Is a Little TV Really That Bad?

I was like you, I didn't want my son to watch any tav, it was bad and I wasn't going to do it. But then I talked to my pediatrician because sometimes I need a break and my son was getting very ill and didn't want to do anything. She said a little tav in moderation, as long as you also engage him in learning and development activities that don't involve tav won't hurt him. If he's not feeling well, we'll watch a disney movie or a baby einstein video, (he usually falls asleep during either). In the mornings if he wakes up before 7:30 am, (but after 6:45 am) he gets to watch Handy Manny or another Disney show (I like this one because of the spanish emersion, he nows says hello in english and spanish, and knows what it means). Sometimes he'll watch sports center with my partner when he gets home from work and they bond together. We just makes sure it's not too much in one day and that it doesn't take away from play or reading. Good luck and know that tav won't hurt them in moderation, just avoid it becoming a babysitter and you'll do just great. Good luck!!

R., i don't see any problems with it. you mentioned it's MTV, make sure the volume is down and talk to him about letting your son watch kids' stuff not adult stuff. mine watch mickey mouse clubhouse, lil mermaid, jojo, but in moderation. a bit in the morning and a bit at the end of the day. now with the beautiful weather they barely watch any but definitely during the winter.

I don't see anything wrong with it to an extent. My son's been watching baby einstein since he was 4 months old and he loves it. I only let him watch the learning type show, and the interactive ones. He loves stuff like the wiggles, blues clues, mickey mouse clubhouse...stuff that gets him involved. He's 14 months.

I've heard so many stories about the issue of kids watching TV. I'll be honest. My kids love to watch TV. They are 14 months and 5 years old. My pediatrician said it's okay to watch TV as long as the kids are interacting with it, rather than sitting there like a zombie. My kids love educational stuff like Blue's clues, Dora, Teletubbies and Mickey Mouse. I let them watch all of this because they interact and use their imagination. Also I think it's important to balance their activities throughout the day, just like you're doing, by reading books, playing with toys and other kids outside, etc. It's summer time so I take the kids swimming and when I need to cook I turn on the TV to distract them, no harm in that if they want to eat. My husband loves to use TV to distract the kids way too much, so i do get mad at him and tell him to read to the kids, tumble with them on the floor or take them to the yard and play with the bubbles. I used to watch TV a lot when I was little, but i also got to play outside a lot, and you know what?...I graduated with high honors from college!

I think the biggest problem is when kids are allowed to chose their programs when they are not old enough to do so. My son loves blues clues, dora, sesame street etc...and I have to say I loved sesame street as a kid and my parents got rid of the TV when I was 5 and never got another until I moved out. The problem I have is I have no idea what my peers are talking about when they are discussing shows so I guess "current events" or "tv trivia" are really or had been really bad subjects for me. Never saw shows like Charlies Angles or anything like that.
I guess what I'm saying is some TV is good and educational, especially the PBS ones and I think it is highly beneficial and my son has learned a lot from watching them. I also get him educational DVD's and some fun ones too (Disney). It is also important to read books.
I think as long as they are not sitting like zombies gaining weight instead of going outside and playing or being creative with lego, clay, blocks, puzzles, books as well as TV then there is a problem.
It sounds like in your case your son has some "bonding time" with your husband. Perhaps you could also arrange to have dad read a book at bedtime or some other time so that TV and dad coming home from work doesn't come synomous with bonding. Of course singing and dancing is great and I certainly wouldn't discourage it.
My son has PDD and didn't do that at 10 months..he didn't even walk or speak so anything to help him with his speech and development is important. As is for any child.

I don't see anything wrong with a little bit of t.v. everyday as L. as it is not the majority of the day.

No,I don't think there is anything wrong with it, especially if you or your husband are involved in watching it with him!! Every morning after he has breakfast, I watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Handy Manny on Disney with my 10 month old. He loves them. As soon as the Micky Mouse Clubhouse song comes on he stops whatever he's doing and starts dancing to it. I think if you're interacting with him while watching TV and you're doing it in moderation, there's nothing wrong with it. There are a lot of great programs out there that are very educational and targeted to this age range! I wouldn't worry about it! Have a great day!

Hi Rachel,

I think it's good that you are asking this question. There is a ton of literature on it and some people would tell you yes, there is a huge problem with it for children. The rapid change of images (the screens change every few seconds)can affect a child's brain development and some research has shown this to be the cause of the dramatic rise in autism, add, adhd etc. Also, when a child is watching an action on T.V. there is a response in his muscles, however he doesn't actually move his muscles, then later when the T.V. is turned off there is all of this pent up energy and you will notice that chldren often get wild after watching T.V. So it's not even the content that matters as I know there are very wonderful, educational shows on T.V., it's the effect of the rapid movement of the screens that have an effect on the developing brain. There are school movements like Waldorf that don't allow any T.V. at all.

We've been told that for my son especially it is crucial not to have him watch T.V. At first it was difficult but now I LOVE it and I much rather see him building and playing and doing art then watching T.V. As I said there are many books on it you may want to read...trust your intuition that you even came up with this question, not every mom does. Best, C.

R.,
I guess the best question would be how you and your husband really feel about it. This is a hard questions to answer because there is so much out there against children watching T.V.
If you choose to go that route, great for you! I can tell you I allow all of my children to watch TV. My youngest son and middle child thrived on learning from TV, VHS tapes, DVD's, Computer! I mean just thrived on it. I tired the old fashion way with him and it just did not work. My youngest has been watching T.V. too. In the beginning (3 months) it was only the Baby Development channel in bouncer while Mama took a shower or fixed dinner. Now we do in moderation... Like... When she eats breakfast she watches Sesame Street and lunch she watches Blues Clues. And every now and again on a busy and hectic day during dinner snack she will watch the baby development channel. I think that for us, we see the benefits of learning new words and letters, colors and such. Anyway, I think the decision has to be up to you and what you really feel led to live your life by. I personally see nothing wrong with it, especially since it has helped us in so many occasions with learning and we see the good benefits of it.
I believe that what you are doing will not hurt your son and that you are giving him plenty of interaction with other things as well to help with his brain and motor development. Good on you for asking the question. If we never ask, then we would not be parents. It is natural for a mother to want nothing but the best for her children and to search any and all avenues to get there. The more children you have, the more you will find yourself searching for the best! Don't fret, just the fact that you are asking the simple question shows you are a dedicated and loving mother!!
HTH
Jenn
Mama to Bryce~9 Austin~6 Taylor~1 1/2
Step Mama to Nich~15 Christian~14