TV Time

CottonGirl · May 2014

So I know that studies say that babies shouldn't even watch TV until they are 2. But mine does and he'll be 2 in October. I feel like limited amounts is ok. He loves Sesame Street and Thomas the Train! Plus, I have to admit, it's nice to be able to wash the dishes while he watches Elmo. Just wondering how everyone else feels about TV watching. Hope you all are having a great day!

divajackie67 · May 2014

The TV is not on all day, but when I need to get things done he can watch a show. He loves Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Sheriff Callie on Disney Junior. I believe life requires balance. We read to him, play outside, play with toys, he plays alone, etc. Sometimes mommy needs to get dinner ready before Daddy gets home.

Beth.1212 · May 2014

We keep the TV off in our house. We're scientifically inclined (husband is in biology, I got my degree in physics), and the studies showing the concerns about TV convinced us. There's no evidence that the TV can do any good at our LOs ages, and TV use is linked with delays in language acquisition, ADHD, aggression, and some other things.

If you want to see some detailed/cited and interesting info/stats, check out "Brain Rules for Baby." He covers TV a bit. (Among other things. It's a really interesting book overall!)

[Deleted User] · May 2014

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minervacullen · May 2014

I'm not too concerned about tv. My kids watch it daily, mostly anyway, but not all day or anything. A few shows here or there.

Totally anecdotal, I know many adults who watched a great deal of tv as children who have various degrees from BS to PhD. They're all intelligent, well rounded, normal (though maybe a bit nerdy

) adults.

As long as you don't plop the kid in front of the tv all day, I don't have an issue with it.

pb_bride · May 2014

I'm one of those who feel strongly about no TV, at least until 2. I'm SAHM so I'm with him all day. TV doesn't go on at all when he's awake. We go out to play, go to play dates, go to playground etc.

Luckily, my son is one of those kids who can play independently, though not always when I want him to. If he's being clingy when I'm cooking, I'll put him in his highchair and give him crayons/markers to scribble.

I know a little TV probably won't hurt a young child, but my belief is

1) DS will have the rest of his life to watch as much TV as he wants, so why start early, and

2) I don't know of anyone who regretted NOT letting their kids watch TV before 2.

Have you ever heard a mom say, "I wish I had let my DD/DS watch more TV, instead of playing/reading together?"

jnnfrrose6 · May 2014

pb_bride said:

Luckily, my son is one of those kids who can play independently, though not always when I want him to. If he's being clingy when I'm cooking, I'll put him in his highchair and give him crayons/markers to scribble.

My son can play independently and he's been exposed to TV. Pretty sure one=/=the other.

OP, we do limited TV too. Some evenings Sprout TV goes on from 6-7 during their "Goodnight Show." He tends to loose interest when the Berenstein Bears come on, and I change it when Thomas is on because I can't stand that show. Have you actually paid attention to what those trains are doing? They get told to do something, then decide not to do what they were told for various reasons (got distracted, got jealous of another train, thought they had a better way to do it, etc...) and then "learn" that they should have done it the way they were told the first time. Every.Single.Time. It's awful. Just do what you were told the first time.

Anyways, back to the topic, most studies that have been done were based on television not necessarily designed for the youngest children. There is a shifting focus on some of this and the various effects of screen time (TV or tablet) and so there is some more recent debate on how negative it really is. I think most people would agree any child parked in front of a TV for extended periods of time is not getting what they need, but moderation, as with anything else, is key.

minervacullen · May 2014

DS was obsessed with Thomas from about 3-5 years. OMG, save yourself now!

=Lee=B · May 2014

My 14 month old gets maybe 20min a week. And that is only because we discovered she loves Barney and we like to watch her boogey to the songs. We just don't have time when she's awake to have the tv on. I run a home daycare and get paid way too much money to have the tv on during the day. After daycare hours it's supper, play with daddy time, then bedtime. Weekends are usually busy with outings and errands etc.

dufferoo · May 2014

I don't really believe any amount of TV is ever *good* for anybody, at any age, but I'll be honest, if I could get my 20-month-old son interested in a half-hour show a day so I could actually get something done, I probably would. To me, if it's gonna keep you from going nuts, then clearly the benefits outweigh the risks!

brachysira · May 2014

We didn't do TV her whole first year. Now I am pregnant and want to die (nausea, exhaustion) a lot of the time. Due to this, her TV viewing has drastically gone up, and she really likes TV. We go to library storytime, the park, she has 9 hours/week with a great baby-sitter, we get out a different indoor toy and play with it each day, we run around in the yard, but she still watches more than I wish. I will be busy when the new baby comes, and I'm afraid TV will continue to be a part of our lives, but I think I will feel better physically and we all can go out more. Before new baby arrives, we are planning to do a week of mom and me nature camp, mom and me swimming camp, and will get some outdoor toys--summer is a much easier time to keep the TV off. I just hope it has not done irreparable damage. She has a huge vocabulary at 15 months, and a lot of it is obviously directly from TV, so I'm hoping it's having at least some value for her.

