babies and tv

mrssburnison · August 2011

So this mommy and me class I'm going to that just talks about different topics, and is a morning out to interact with other moms lead by regional nurses is big on no tv for baby. Which I understand, and I don't want to plop DD down in front of the tv, and I don't. But... I'm home alone a LOT with her, and I sometimes want to sit down and watch tv at night or on a rainy day, and I have been made to feel guilty if she starts watching it. It's very stimulating for babies to see the lights and movement, but the nurses are saying its bad because it doesn't give them interaction or anything in return. If she does watch it I try to interact with her telling her whats on tv and then trying to distract her, but its hard. Should I feel guilty about vegging out with her? I usually lay down to BF her also and turn the tv on. Is this so terribly wrong? I just find that sometimes I don't have anything else to say to her. My life is all about her. I try to communicate and interact verbally in song, or just by talking about what I'm doing, but there is only so much I can say! When the night comes and I just want to watch some tv, is it so wrong to just sit quietly and cuddle her while I watch tv, and face her away from it?

I hate to say it, but its hard to entertain a 4 month old ALL day. We have a good schedule and we stay busy, but once daddy goes to work its quiet and there is only so much I can do to entertain her. I can't always wait till she goes to bed to sit down and relax, usually by then I want to sleep too. And she doesn't often nap during the day unless its on our walk, or in the car.

What does everyone else do? Do you think the nurses just mean, don't put the baby in front of the tv? They say no tv till after 2. I get what their saying, but am I taking it too seriously? Whats your opinion on it? Thanks!

LifetimeOfLove · August 2011

IMHO, too much tv isn't good for anyone but it is fine in moderation. I wouldn't stress over it. It's not like you are watching tv all day and not interacting with LO. I do the same thing as you. I try to distract DS when I'm watching but it doesn't work. I'm home for the summer and I agree with you. There is only so much a 4 month old can do and it is hard to entertain all day. FWIW when my FIL watches him, he puts him in the carseat in front of the tv. Tongue Tied

DH has also been known to put on Sponge Bob when DS is fussy and doesn't know what else to do. I feel like I can't leave DS with anyone. LOL.

Klmorgan83 · August 2011

I don't sit either of my boys in front on the tv and just leave them there, but it's on all day, I can't stand all the quiet. DS #1 watches it during the day, but it's not like he sits there for hours not doing anything else. He runs around playing, watches a few minutues, then runs around playing again. I don't think it's had any negative effect on him...he's extremely smart, and I think pretty advanced for a 2 year old, a huge vocabulary. When he needs help he yells "ayuda me" which means help me in spanish, he learned that from Dora!

With #2 he doesn't "watch" it but he will look at the tv from time to time, sometimes seeing the movement on it stops in during some of his crying fits. All things in moderation!

hispenguin · August 2011

DD tends to become a zombie in front of the tv, so I tend to keep it off during the day when she's awake. I put the music on, read to her, she plays on her mat, or in her swing. Lately though I've been visiting my sister more since she had her LO and she always has her tv on, so DD has been watching a little more than I would like.

hackett · August 2011

hmm, I may be a bad role model, but my kid loves to watch TV. Mine is on all day. He likes to roll on his tummy and push himself up on his arms to watch, and if he is in his exersaucer he's normally in front of the TV since I live in a one-bedroom apartment its kinda hard not to be near the TV.

I think it's funny that he watches TV. And my SIL and FIL LOVE to sit in the rocking chair and watch TV with him. I don't think it hurts too much. But when he gets older I do intend on enforcing a time limit on the TV but for now, I dont see what it hurts.

nicolenjoli · August 2011

At first I didn't think LO would be interested in t.v yet but once I saw him totally into it, I thought it was funny... I know he will watch t.v. for the rest of his life, why start it at this age? BUT.... like you all seem to understand sometimes when youve already played in the jumper, in the swing, in the bumbo, on the floor, went for a walk, read a book, a little GAbba Gabba never hurt anyone LOL I like it more than him! In the morning sometimes I am sooo sleepy still, after a 5 a.m feeding, baby is well rested and will take about 20 minutes to fall asleep, I admit I put on nick jr. and He will look at it, sometimes he laughs at it! If I didnt turn it on Id just be looking at him trying to get him to sleep again, hed probably just be playing with his feet and talking to himself..... which is great but I don't think it hurts- he gets to see colors, hear music, see children dancing and learn some chinese and spanish

