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Toddlers: 12 - 24 Months
ECT2012
member
How do you feel about electronic devices as entertainment?
ECT2012
member
J has never watched TV, hardly ever played on a computer or anything, but has shown such an interest in animals lately that we downloaded an app with animal noises on our Kindle...
Long story short: she played with it for a good 10 minutes this evening while I prepared dinner.
And it was kind of heavenly...
Where do you draw the line/how do you feel about iBabysitters?
This discussion has been closed.
Re: How do you feel about electronic devices as entertainment?
I don't have a tablet, but I put Play With Me Sesame on tv for DS when I'm cooking dinner and DH isn't home. He loves Elmo already, and that kind of bugs me...I mean he's only 13 months old, he probably shouldn't light up with smiles and giggles the second Elmo comes on.
I limit it to only once a day, except for when he's been really sick. Those days he and I both veg out on the couch together. I don't think it's the end of the world, but I also don't think he needs to be watching tv all day either. I'm an everything-in-moderation type of person.
I allow DS to watch a little bit of TV every day, but I make a point to talk to him about what he's seeing. I also interact with him (clapping when the people on TV are clapping, pointing out objects in the show, etc.) to make it a more engaging activity. He also has a couple of apps on my iPod he likes to play with, but I do the same thing. He likes an animal app too, and I do my best to point them out and tell him what they are, even if the app says the animal.
I suppose my opinion for now is that I don't see a problem with limited screen time as long as you're engaging your child. A quick 10 minute unsupervised period won't melt their brains in my opinion as long as TV isn't the centerpiece of their day. My opinion probably won't be the popular one, but I don't think TV/apps are the devil. It can be a good learning experience and a great way to bond.
The TV is always on, and DS hardly pays attention to it unless he's really tired or hear's music, to which he starts dancing. Occasionally I'll let him play with the Paint Sparkles app on my phone...that lasts about 1 minute. I have an animal noise app too, and I let him play with it but I sit there and do it with him. There's another with music he likes to dance too.
He used to reach for my phone all the time, now I try to keep it out of sight. He plays with it once a week if that. I'm trying to avoid the phone dependancy except in unique (and desperate) circumstances.
DS watches tv maybe every other day - usually if I'm trying to get something done or cooking dinner. He has his own little laptop (one of the Leapfrog ones), but that is it as far as electronic entertainment.
I don't really use apps on my phone myself, and I don't let him play with my phone unless I'm out in public and desperately need a distraction. I prefer not to do that, though, and use shopping or running errands as opportunities to interact with DS and teach him to pay attention to what's going on around him.
I let DS watch TV in moderation.
He doesn't play with the computer and we don't have Ipads or smart phones.
I think electronics are okay in moderation. I draw the line at about twenty minutes...but he's usually off playing with his toys at that point.
I don't love them.
My son watches at most 2 episodes of Yo Gabba Gabba per day, and that's more than I'd like. But he absolutely does not play with a phone or tablet, ever. I also limit toys that take batteries. I firmly believe that kids learn best through play and exploration of their envrionment. It doesn't mean that I throw a fit every time my sister pulls out the animal sound app on her phone, it just means that I don't like to use them everyday. There's plenty of time for him to use electonic devices as he gets older, so I'd really prefer to keep that type of stuff to a minimum.
This. DD (14 months) LOVES Mickey Mouse Clubhouse which teaches all kinds of math concepts and problem solving. I watch it with her and it is a VERY interactive show. We also have the tv on all the time when we're home, but she doesn't pay attention unless there's music or it's Jeopardy or there's a dog or elephant on. Both DH and I have smartphones and we have a kindle and laptops and yes we have apps for her to play with/watch if we are in a situation where we need to distract her, but even then she prefers to watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.
