to avoid television viewing for children under the age of 2 years. Although certain televisionprograms may be promoted to this age group, research on earlybrain development shows that babies and toddlers have a criticalneed for direct interactions with parents and other significantcare givers (eg, child care providers) for healthy brain growthand the development of appropriate social, emotional, and cognitiveskills. Therefore, exposing such young children to televisionprograms should be discouraged."
The thing to remember too, is that parents say "oh, well they aren't watching it" but children are still observant and can hear it even if they aren't looking at the screen. Here's the link to the AAP article I quoted above. https://aappolicy.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/pediatrics;104/2/341
Ok, stepping down from my soapbox.
No and No, you're setting a very bad precident by doing that.
I totally agree. Also, if you want some creepy reads about TV and babies and kids read the books Buy, Buy, Baby or Consuming Kids.
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What if you interact with your baby but the TV is on in the background? I play with L in the living room all the time and DH is a TV addict so it's on all the time. I hope since we still play with her though the TV is on she'll develop normally. Otherwise DD and I will be banished to the upstairs cuz DH won't change.
Um, now after thinking about it for more than a few seconds, I feel awful! Thanks ladies for whipping me back in shape
I feel pretty awful now...
I have one in my nursery but it is so tiny and it never gets turned on. It was new from my grandmother and had no where to put it. Its on LO's dresser. I don't intend on putting it on for her to watch or ne thing, it has no channels either, it was used just for dvds.
Here's an article discussing how even background TV can be harmful to speech development in infants. Sorry, but if it's literally on all day long, that's not good. Your LO, especially as they get a little older, will start to watch more and more of it. Your DH needs to be on board with this too, and understand the consequences of non-stop TV watching.
Sorry, forgot the link:
https://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31051013/
And here are some other sites discussing similar consequences:
https://voices.washingtonpost.com/parenting/2007/10/background_noise.html
https://www.webmd.com/parenting/news/20080715/does-background-tv-make-kids-lose-focus
I was going to discuss the same thing. Basically, even as background noise, they take it in. It's like the story about hearing a child say "sh!t" in the proper context, but you never say it to them. They are around it and they hear it. So you have to pay attention to what is on. Also, the sound alone is distracting. It takes their attention away from their play (which is how they learn) and they can't focus as easily. Another thing to consider is under the age of 2, they are learning how to speak and understand what you are saying to them. With the constant background sound, your language gets drowned out, so it's more difficult for their receptive and expressive language to develop.
I'm definitely going to allow my kids to watch TV once they get to a certain age, but not while they under 2 and probably not much at all before elementary school. Although, as they say "the best laid plans..." so we'll see how that all goes!
This. If you're bored, try singing to your baby instead. That is infinitely better for their development and well-being.
My kid must have gotten lucky. She gets to watch TV sometimes. As a mom who is often a part time single mom due to my husband being out of town, I need a break. Granted the TV isn't always on in the house and it's not on every single day, she has her favorite shows.
She has no issues with her speach. At her 15 month appointment she was already speaking above an 18 month level. But like I said, maybe she just got lucky.
I don't mean to say that a little TV every now and then is going to ruin a child's development. But 2/3 of infants and toddlers watch an average of 2 hours a day. If that's every day or even more, then it can begin to affect their development, especially if there's little other interaction. It's not like you're using it as a babysitter, so it shouldn't be surprising that your DD is developing well.
lol Sorry. That's just how I read the anti-tv posts. Everything in moderation. A little TV isn't going to hurt kids under 2.
No, we won't have a TV in the baby's room (even when LO's older... my parents had a "No TV in kid's rooms" rule and I plan to have that rule in my house).
Exactly. But a TV in the baby's room isn't going to help with moderation. lol
This is true.
Although lately our moderation has flown right out the window. DD was up at 4:30am. DH is out of town and I can't function that early in the morning. DD watched cartoons from 5:00-6:15am while I tried to get more sleep.
I really feel like this post got out of hand a little and I am sure it had to do with the fact that maybe I made it seem like every time I am in the nursery I will be watching tv instead of paying attention to the baby!
First of all, I do not like tv all that much anyway. I figured if the baby was asleep and I was just in the room, I would turn it on an watch something quietly while keeping an eye on the LO. Obviously I am going to read, listen to music etc and make sure LO gets all of my attention.
It was a question I really should have gone in to more detail...
Is that a Chinese Shar Pei? (Dog in photo?)
No, we do not/will not have a TV in the nursery, nor will we have a TV in the kids bedrooms at all.
However, my child does watch TV (3-4 30 minute episodes of her favorite shows per day). I have no problem at all with her watching the amount of TV she watches. I sit with her most times and we talk about what we are watching. If I am not sitting with her, I am in the same room and am very well aware of what is being "taught" during the episode she is watching. As a former teacher, I use this as an opportunity to expand on that lesson. Does my kid sit in front of a TV all day? No. We don't have it on all day as background noise and she isn't watching anything which is not educational. Frankly, I like that she can sit and soak it all in and we can talk about it.
FWIW, O started talking to me in complete sentences before 18 months old. She can identify all of her letters, shapes, colors, and most numbers. She counts to 25 and can count objects with a 1:1 correspondnce up to 10. I'd say, TV has not hindered her development at all!
All of this! I agree completely!!
This!
I am also a very strong anti-tv-in-the-bedroom type of person... it belongs in more socials areas like the living room or play room. Not in bedrooms or nurseries where it's meant to be more relaxed and mellow..