My 2 year old daughter blinks constantly when she watches anything on television. We have a flat screen and do not allow her to sit very close. She does not blink any other time even when coloring or looking at books. Any ideas? I intend on speaking with our pediatrician at her next checkup but just wondering if anyone has seen this before.
Thanks to all who responded. I just wanted to answer a few of your questions. The only thing she watches is the newest Barney DVD. She is not interested in anything else and she doesn't sit very long when she watches Barney. We are a very active/outdoor family so the "Barney" time is less then 30 minutes total. I think the possibility of near sightedness is probably the case. I am definitely going to discuss with the peditrician! I will also take a look at the lighting. I've asked her teacher at daycare to monitor her as well to see if it is happening there.
Thanks to you all! I will update you after her check up!
I do not have any idea, but toddlers go through so many weird stages, like my 2 year old daughter, she took her sweet time to start walking my husband and I thought about physical therapy... she also likes to sort all her toys by size and color, go figure!
I am sure your daughter is fine and the peditrician will only ease your mind.
I live in Grovetown, where do you live? Maybe we can get together for a playdate!
When you see your Pediatrician have her eyes checked. The blinking may indicate that she is trying to focus and it be tiring out her eyes. From your description she may be near sighted. Does anyone else in the family have glasses? At least it is a problem easily corrected if this is the case!
This happens often during this age. My daughter is 4 and did it for a spell when she was 3. We thought maybe her vision needed attention but we found out that kids actually go through this phase where they blink constantly or at certain times as a habit similar to biting nails. Don't hesitate to get it checked though just in case.
Your daughter may be watching too much television. Very young children should not watch anymore than 1/2 to 1 hour of tv a day. TV watching in young children has been linked to autism and ADHD/ADD. Try not having the tv on while she's up and playing. Encourage other activities, and allow her to watch a favorite show each day. Then, you also have something to use as a reward for good behavior ("after you clean up your toys, you can watch ---- on tv"). If she still blinks a lot after reducing how much tv she watches, consult your doctor. It may be that she has poor eye sight.
K.:)
A.,
Just wondering what became of the blinking. My daughter just turned 9 and is doing the same thing. Some say it is a nervous tic or habit that will go away on its on. I have been instructed by the eye doctor and pediatrician not to call attention to it. They did give us drops for allergies just in case but I thik it happens when she is stressed. It first happened after she spent the night with a friend and stayed up late playing video games.
It pains me to watch her as I don't want her to be teased about it. Any info you have would be great.
K.
Remember adds are flashing at a rate of 5000 times per day. In addition there are per second screen changes in any given show.
Your little one may be overwhelmed by all the things happening. I guess I would ask what kind of show is she watching. There are fewer per second changes on kids shows but even thoses are frequent and may be to much for her.
How much tv is she watching? What is the lighting in the room? As well as a chat with a pediatrician and a pediatric eye doctor as well. (Just so you can have two opinions)
Sorry for the delay...i flaggeed this to respond to and then forgot. A 3 year old in my preschool was doing the same thing but only when an adult was talking to him. The mom took him to the dr and they discovered that it was a dry eye condition. He only did it when talking with adults because he was looking up at them. It turns out that your eyes get drier when looking up. This could be the same thing if your daughter is looking up at the tv. Thought this might help.