I draw the line in my own house. I can't control what happens if we go on a play date or something like that. There have been times a friend has the tv on for their kids and it really isn't my place to ask for it to be turned off. In our house, now that LO is 18m once in a while on the weekend I will let her watch 1 elmo video (all of about 2 minutes) from seasmestreet.org or I will let her have a 'baby genius' type video on that talks all about animals while I take a super fast shower, maybe 10 mins max and she doesn't really watch it either. If i had a kindle or tablet, and the app was very similar to an interactive book then I would do it with LO. I think the lack of interacting with your child is the biggest issue for me. As a single parent, when I usually cook dinner LO will sit on the floor with her 100 first animal book- I will ask her to find one of the animals on the page and then we review the sound it makes. Some times she reads it to me other times I have to 'help' her with the animal sound or which one is correct.
I'm fine with it in moderation. Like everything else common sense and all that jazz. We also so 100 other stimulating fun activities in a day. I'm not worried about 1 show or iPad time while I take a shower. There are also some great interactive learning apps out there. I know its how my kid learned shapes.
I feel like most toys have a time and a place. It all balances in the end wit moderation so I try not to stress about what my kid plays with.
The TV is almost always on in our house, but DD pretty much ignores it. Only time she even stops to look at it is when a baby, kitty or dog pops up during a commercial....but I don't think she's ever looked at the screen for more than 1 minute at a time.
DD does use our iPad and we have an old iPhone that she can use. But, she never just sits there alone playing with them....in fact, she refuses. She wants to sit on our lap and have us interact with her.
And, I truly believe a few of the apps on the iPad have helped her learn shapes, colors, identifying animals/objects. She also loves looking at pictures and watching videos of herself. She's at daycare all day so it's not like that's all she does....we probably play on the iPad an average of 20 minutes a day.
DD loves the DVD "Elmo Singing with the Stars" - and me and DH love it too. It has Elmo and other Sesame Street characters singing with famous stars (REM, Goo Goo Dolls, Sheryl Crow, etc) and they have changed the lyrics for kids. She loves to dance and clap her hands, it's quite fun. Other than that, she really doesn't care for TV, which is fine by me.
I think that many of the cartoons out there now are more educational, but at 14 months, I don't think she can appreciate it yet. Basic concepts such as spelling, math as well as social skills (identifying feelings, sharing, etc) can be useful when she's older.
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If LO is using apps on my phone he's sitting on my lap doing it. If the TV is on he typically doesn't even watch except for when the theme songs come on...otherwise he's playing with his trains or trucks, or wanting to be read to.
I guess DH helps out a lot in that regard, we take turns...but I doubt ten minutes on the tablet is babysitting.
DS watches TV every day. I have no issue with it at all. We usually watch 1 or 2 episodes of Yo Gabba Gabba after dinner. (There is obviously no TV at his daycare center, where he does educational activities all day long).
I don't let him use my phone or iPad, but that's mostly because I am afraid he will break it.
He doesn't do television - no attention span for it. And he thinks the tv is a radio since we use the On Demand music channels instead of watching television when he's around. So when he points to the tv, it usually means he wants to dance.
As for screen time, I think of them as "tools" for when necessary. I don't want him being one of those kids who always has to be "plugged in" when he gets older, and I think that's going to be a big issue for his generation. I downloaded an app on my phone where he could make animal/robot/instrument noises during his worst diaper change period - where he was screaming and fighting and rolling and I would use it for that. But since he grew out of that phase, I haven't needed to give him my phone. I downloaded a television show and some apps on my ipad for our last plane trip, but I couldn't get him interested in any of them, again, his attention span just isn't there.
It was slowly phased in around here after 20mo. Honestly, as a SAHM without close family/friends who can relieve me for a spell, I use it. I try not to use it too much, and I always preview what she is watching/playing with. But it's a tool like many others (toothbrushing hasn't been a battle *AT ALL* since we started letting her watch Dora or Diego during toothbrushing), to be used judiciously.
I do follow the 2hour/day max (and we usually don't do that much) and never more than ~25min at a time. (So, there may be three periods in the day where she gets to watch something - before lunch (so I can make lunch uninterrupted), after nap (she transitions out of nap slowly, and having something like that she can watch helps her) and during tooth brushing right before bed.)
