TV

dawnj08 · July 2013

What are your thoughts on LO 'watching' tv? I don't sit him in front of it by any means, but I keep it on the Food Network a lot during the day on weekdays for background noise when hubby is at work and sometimes I catch DS looking at it. I'm assuming he's noticing the colors and motion but my friend told me that they aren't supposed to look at tv until they are two. Sometimes I get freaked out and turn it off but then I feel silly for thinking he is actually watching tv. I mean is the blinking star he loves so much on his playmat really any different?

rjeller32 · July 2013

I think as long as you aren't planting your child in front of it all the time, it's not that big of a deal. Especially in how you described it, I wouldn't be concerned.

tracy41 · July 2013

I don't purposely put LO in front of the TV but I have caught him watching Curious George while his brother watches it if he's in the room.

I was angry though when I left him at his grandma's for two hours and came back to find him propped in front of the TV watching nickelodeon and was told the names of all the cartoons he "loves".

SidraJedi · July 2013

DH alerted me recently to computer and TV screens triggering a dopamine release. Here are two articles about it:

NY Times article

Sid Savara Blog

Here is what your friend is talking about:

TV can stunt your child's development

Educational TV for under 2s could stunt their brain development

Why TV is bad for babies

We're not letting DD watch TV under 2 or 3 and then it will be a family thing to watch something together. We also try to minimize her time looking at screens.

True story: my brother's daughter started watching tv at 4 months or so. She's 2 now, she'll read and play sometimes but mostly she loves curious george cartoons, scooby doo, etc. She says two words. Two. "No" and "Shoes" She is making some sounds for words like "Kuh" for cat. The professional my SIL talked to about it said that she has NO of signs of any disabilities, she is just developing slow linguistically. My niece makes me a believer in these articles.

ETA: clarity

MrsWindyCity · July 2013

The only time I have the TV on is if I'm nursing (and he isn't faced toward the TV obviously). If he's on his playmat or bouncer, we're just playing, etc. it's off. DS1 didn't actively watch TV until 2yo and I plan on doing the same with this LO.

ohlordy · July 2013

DD tries to sneak watching TV and I really don't like it because her development is so crucial right now and I think she would benefit more from interaction with family and her toys. The tv is on quite a bit here an I make a conscious effort to engage her in other ways, but she still sneaks it.

My family thinks its funny and my grandpa bugs me about it, always saying thst many kids watch tv and they turned out fine. He said he watched TV when he was little and look how he turned out, and i said "exactly my point, grandpa!" He also bugs me every time I come over to their house about how much longer I'm going to pump for and why make things harder for myself. Forever grandpa, forever.

He jokes with me a lot, but mind your own, gpaw.

skidderdo · July 2013

We don't own a tv. DH and I sometimes will watch movies on the iPad but only after LO goes to bed. We are going to try to avoid screen time like the plague until age 2, and then, as PP said, keep it in our back pocket for a rainy day/special family movie time kinda deal...

lkm2006 · July 2013

I have the TV on all the time. Mostly it's Disney jr for background but DS1 will watch it every now and then in between playing.

TV is exactly what you make of it. If you camo your kids out in front of it [at any age], of course that's a bad idea and it could be bad developmental. When your LO spends the majority of the day doing interactive activities, playing with you or siblings, playing outside.. I don't believe a total of 30 minutes [in a whole day!] of actually sitting still and watching TV or having it as background noise is harmful.

I'm just not so uptight about living my life based on studies or the potential what ifs. I know my kid, I know our lives and what works for us and in my book, a little Mickey here and there does us both some good!

ETA we can all have personal experiences that could make us have strong feelings about this. My niece LIVES in front of the TV but is the smartest kid. She just turned two and can talk very well, can say the abcs, etc. My son has never sat still longer than 5 minutes but is a bit delayed in is speech. Blaming TV makes no sense to me. Kids are different and develop differently.

jwebb0512 · July 2013

DS loves watching Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can you? on the iPad because of the silly sounds the narrator makes. We watch it, but I also read at least two books a day to him. We also FaceTime with daddy (who is deployed) everyday. Am I worried about it? Not at all. Most of our day is spent playing, talking, reading, swimming, or going out with friends. Just don't use it as a babysitter and you'll be fine.

Crequito · July 2013

My pedi said absolutely no tv for DD - there's a new study linking tv this early to ADD in kids. Well, I try to keep her away from it the majority of the time, like 80-90 % of the day. If it's on she's usually faced away from it anyway in her chair. I have put her in front of it with a cartoon on (she stares so quietly) just to run to the bathroom or to do laundry without her fussing because I'm not there stimulating her. It's very rare though. I also use the music channels to provide background noise when calming her for a nap, but then she's in my arms and not looking at the tv. We do tons of talk time and I read books and sing to her all day long so I don't worry about the minimal tv time she does get affecting her development. Only time will tell though.

I agree with other PPs - as long as you're not sitting your LO in front of the tv for hours on end then I think you'll be ok.

Pearls+Oysters · July 2013

I don't watch TV and we cancelled our cable many moons ago because it was a waste. Staring at the screen gives me headaches and the only time that TV is on is on Movie Night In. By then, Noah is already sleeping.

I'm not 100 percent against TV before two, but I witness my nephew becoming a Zombie Tot in front of stuff like Ninjago and whatnot. I don't want my DS to be like that; it's a pain trying to get his attention for ANYTHING.

pinottoparenthood · July 2013

LalaMama81:
Everyone treats this differently. For me, beyond the newborn stage of nursing around the clock, the TV stays off. My infants don't need TV whether its a kids show or adult programming on as background. I believe some research shows that it's an issue even as background. It's loud, distracting, over stimulating.

this in our house, too. OP, I would encourage you to do some research so that you can make an informed decision for you and your family.

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