Tv time

readyornot12345 · May 2014

Do you and dh have the tv on if baby is in the room with you? Aap I know says to not have kids watch any tv at all until they are 2 I think. Just seems like a long time to not be able to watch any tv (our lo doesn't sleep until around 10 pm) but of course I will do what's best for lo.

readyornot12345 · May 2014

See anytime we try to put the tv on lo just stares at it so we keep it off so far.

canicksmom · May 2014

The TV is on all day, but usually just for background noise. Often it's one of the (audio only) music channels or a baseball game. DS hasn't really shown any interest in TV yet, and I am perfectly fine with that!

chemily8 · May 2014

I personally think it's more of don't let the tv babysit your little one type thing. My 4 year old watched limited tv before 2 and she actually learned a lot from it! We live in such a different time with all of this technology, if used wisely I think it can be beneficial.

lifesaverz · May 2014

We do watch it here & there, but probably not more than an hour or two a day. Our LO is like yours, she loves to watch it, unfortunately. We end up having to place her where she can see it, otherwise she will strain her neck trying to, lol. She will still play at the same time but definitely watches. I feel like zero screen time would be next to impossible though. I don't worry about it too much.

snorticusprime · May 2014

We do zero screen time for LO. I do watch some in the morning while I am nursing her and she can't see it. She was paying more attention to it while We watched evening tv so now we don't have it on at all.

tyedyeme12 · May 2014

Hahaha ffsc, my tv is on all the time, and Jude watches it. Yes, he's usually doing something else while the tv is on (playing in his car, ballpit or exersaucer), but we hold him while we play video games, and he likes the lights flashing on the tv, and we don't lose our minds.

MissyC979 · May 2014

We have the TV on a lot. The baby will look over at it, but doesn't really watch it. It's just bright lights to him at this point.

KateVA · May 2014

We don't watch much TV. The older boys watch one show in the mornings but Henry is still asleep. If they watch something else in the early evening, usually when I'm making dinner, i put Henry in the kitchen with me. He will try to watch it if its on.

LittleA's · May 2014

We used to watch tv all the time - now we keep it off when LO is in the room. He will watch it if it is on.

Caitlinh27 · May 2014

Am I the only who honestly doesn't think it's that big of a deal how much "Screen time" LO gets? Our tv is on most of the day, and at least once a day I put it on Disney Jr. LO absolutely loves Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.

ScarlettV · May 2014

I know plenty of older kids who had parents that allowed them to watch tv as babies, and they are perfectly fine.

That said, I believe everything in moderation, and we try not to let LO stare at our phones, iPad, etc. I let him watch a bit of tv, but DH and I moved his tummy time gym to where he can't see it and let him play on that while we watch a show.

ScarlettV · May 2014

prettykitty2012 said:

Caitlinh27 said:
Am I the only who honestly doesn't think it's that big of a deal how much "Screen time" LO gets? Our tv is on most of the day, and at least once a day I put it on Disney Jr. LO absolutely loves Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.
Okay, but just because our kids like something doesn't mean that it's good for them, right? Experts have said that it IS a big deal, so there's that. Regardless, just like everything else we discuss on this board, every baby and family is different and at the least, practice moderation.

Are there real, scientific studies stating that tv time actually negatively affects babies brain development?

The stuff I read stated there were concerns over tv affecting certain skills like depth perception; for example, a ball rolling towards LO never actually gets to them like a real ball would...so in that sense tv could potentially slow those learning skills, but it wasn't anything concrete. There were no studies to back that idea.

jy725 · May 2014

No. We always have the TV off until LO goes to bed. We are out and about on the weekends and during the week at night we play since we are at work all day and she is at daycare.

notkateanymore · May 2014

ScarlettV said:

I know plenty of older kids who had parents that allowed them to watch tv as babies, and they are perfectly fine. That said, I believe everything in moderation, and we try not to let LO stare at our phones, iPad, etc. I let him watch a bit of tv, but DH and I moved his tummy time gym to where he can't see it and let him play on that while we watch a show.

I allowed DD to watch more TV than is suggested and she has SEVERE ADHD...so there is that.

ameegee · May 2014

KateMW said:

ScarlettV said:

I know plenty of older kids who had parents that allowed them to watch tv as babies, and they are perfectly fine.

That said, I believe everything in moderation, and we try not to let LO stare at our phones, iPad, etc. I let him watch a bit of tv, but DH and I moved his tummy time gym to where he can't see it and let him play on that while we watch a show.

I allowed DD to watch more TV than is suggested and she has SEVERE ADHD...so there is that.

My oldest nephew hardly ever watched tv as a baby and has severe ADHD as well. Meanwhile a couple of his younger brothers watch tv all. Day. Long. And are fine

iranwithscissors · May 2014

I've never restricted TV time for my boys. They enjoy it whenever they want to watch it, but when weather is nice they're outside more than in. The TV stays on pretty much the whole day anyway. LO will look at it occasionally, but he doesn't show much interest in it at all. And my boys do not have ADD or ADHD.

lp0 · May 2014

I'm sorry but I think it's impossible to keep all TV away from a child until two. DS watches tv and he has learned so much from it. He's 2 1/2 and already knows all his letters (upper and lower case), colors, shapes and numbers. I credit this to Super Why and Team Umizoomi (and we practice them).

