How Much TV Is Too Much for an Infant?

Your baby watches tv!!! *GASP*

Just kidding!

Okay child development people and others will tell you that it is not recommended for a child under 3 to watch any tv at all. And after 3 to watch very little. Watching tv has been linked to delays in language and even ADHD. So it's better if your child spends her time doing developmentally appropriate and educational activities.

However in the real world most kids watch some tv. As someone who is in the child development field I can tell you it happens to the best of us. If I were you I just wouldn't let her watch it all day long or in place of more important activities like reading with you--that is very important. As long as you engage her in a variety of other activities some tv will not ruin her life.

Think about this, if you are so stressed out because you can't get anything done around the house that is not good for your child either. Balance is the key. My son--who is 7--also likes the sprout channel and sometimes his baby sister--6 mos--is in her bouncy or playing on the floor in the same room and she likes to look up at the tv as well. There are so many worse things you could do to your children.

7 moms found this helpful

When our kids were real small, half hour or hour per day. That's it.
They can become little zombies if you start them on lots of TV very early.

Like my nephews. My SIL works from home and since the boys were about 3, she had them in front of the TV for several hours a day so she could work quietly in the home office.
Now they are 14 and 16. They do not involve themselves in conversation with family or grandparents. They do not make eye contact. They have traded in the days in front of Sesame St, and Thomas the tank for hours and hours of video games & movies on their big screen TV.
I saw them this summer. Asked what they were accomplishing over summer vacation. The 14 yr. old told me he had beaten 13 levels on a certain game. The oldest one told me he had watched every Sci Fi movie they owned, as was now working on switching around with friends.
When my husband asked for their help with dinner dishes, they said they didn't know how and went back to the computer.
This is not good. And it started with hours a day in front of educational TV.

6 moms found this helpful

My thoughts... you will hear all kinds of advice, I personally don't see anything wrong with it. My older two children grew up on TV, more than they should, however, they both spoke early, walked early, did a lot of things early, have been honor students, in advance classes and are in 10th and 8th grade now. My youngest is 4, he watches TV and plays video games, he's had a little bit of language delay but is right on track. I do believe the TV world is at a faster pace and if you child has signs or if there is a history of ADHD or anything like that, you may want to limit the TV. I really don't see a problem with it, just make sure your child gets plenty of exercise.

4 moms found this helpful

Researchers agree children under two should not watch tv. there are no benefits for infants and with the possible detrimental effects... why risk it? she needs to learn to entertain herself by looking around at the world around her-she will learn so much from this! tv teaches kids to have short attention spans! Wait till she's at least three then 1 hour a day! After four years it is not so detrimental BUT every minute they spend watching tv is time they are not conversing or interacting with humans, touching, feeling, exploring using their sense of touch, developing their fine and gross motors. Yes my kids watch educational tv (after the age of two- but not more than an hour unless he's sick.) and at age 4 and a half started watching Disney films

4 moms found this helpful

Great question.

There's recent research that suggests that any TV is bad for the brain development in young children – it actually rewires the brain and makes several critical areas of social and neurological development significantly less likely to occur on a normal schedule, or occur at all, in some cases. And the younger the child, the more critical the exposure. If you google key phrases like "tv and infant brain development" you'll find lots of research and summaries of the findings. Here's one such link, that includes the following summary of scientific findings: http://www.brainy-child.com/article/tvonbrain.shtml

"Negative outcomes have been observed in today's schools, which appear to be related to too much of the wrong kind of media exposure. An "epidemic" of attention deficit disorder, behavioral problems, faltering academic abilities, language difficulties (which extend to reading comprehension as well as oral expression), and weak problem-solving skills are reported by teachers across the United States… a growing body of research on television viewing clearly supports its causation role, with different children's tolerance thresholds varying widely."

4 moms found this helpful

I don't think a baby should be watching TV, keep her nearby you and play children's music if you want her to hear something.

4 moms found this helpful

People want to blame tv for behavioral problems that are in fact a matter of poor discipline. Elmo is not going to make your child brain damaged, ADHD, or a video game junkie. Let her watch, just be sure it is balanced with more interactive activities as well.

