Babies & Watching TV?!

The American Medical Association recommends no TV before age 2, and there have been studies linking tv to ADD. Will occasional tv "hurt" your child - probably not. It's when they spend too much time watching when they should be interacting. Studies have also shown that a child watching a real live person telling a story will be able to answer questions about it with accuracy while a child watching the exact same thing on tv will have to watch it numerous times before he/she can answer the same questions with accuracy. Interesting.

Occasional tv when you need a bit of a break is not a big deal, but it should be limited and used infrequently. I agree that babies would rather watch us do laundry and dishes while we chat to them, than watch tv while we get chores done.

I never watched any of the Baby Eistein DVDs I received as gifts - it just didn't seem right to put a 6 month old in front of the tv for my convenience. My daughter is 4 1/2 and reading at a 2nd grade level... she watched almost no tv before 2. My brother's house has a tv on all the time, whether anyone is watching or not. None of his 4 kids are very good readers or students. Of course, this proves nothing definitive, but I'd want to be careful about it.

I guess the real issue is:
Will anyone ever look back and wish they let their kids watch MORE tv? Probably not. But many people may look back and wish they had NOT let their child watch too much tv at a young age.

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I do not know of any study but think it is hogwash. How many mobiles have flashing lights and colors? I think this may be an outgrowth from too much TV for older children. I agree with that part.

hi S.
my baby is now 8 but when she was little i bought those baby instein videos because of the brilliant colors and classical music, experts said they stimulated the brian. which was good right? then years later studies came out that said kids who watched these developed speach problems or didnt talk untill much later because there were no faces or lips to look at and copy. so as with everything moderation, moderation moderation, she needs stimulation just not tons of it. and she needs it from you and other people because babies learn by copying. good luck!

I have a 4 month old too and I don't think it's of much use to just sit her there to "learn" something. I also have a 3 year old and I let her watch for 2 hours a day something like Dora or Disney, which is age appropriate and she really does learn from those programs and acts out things in her dramatic play, which I think is excellent. The baby does get drawn towards the light but certainly she can't understand whats going on! I have also heard the ADD/ADHD thing, something about the fast movement of some cartoons. If your talking about just having her there while you get to watch tv I don't think its a big deal, but just continue to pay attention to her and play. Once she gets older I think she should have an idea of these characters on tv because she'll know what people are talking about and even when teachers try to give examples of things from tv. Maybe even that picture of Dora on soup will help her eat better!

I don't feel it hurts your baby. Like you said they are only interested in the colors & movement. I use to turn the sound down & just leave the tv on for her to look at.

I work in a public school and believe me, it is so obvious which kids watch t.v. and play video games all the time and which dont.

We don't have cable and our son watches movies and that is about it. Limiting his t.v. has really helped now that he is starting school. He has a longer attention span, he is not as hyper as the other boys and I'm sure there are numerous other benefits. T.v. is not bad--however, limiting it absolutey helps.

I don't have the article (I think it was a BabyPartners thing), but recently I read an article about babies (under two yrs of age) that watch TV develop eye strain and their eyes do not develop typically. The article also stated that children who watched a lot of TV were more susceptive to reading delays when they went into school as a result of the poor eye development.

I let my first two watch much more television than my next two. I can say that my other two have better attention and I feel are more creative. They also seek out TV as entertainment less often.

I see no harm in it. As long as you are not sitting your baby in front of the TV all day long, a show here and there is not going to hurt them. Baby Einstiens and the other baby DVD's are great. My daughter has watched TV since birth, and is 2 and is in a 4 year old preschool class, not overweight, and extremely active and social. Hasn't harmed her at all! Just use your common sense when it comes to watching, and watch with your child as much as possible. Tell them what's going on, what that is on the movie, etc

http://www.cbc.ca/arts/tv/story/2008/08/20/french-baby.ht...

http://www.aap.org/advocacy/releases/tvapril.pdf

http://kidstvmovies.about.com/od/childrenstvnewsinfo/a/ba...

http://www.literacytrust.org.uk/research/TV.html

http://www.kff.org/entmedia/7239.cfm

Several of these have the scientific studies for you to review.

I have 3 children ages 5, 2 and 1... when we are at home, the TV is pretty much on all the time- whether we are actually watching something or listening to music or it just happens to be on. To tell you the truth, my kids could really care less that the TV is on. I think they just got used to it being on! They are usually playing outside, playing in the playroom, doing crafts or whatnot... they MIGHT watch about 1 hour of actual TV a day (Nick Jr. or Playhouse Disney) Now, I never just sat any of them in front of the TV as babies so they could watch for hours on end... although I did stick in a Baby Einstein once a day just to see if they would watch it (and no, they didn't for awhile.)