I don't think there is anything wrong with it in moderation.

DD loves Mickey and Super Why too. I don't see anything wrong with that either.

tyedyeme12 · May 2014

super why and monster math squad ( wish that one played in America & not just on netflix)

notkateanymore · May 2014

ameegee said:

ScarlettV said:

I know plenty of older kids who had parents that allowed them to watch tv as babies, and they are perfectly fine. That said, I believe everything in moderation, and we try not to let LO stare at our phones, iPad, etc. I let him watch a bit of tv, but DH and I moved his tummy time gym to where he can't see it and let him play on that while we watch a show.

I allowed DD to watch more TV than is suggested and she has SEVERE ADHD...so there is that.
My oldest nephew hardly ever watched tv as a baby and has severe ADHD as well. Meanwhile a couple of his younger brothers watch tv all. Day. Long. And are fine

Yeah, who knows what causes what...but she's enough to keep me from letting him watch a ton as he gets older.

She's a handful!

KFED103 · May 2014

Loolaide said:
I use TV to distract both boys when needed. Everyone says not to use TV as a babysitter ... Sorry, but that's the only way I use it..

I agree. I have to sit on the couch for 20 min to feed a baby? You bet your ass I'll put on an episode of Dinosaur Train or Daniel Tiger to "babysit" DS and keep him from writing on walls. I'm not an idiot

Also, I never watched any kids programming until DS was 18 months-ish and knew what the heck was going on. I figured when they are babies they don't care if it's a cartoon or the Today Show. (Which also has bright colors btw, which I hate to break it to you...is all they care about)

Ktrue85 · May 2014

Jack has seen every episode of Colbert since he was born since I dvr it and watch it during his morning eats. I'll let you guys know when the smoke starts pouring out of his ears.

ameegee · May 2014

Ktrue85 said:
Jack has seen every episode of Colbert since he was born since I dvr it and watch it during his morning eats. I'll let you guys know when the smoke starts pouring out of his ears.

Same here. Our kids are gonna be awesome. And snarky

sabriel1 · May 2014

ScarlettV said:

Am I the only who honestly doesn't think it's that big of a deal how much "Screen time" LO gets? Our tv is on most of the day, and at least once a day I put it on Disney Jr. LO absolutely loves Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.
Okay, but just because our kids like something doesn't mean that it's good for them, right? Experts have said that it IS a big deal, so there's that. Regardless, just like everything else we discuss on this board, every baby and family is different and at the least, practice moderation.
Are there real, scientific studies stating that tv time actually negatively affects babies brain development? The stuff I read stated there were concerns over tv affecting certain skills like depth perception; for example, a ball rolling towards LO never actually gets to them like a real ball would...so in that sense tv could potentially slow those learning skills, but it wasn't anything concrete. There were no studies to back that idea.

To answer your question the answer is yes, there are several studies that show that screen time (depending on how much I'm sure) is shown to negatively affect brain development, especially in the brain of a baby/young child that is going through many quick changes.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/mental-wealth/201402/gray-matters-too-much-screen-time-damages-the-brain

This link gives a quick overview of the research with links to the scientific articles if you are interested further.

In addition, baby Einstein videos have been actually linked to poorer performance than children who have never watched them. I can't find the actual article that would be the scientific research though I remember seeing it at the time (2007/08 ish). Here is a link to the synopsis from Time magazine:

https://content.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1650352,00.html

I'm only commenting because you asked. My daughter (2 1/2) watches tv some days for up to 2 hours. As others have said I would never be able to pump otherwise. We use a laptop for tv so it is on the coffee table and she has to sit on the couch so the baby isn't able to see it. She started watching at 18 months (I didn't have much of a choice as she was in a cast from her armpits to her toes so could not move so there wasn't much to keep her busy). My son (almost 5 months) has not watched tv and I "plan" to keep it that way until 2 but to each their own.

I don't judge other parents for their screen time decisions but they should know the facts at least.

swirl25 · May 2014

Risalyn222 said:

Yeah,the tv is on all day. Not always watched but I need the background noise. My two year old watches much more tv than he probably should, but let's be real here I have 3 kids at super demanding ages. The only way the twins get fed and changed and played with is to occupy mason with something. Most of the time that's tv. When the twins are content I make sure that I read to him, or do a puzzle or art project or something not involving the television.

Exact same situation going on at our house. I just make sure LO is never positioned where she can actually see the TV.

ScarlettV · May 2014

Thanks @holly1416‌ . I will check them out when I get home. We were looking for info but a lot of what we found was non specific and worded like "good evidence shows"....

However, I did find this shortly after I asked (there's a summary without purchasing the article)

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022347607004477

penelopemaria · May 2014

My LO loves watching hockey. He'll watch 10-20 minutes at a time.

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