3 moms found this helpful

Most docs that I have talked to said to avoid TV until at least 2. Children seem to be mesmerized by the flashing light and especially infants look like they are watching, but really aren't. It can also lessen imaginative play, and attention spans.

There are plenty of moms that have used it as a way to get something done around the house, like a shower, or dinner started with no ill effects. I personally have never introduced it to my son, and haven't found a reason to yet. At 1 though, I would say 30 minutes a day max, if you absolutely have to, but that is just my opinion, no medical reasons or knowledge why.

3 moms found this helpful

Actually, doesn't the experts recommend NO screen time til age 2 or something like that?
Anyway, be choosy about what she watches and I would say less that 1-2 hours per day.

3 moms found this helpful

Since the 70s, research has shown that any tv before age 2 is detrimental to kids - it wires them with a short attention span. Put on music for her to listen to - beautiful classical music or kids songs - you are molding and forming her tastes and sensibilities even now. Our moms put us in a playpen for 45 minutes in the morning with toys so that they could get the housework done and know where we were - I did the same and it worked great! Plus you are helping them interest themselves without having to have the tv as a companion. This is a great gift to your child. Our kids have so many varied interests b/c they didn't have more than a video a week.

2 moms found this helpful

If you are concerned enough to ask for other's opinions I am guessing you think you should cut back. Trust yourself, you know your child and what kind of home you want to have.

2 moms found this helpful

Any tv is too much for an infant. Your baby is still 11 months and you've had her watching tv for a few months. The American Academy of Pediatrics and developmental experts recommend NO t.v. for under 2 years of age, and then only about 1/2 hour per day. 2 hours would be too much for a toddler. When we grew up, one year olds did not watch television. Kids were not in front of the tv all day - they were sent outside to play!
Also, if a child isn't glued/attentive, turn it off! At her age, there's nothing she needs to "learn" from television. She learns from you reading to her, from playing with alphabet magnets and from you counting things out as you use them in normal, everyday life. Kids learn best from you and from real life, not from a tv show. You are her best teacher, not a furry monster. Educational tv is not needed for babies. No educational program has been shown to enhance the intelligence of a baby (as per the class action lawsuit against Baby Einstein where they had to admit that there was no evidence that babies actually learned anything from their products)

2 moms found this helpful

In my old fashioned world, that is fine. You get things done and she is having
fun, so it works for both of you.

2 moms found this helpful

I think a little bit of TV starting about 6-8 months old is okay, as long as it is a "constructive" show.

My sister did a research paper in HS years ago about TV watching and found that a half hour to one hour of TV was best (this was per week!). TV watching was more detrimental the more you watched (I forgot what they measured or based this on - creativity, IQ, behavior or what. But my real life experience validates what she found so long ago) AND that those who watched NO TV at all also did not have any positive effects (again, I forgot just what it was...)

One or two 30 min shows a week is good. More than that is not so good.

I am a mom to a 8yo boy and know how hard it is to resist using the TV as a babysitter or entertainer but I *also* know how hard it is to deal with him after he's had a lot of TV/computer screen time. He gets sooo cranky, defiant, uncooperative, whiney, and downright obnoxious if he's had more than an hour of screen time a day!!!!!! (By screen time I mean TV and kids computer games. We don't get TV so our TV watching is DVD/VHS movies, and computer games are the kids online games like disneyplayhouse.com or lego.com, etc. He loves Plants VS Zombies on Popcap.com which I hate, and really turns him into a veggie zombie! it's soo addictive!!)

Anyway to answer your question, I think you are doing fine. Occasionally a good tv show, especially one that she is actively engaged in and learning from, is fine, as long as she doesn't whine and insist for it to be on all the time. I mainly try to use TV only when I need to shower or some other 'uninterruptable' time.