myst33 · August 2011

When ds was younger, the tv would be on a lot and he wouldn't even notice. When he go to be about months old, he started getting interested in it, so I began turning it off because like pp said, he becomes a zombie in front of it. My biggest issue is that my dh almost always turns on the tv for ds. DH is currently unemployed and is home all day with us, although I am with ds mostly. If I ask dh to watch ds so I can take a shower, the tv goes on. We've talked about it before and agreed to not have him watch it but when I bring it up, he says stuff like "the tv is on to keep me awake". What upsets me the most, is that dh is probably going to stay home with ds when I go back to work next week. I am afraid that the tv is going to be on all day since dh can't go more than 20 mins without turning it on.

Artsywife07 · August 2011

I wouldn't worry too much about it, I think everything in moderation. It is hard to entertain a 4 month old all day, especially by yourself! I work, so on the weekends, DH and I take turns keeping her entertained (she is a crappy napper -- sometimes she's awake for many hours at a time) and sometimes we'll watch TV and one of us will hold her on our laps and she'll watch too. We'll even play some Disney sing along videos for her sometimes and we all sing along.

skio · August 2011

LifetimeOfLove:
IMHO, too much tv isn't good for anyone but it is fine in moderation. I wouldn't stress over it.

Ditto. I veg with DD quite a bit, and I personally don't see the big deal. No, I don't plop her in front of the TV to entertain her, but if it's on and it catches her attention, I don't freak out and turn it off. To me, it's just audio/visual stimulation, like a mobile. She's not getting hooked on crappy daytime soaps, here. lol.

amy259 · August 2011

I have seriously cut down on my TV time since DD has become more distractable and really started noticing it. I do put it on sometimes if I need to get something done, she can really move around now so I can't just plop her on a blanket anymore and her be happy (or safe). As some of the pp's said, in moderation and as long as most of her awake time is interacting with you or having play time on her own.

bre87 · August 2011

at one of addy's appointments the print out said something about limiting baby's tv watching to about an hour a day. pfft. i'm always watching tv. we have HBO and i found this show Classical Baby the other day that addy just loved. well i think she loved it, she sat still and watched for 20 minutes. it's just a cartoon of a baby orchestra conductor and they play classical music with animations going on. we also read and listen to music and i tell her what everything is in the house several times a day. and i'm gone 9 hours a day at work. i couldn't imagine keeping her entertained ALL day without the tv. i don't think anyone should feel bad about what they do to keep their sanity and keep the baby entertained.

BeetleLinz1125 · August 2011

bre87:
at one of addy's appointments the print out said something about limiting baby's tv watching to about an hour a day. pfft. i'm always watching tv. we have HBO and i found this show Classical Baby the other day that addy just loved. well i think she loved it, she sat still and watched for 20 minutes. it's just a cartoon of a baby orchestra conductor and they play classical music with animations going on. we also read and listen to music and i tell her what everything is in the house several times a day. and i'm gone 9 hours a day at work. i couldn't imagine keeping her entertained ALL day without the tv. i don't think anyone should feel bad about what they do to keep their sanity and keep the baby entertained.

This. I had honestly never thought of having DD watch TV, but my mom had her overnight and put the tv on for her and she loved it! It does keep her attention, and that really helps me as far as getting housework done. As long as it's not the only thing LO is doing, then it should be fine.

FWIW, I think it's different to sit and have a program you want to watch and to just sit LO in front of the TV...sometimes you need to do things for yourself in order to be a better parent, and if that means taking 1/2 hour to yourself, do it!

LynsiBHM · August 2011

i'm in the "everything in moderation" club! Just don't use the tv as a babysitter and your LO will be just fine!

JanaVT9183 · August 2011

Don't feel guilty about it! The Sprout channel is what allows me to take a shower and get ready for work in the morning. I read to Luke and interact with him too, but if I didn't have the TV on while I got ready for work, he would whine and be fussy the whole time (it's only about 20 minutes). I don't think it's going to hurt him because he gets plenty of human interaction the rest of the day with us and at daycare. I think he even has a favorite show, "The Mighty Jungle." When it's on, he coos and laughs; it's really cute. And the best part is there's a character named Rhonda, which is my mom's name. The character is a rhino, and she's really bossy, so it cracks me up to associate her with my mom.

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