DS gets to watch TV at MIL's house, but not at home, and we pick what he watches. Mostly Caillou and Thomas. We're over there maybe 1-2 weekends a month. He does know how to open Netflix on our phones though and we have a couple apps for him. My phone was a lifesaver when I had to take him on a 5 hour plane trip by myself. He actually has learned to recognize letters from the Endless Alphabet app and now he's really interested in pointing them out everywhere. But I feel guilty if he uses it too much so I try not to leave it where he can get to it.
One great alternative to the TV for us is Sesame Street sing along albums. He'll sit and listen to them while I make dinner, it's great. Plus I love Jim Henson so I never get tired of them.
I think 10 minute of an app like that-nbd. I think speaking in general terms screen time is detrimental to young toddlers developmentally especially electronics like phones/iPads. With television at least it can become part of their imaginiative play and encourages interaction so in limited doses it can Serve a purpose. I also think shows being short helps keep exposure low while its so easy to get sucked into a few ipad games and then notice an hour has passed. With apps and such I don't see the benefits. Sure, it can teach some basic rote memorization like color recognition though most kids will naturally learn that from an engaged parent. Otherwise it's terrible for critical thinking skills. It's weak at best as a fine motor activity.
I think as a society kids aren't learning social rules. A parent throws an iPad in front of their face while they wait for a meal at a restaurant or in a doctors office and I think it's really unfortunate. I don't really have an issue with a mom of a high needs 12 month old needing a half hour in the morning to take a shower and grab a cup of coffee so they let their kid watch Mickey Mouse so she can get ready for the day. I don't think it's going to hinder the child in any way. I think when tv is kept on as background noise or when children's programming is on too much can it cause harm.
We watch Sesame Street. I have to get dinner on the table every night so when Im doing that, on it goes. She loves it. She dances with the songs, counts when the characters count, tries to sing along, etc. It's a daily occurrence in our home. I'm not worried about any ill effects. She gets plenty of non-screen time and honestly, having something to entertain her for an hour saves my sanity. I can cook, catch up on other stuff around the house, and have some down time.
I think spending a limited amount of screen time on age-appropriate things isn't the end of the world. And if my kid doesn't get into Harvard because I let her watch Elmo, so be it.
right now at 17 months he has almost no screen time. during football season and march madness the tv has been on around him for short periods of time, but the tv gets paused if he starts to pay attention. we've been on playdates where the tv is on at someone's house, but he rarely watches it. he's watched a video of himself or seen a photo that i've taken with my iphone, but we don't let him play with our phones/ipad.
i watched a ted talk right after he was born about why he shouldn't watch tv, and it stuck with me (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BoT7qH_uVNo). it'd be really easy to get into the habit of throwing on a show, or watching one of my shows while he's playing, and i decided not to go down that road. eventually he will start watching tv, but i made it a goal to delay that. i know i'm in the minority and a little over the top about it, but it works for us.
i'll be very curious what these newer studies that a PP referenced say, b/c the 19-month-old girl down the block watches a lot of tv and also has a very advanced vocabulary. my husband and i have def wondered what role tv has played in that, and recognize there could be some benefits that my son is missing out on.
Sorry, but that's quite ridiculous. While I'm not a t.v. advocate nor do I have actual television access, I have recently bought DD Maisy's ABC (a cute little show for preschoolers or whatever). And guess what? She immediately started saying the alphabet. Not the whole alphabet, mind you, but some of it in order and not when she's watching the show. I do agree that's it's not so great to put your kid who can't walk or move or do much of anything so they're just staring mindlessly at the screen. Oh, and BTW, DD is almost always running around and playing while her show is on and not even paying attention. And no, I'm not saying the show did something for DD that I couldn't have done. That, too. would be ridiculous. I have just focused on other things, but now that she's excited about the alphabet, I went out and bought alphabet flash cards with pictures of animals that she has found very fun. Yep, if I would have bought the flashcards first, it would have came up in natural play and exploration, but I didn't...so there!