An example of how a little TV can be good: My son has train tracks and such, and after watching a Thomas video (or was it a book,uhmm now I don't remember!) about Thomas and the high high bridge, and Thomas and the magic railroad, I saw my son incorporate those into his play for a long time after that. (Ok, high bridge was a book, magic railroad was a movie, so play inspiration comes from both sources)

Do try to have days without TV, and days with little TV. If you find she is cranky, whiny, unable to play well independently, you know she's had too much TV and will have to deal with it for a few days as you "de-TV-ize" her then you'll have your normal sweet kid back. (that's when it's hardest not to just turn on the TV so YOU have a quiet sane moment to yourself tho!!!)

2 moms found this helpful

My LO has been watching tv since 11 mos. She's now 3 (this week) and has the most active imagination! She is constantly acting out things from Mickey Mouse or Barney and it is so cute! She also acts out normal things like playing doctor or a tea party. I really don't see any harm in it. I think it has made her a smarter, more creative kid because she sees different ways to play on her shows.

2 moms found this helpful

I have a 7th month old and I always have the tv on even know he's not watching it...for background noise! Sometime Mickey mouse or something will catch his attention while he is playing...i think as long as you don't plan to use it as a babysitter you're fine!!! Just my op though!!!

1 mom found this helpful

I know studies say no tv for under 2 year olds because even 2 hours can lead to delays with communication and possibly other things. On the other hand my 22 month old loves Sesame Street and other PBS shows and we struggle to keep her tv time limited to under 2 hours (my older one is 4 and is in preschool all morning so it is easier with him). If one of my kids is sick or the weather is bad we do make an exception. In some ways I'd like to keep the tv off all the time but if I did I would my family would rarely get a home cooked dinner, so you have to figure out what limits make sense for your family. Besides, I kind of enjoy watching Sesame Street, Backyardigans, and a a few other shows with the kids.

1 mom found this helpful

My kids have been watching TV for as long as I can remember! I always put it on for them if I needed to get something done. They are now 7 and 4, and both do extremely well in school. They get good grades, have very good attention spans (higher than that of many of their friends.) My 7 yo loves to read, and my 4 yo is learning to as well. So, from my experience it has not hurt them! They also have learned from the shows they watch. My 4yo is learning Spanish because she started to on Dora. My 7yo has learned Spanish, and some Chinese (from Kai Lan). She enjoyed learning new languages so much we have started learning some Punjabi from an Indian friend! I onlt allowed certain channels, and educational shows. I also made sure to talk about the things they were seeing/learning as well as spending time reading and doing activities. I think the problem starts when kids are dumped in front of the tube and they stay there! Or they have no other stimulating activities going on! Just my opinion!

1 mom found this helpful

My kids have learned so much from tv...they are 1 and 2. We have it on a lot during the day, if only for background noise. We watch Nick Jr and some Disney stuff, as well as PBS Word World, some Leap Frog DVDs, Baby Einstein (when they were younger), and my kids have active imaginations, they love to dance, and we try to balance tv with other activities, and we also watch together and interact together when watching, helping them answer questions and point out colors, characters, numbers, etc. My daughter (who is two) knows her alphabet, colors, characters, can draw real looking stick figures, and is just as smart as a whip. I'd say a majority of this comes from TV. My son has started to do things earlier than she was, and he talks and can mimic things from tv and knows characters and is also learning very fast. He loves his toys, he loves to color, and play with playdoh and loves to interact with other kids and animals. I don't think they are any worse off having tv in their lives. We as parents get a break to do the things we need to do around the house and the kids get to learn a bunch of things from tv. Spend some time with your child while watching to help them interact and understand, I think that definitely helps, rather than just "zombie watching".

1 mom found this helpful

I agree with Jen C! I love Sprout. Although I would skip the commercials - NOT A FAN of those on the channel! She's not just sitting there zoned out watching it, she up, she's dancing and clapping...she's enjoying it. She's associating with the characters. I don't think you are going to DAMAGE her. After, sit and read with her to balance it! Balance is KEY! I wouldn't let her sit there ALL day, but you aren't doing that!

1 mom found this helpful

All kinds of parents let their kids watch TV and they have no issues. If she likes it let her watch it, just limit it to a little each time.

1 mom found this helpful