I will say we suspect that our oldest child is ADD... but there is a strong genetic history of ADD in my husband's side of the family... my husband, BIL and FIL are all diagnosed ADD as well as many of my husband's cousins. We don't suspect #2 of having ADD and it's too early to tell with #3. I grew up with the TV on all the time as well, and I am far from being ADD... but then again, I grew up with only 12 channels! Not the 500+ channels that we have now! As the PP mentioned, make it kind of age appropriate... not too much blinking and flashing.

As for the baby getting overstimulated... well, that can happen if you constantly play with your daughter. Just like us adults, babies need their down time too. And you will be able to tell when your baby gets overstimulated. Dim the lights, quiet the sounds and cuddle (go into another room if you need to.)

As an anthropology major...I would have to say that most of human history has not been cursed with mesmerizing television.
Yes, little kids are drawn to the light and action. They can not help themselves. Parents who think that their little ones love educational videos may be quite mistaken. There are now studies that show childrens' play is negatively affected by passive tv (stuff someone else is watching but the child is not).
It is then the responsibility of the parent to turn off the TV..to protect the brain development of the child.
I know of no studies that show television to be safe or beneficial for young infants and children (or adults for that matter...it makes one very passive). I have my daughter listen to music instead...she operates the CD player quite well!...she's 2.

Hi S.,

I dont have any science for my opinion, but here goes. Your baby probably is just watching the light and such, but if you are placing her in front of the TV to keep entertained while you are doing something, she will probably be just as entertained and happy watching what you are doing. That is what I have done with both of mine. When they were just a few months old and I needed to cook or do dishes, I just put them in their bouncy seat put them on the counter so they could see me (the counter was wide enough to do that safely) and when they started sitting up, I just put them in their high chair with little puffs or cheerios. They get more information from watching you that will help with development. Believe me, there is plenty of time later on for them to watch TV and then you will wish they have never discovered it. My son started really getting in to TV just before he was 2 and it was Elmo 24/7. My daughter is only 15 months and really hasnt gotten in to TV yet, but loves music, so I play music a lot and she runs around and dances and plays, and most of the time now that keeps her happy when I need to get something done. Hope this info helps! :)

I have a 7 month old and a 2 year old. My 2 year old has been fascinated with movies for a long time...and I mean real two hour movies. Not cartoons. He's allowed to watch movies, but I primarily let him watch educational programs. When he first started watching TV, I limited it to Baby's First TV. (Paid programing - educational TV for kids - I love this channel. It offers all sorts of programing and stuff for parents, too. ie. exercising with babies, sing alongs, reading, Spanish, etc. It's on 24 hours and is structured with morning and evening activities.) I have to say he was about 3 or 4 months when he first watched TV. But he was never all that into it...he only watched a little at a time.

He does not watch TV all day. His TV time is monitored. We fill his days with physical play, social time, lots of reading, quite time and free play time.

My son's passion are books. We probabaly spend a couple of hours a day reading. He also tries to memorizes books so that he can read them back to himself. So, I have no problem letting him watch a little TV everyday.

Our TV is not on most of the day. When it is on he ignores unless it's on for him to watch something. He does not have ADD/ADHD and is not overweight.

While we have worked with him in teaching him the alphabet, numbers, colors, shapes, etc. I know that educational TV has ceratinly helped him learn and retain the information.

My point in telling you all this is that moderation and knowing your child is key. If your kid is a vegetable in front of the TV, I'd say that's a problem. I think educational and interactive television can be a good learning tool. I am fortunate that my son has other interests. I do not believe that the American Academy of Pediatrics is the say all to everything. I do a lot of reading and I have read articles about how bad TV can be, and others that say the opposite. In fact the most recent article I read was in Parenting or Parents magazine, stating that some educational TV is not harmful. I had also read that the link between TV and ADD/ADHD is simply because children with ADD/ADHD are drawn to television and seem to like it more than kids without ADD/ADHD. (I have to find that article.) The Academy is there for guidance. At the end of the day it's our responsibility to know our children and what works for them, as well as being involved in what they do including watching television TOGETHER.

My 7 month old only likes one thing on Baby's First TV...so far, he doesn't care too much for it.

I offer you my experience and opinion. I too had struggled with this issue, and did my own research to come to terms with how I monitor my children's television time and feel good about it.

Best of luck,

S

Actually they have linked early TV watching with ADD and ADHD. Research it on-line and see what you find out. I know a lot of kids who are ADD/ADHD who spent a lot of time watching fast action TV cartoons and shows. If I had it to do over again, I would have kept them away from the TV for as long as possible. If you choose to let your child watch TV, limit it to age appropriate viewing, like the baby channel and things that are slower paced instead of constantly changing screens.

I think it is not a big deal. Really- and I don't really care about studies, I can only go off of my experience. Baby Einstein got my children and me through many car trips and plane trips. I say do what you want and don't stress over it. There are many other things to take that role in the life of a parent!