Mommymorticia · May 2014

I'm not against some tv. I have been going through some shows just to see what there is nowadays and to see if he has any interest. He dances to the theme song and then that's it, lol. He couldn't care less about the actual educational show.

pb_bride · May 2014

jnnfrrose6 said:

pb_bride said:

Luckily, my son is one of those kids who can play independently, though not always when I want him to. If he's being clingy when I'm cooking, I'll put him in his highchair and give him crayons/markers to scribble.

My son can play independently and he's been exposed to TV. Pretty sure one=/=the other.

I wasn't implying that my son plays independently is due to no TV. My comment about him playing independently was in answer to those who said they turn the tv on for the kids so they can do something else (eg, cooking, getting ready for work, or simply need a break).

If my son didn't play independently and needed my attention all the time, I probably would let him watch some tv so I could get some time to do stuff, or simply keep my sanity.

ashiscute · May 2014

Both my kids watched TV before two. Usually only 1 show per day but some days it's more and some days none at all. We only ever watch Disney Junior mainly Mickey or Jake. Although DD is starting to like Doc McStuffins more. I don't really think it's an issue unless you have it on all day or are too busy watching your own shows to pay attention to your LOs.

I'm not a huge TV fan personally so it's rare for my kids to see the TV on unless it's their show.

honeydew01 · May 2014

My DD is 14 months old and I actually don't mind if she watched a little TV but she doesn't care for it at all. The other day I was very sick and lacked energy to keep up with her so I put on the Leap Frog Letter Factory in hopes that we could watch it together but she didn't care for it at all. I probably have the only kid who doesn't like cartoons or tv..

kjsmith9 · May 2014

DD doesn't watch much - I feel like we're too busy to even have it on 99% of the time. If I really need to get something done I'll turn on PBS and let her watch Sesame Street, Peg and Cat, or Curious George (those 3 tend to be what's on when I turn the TV on). This is maybe once a week. We do watch sporting events on the weekend, and she'll look up and be like "A BALL!!!!" but then she's off and running around again.

jasminelorraine20 · May 2014

DS will be 2 next month and I'm perfectly ok with it. He'll maybe glance at it for a total of 5 minutes if there's some funky music playing or he hears Elmo. We watch Sesame Street in the morning while getting ready for DC and in the evening I'll have on the Cosby Show while I'm cooking or doing chores. He much rather play with his toys or grab a book then watch tv.

skibunny59 · May 2014

I'm not really a fan of tv for any kid no matter what age but I don't judge parents who use it in very limited amounts.

The tv is always off at our house and we don't put it on for DD unless we really need her to sit still. This is rare. She is usually fine entertaining herself while I do chores or a lot of times I involve her in chores. We used to put it on here and there if she asked for it but limit it to 10-20 minutes per day. We found that the more we put it on, the more she would ask and the more tantrums she would have once we would turn it on. Now she rarely asks and when she does, it's usually very easy to distract her with something else.

She does watch some tv at my mom's but only 20 minutes a day and I have learned to just let it go and not worry about it.

beckcour · May 2014

DD had no TV for the first 16 months. Then the winter from hell hit. I had to turn it on to keep from going stir crazy. I'm a hard core TV watcher and was surprised I kept it away from her for that long.

She loves Super Why and The Chica Show. She'll ask for one of them and I don't mind turning it on. She watches for 10 minutes then goes and does something else.

Jackiemxoxo · May 2014

We let dd watch the tv for limited amounts of time. I think you have to do what works for your family. My siblings and I grew up watching tv and we all turned out alright.To be honest, I am more cautious about the amount of time she'll spend on a computer or her cell phone when she gets older than I am about her watching tv.

emberlee3 · May 2014

I totally agree with PPs that Thomas the Train has the worst message of any show ever. And it's really annoying. And I have watched at least 100 episodes.

I have not been strict about no TV before 2 with DD because DS sometimes likes to watch a show. Maybe 3 or 4 times a week. DD doesn't pay attention at all and is usually in another room. DH watches a lot of sports on the weekends. If it were up to me, the TV would be off 99% of the time.

hilsy85 · May 2014

LO only became interested in the TV a few months ago. He maybe gets 20 minutes a day (2 10 minute episodes of Fireman Sam, which is the only show he watches). I try not to do it every day, because I notice he does tantrum more when he has watched it several days in a row. But honestly, sometimes that 20 minute break is what I need to get dinner made, clean up the house, and go pee by myself.

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