Why would you want a 4-month old to watch tv? Give the baby a mobile to look at or buy one of those play mats so she can lay on the floor and bat at it. There will be many years of you having to fight her about how much TV watching she does so don't start her now! No, she's not watching, but the noise and light can overtimulate her. Good luck.

I believe there have been studies showing a significant increase in the chance of ADD/ADHD. I can't site any off the top of my head, but know I've read about them. While I don't let my daughter watch a lot of tv, when she does, she gets so sucked in and I have a tough time pulling her away.

What I have read is that a child under the age of 1 1/2 should not watch any tv, and after that, only watch not more than 1 hour in a day.

Ok, I have definite input on this. My now 18 yo, bright and articulate son watched TV at the age of your child. I would put him in his playpen, surrounded by colorful, educational toys, facing the TV. Then I would put it on PBS about the time that Sesame Street started and would run for two hours straight. He would watch it, gurgling and waving his hands in excitement at his favorite muppets, and bounce his legs in turn to the music. Then, once when I fell asleep on the couch, while watching with him, he startled me with his opinions. Mr. Rogers Neighborhood came on, and as soon as the music started, Mike started crying quite noisily. He HATES Mr. Rogers to this day! So if they are not taking it all in, not getting it, and is damaging to them, how is it he knew the difference? He had a definite opinion that was obvious. And he really is a bright young man now, with no apparent damage from those two hours of Sesame street per day. Good luck with your choices for YOUR child, and don't let all the nay-sayers and doomsdayers ruin what YOU would choose for YOUR child. Get the picture? Hugs!

As a high school math teacher, I have a hard time trying to teach in a way that is fast-paced, with changing stimuli, sound effects, etc. because that is what kids today are used to. So many of their brains have become overstimulated, that they do not know how to concentrate on one task and use their brains to figure out a problem. So many times I have heard, "This is boring." And then they go home and complain to their parents that they aren't learning anything because I'm too boring. The parents feel sorry for them and sympathize with them. I haven't looked at the studies, but this is my own personal observation.

If I were you, I would give my child different things to feel, smell, squeeze, pull, etc. before I would put her in front of a TV. As she gets older, I would stimulate her creativity more by finding age-appropriate things that will give her opportunities to "entertain" herself. Then she won't come to you all the time and say, "I'm bored" and expect you to entertain her. Enjoy!

All of the official recommendations including from the American Pediatric Association say not to let kids watch any TV before they are two. It affects their brain development (yes even if is just lights and colors) and can contribute to all of the problems mentioned before by other people. Obviously small amounts of time are going to have minimal impact but the do recommend no tv at all.

As an early childhood educator, I have had to take all the early developmental classes. TV is not going to hurt your child. The scientific evidence says that children who are stuck in front of a TV all day with little or no stimulation from actual people can have developmental delays in their social and language skills. This is because the TV "voices" don't change their pitch or tempo thus the child is unable to respond in a conversational manner. They then don't get the opportunity to practice their developing skills. Just make sure your baby is not glued to Barney 24/7 and you'll be fine!

I'm not sure if there has been scientific finding int hat statement but as long as you daughter doesn't stay sitting in front of tv all day or for too many hrs at one time there shouldn't be a major problem. I know there are some parents that don't allow there kids to watch any tv but I don't see it as a problem as long as any kids do other activities. Good Luck

Yes, there is research that babies who DON"T watch tv till after 2 years of age tend to have slightly higher IQ's. However, there is nothing in the study to say WHAT they watch or HOW they watch. Both my kids watch TV. 2.5 years and 16 months. But only education programs and we watch TV together actively. I watch with them and ask questions about the show, etc.
Our daughter has always watched TV and when she was 21 months, she had developmental testing done. She has the IQ equivalant of 145!
Also, I think the outcome of the research has a lot to do with backgrounds of the kids. What were the economic backgrounds of the kids? How many siblings? Did one or both parents work? What type of other interaction (besides TV) do kids get? There is nothing in the findings to report such things.
On top of that (I'm a Psych teacher, so I know a lot on research methods and the info I'm about to share...you can Wikipedia it if you want), IQ is inherited, not something you can affect with TV. In many studies done, IQ was shown in idendical twins to have a very high correlation (even when twins were raised in different homes...ie adoption/twin studies).
So if you need a 10 minute break, there is no real proven harm in letting your daughter watch Wheel of Fortune. :)

Hi S.,
I don't think watching TV in it's self is bad, just don't let it become a babysitter. We have not had regular TV for over 4 years now. We have a TV for watching an occasional movie and that's it. We don't miss it either. We do more reading, get more work done, and more school work done. I'm back in college and our youngest child is in the fifth grade.
good luck, Marlene