Too Much TV

Hi T.. I love what Robin M. wrote you earlier today. She's right on target. She said she initially allowed TV; but once she learned about how it impacts the developing brain of an infant, she keeps it off until her little one is in bed. First of all, please don't feel bad about the TV your baby has watched so far. We're all doing the best thing we can as Moms and the people doing the marketing for "Baby" shows and DVDs are very convincing. I'm biased toward no TV until a child is 2 (this is what the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends for scientific reasons). My in-laws and some of my friends literally thought I was crazy. But, based on the reading I've done, an infant is not really gaining anything positive from TV due to limited receptive language skills and underdeveloped visual skills. So, the language she hears on TV is way to fast and not repetitive or salient enough for her to integrate it into her language web in her brain (especially without any kind of tangible object for context). The visual imagines are also going way to rapidly for her eyes and brain to process them. So, what she's seeing is flashing lights - maybe similar to the flashing you see on the wall in a dark room when the TV is on. I agree with Robin M., that I've heard of a link between lots of TV and attention problems. And that makes sense right? Also, I've worked with a little guy (and this is just one example b/c all children are so different and wouldn't be impacted in the same way) who demonstrated some really significant language and social interaction delays. His Mom (who is a great Mom) was sucked into thinking that Baby Einstein was the best thing for her little guy. He watched A LOT of these DVD's per day (several hours per day) and his language was VERY delayed. He was also interacting with others and his environment in ways that made him look mildly autistic so we were monitoring him for that. Mom looked into the TV watching and has since done an AWESOME job of limiting it and doing other activities with him. His language skills are exploding! Again, this is just one child, but please know that your sweet little girl will get so much more from looking into your face for smiles and facial expressions and hearing your voice, than she could ever get from TV. Also, try books. They include the colorful images your baby would like to see but you can go slowly through the pages talking to her the whole time. I like someone else's idea of using a window, since baby's like looking toward light (just don't let the sun shine into her eyes). Talk to her about what's outside and although maybe she might not see it yet, she's hearing your language as you describe what you see. Other people mentioned music. Classical music is great for them, but if you like words, there's a great CD by Elizabeth Mitchell for little ones. The songs are folksy and nice. Not too peppy, but catchy. I loved that one. Mobiles are great and those play mats that they can eventually interact with are also good. I wish you well. Sorry for such a long response-I'm really passionate about this topic, as you can tell. The most important thing is to talk, talk, talk to her, even if you do sit down in several months with a TV show on. Best wishes and enjoy your sweet daughter.

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Turn it off. This is a joke, right?

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no reason why a 2 mth old watching tv shut it off put on music .

Simple enough - don't put your DS in front of the TV. Turn if off and listen to the radio. Stimulate her other ways such as mobiles. YOu can make them out of cardboard. Color them red, black and white. Put her in a swing, or even better stand with her by the mirror. Even better - let her stare at your face ;-) Babies love that much more than TV.

My 4 month old LOVES tv as well. I'm not sure but I don't think that it is a problem right now because they are so young..like I only think that they are really watching the movement and colors..but I do only let him watch it if my husband and I are watching a show at night..during playtime and mostly during the day I keep the tv off and we just read books and play with his toys or take walks around our neighborhood..I think when they are older we should def limit their tv watching but for now it is not a big problem! Good luck!!

C.

I know everyone is saying "turn it off" (and obviously, that would be best) but I remember very clearly how much of a lifesaver TV was to me at that age (for me, not the baby). At 2 months my baby was nursing 10 hours a day and I would have gone CRAZY if I couldn't have watched TV. So, what I did was this: I sat so that the baby couldn't see the TV when he was nursing, and I only watched when he was actively nursing. I also upped our Netflix subscription to 5 at a time so I watched DVDs and not TV-- that way when he stopped nursing I could pause the program and not feel like I had to finish it. It also is a bit easier at this time of year to get out when they are not nursing.

Frankly, I'd worry more about TV in 4 months than I would now. They are pretty oblivious at 2 months-- just know that you can't use TV as a way for you to get through the day for very much longer. But when they get older (6 months and up) it gets a lot easier to get through the day without it. For now, do what you can to survive.

I'm not trying to be funny, but just turn the TV off. My kids loved it at that age, and still do now, but I would either just turn it off or turn the volume down lower and turn them away from the tv. If you give her something else to look at, she will. Like put her in front of the window to watch the leaves on a tree blow in the wind. Put her in her crib and let her look at her mobile. Surround her with stimulating colors like red, white and black. Good luck. She will be fine. My kids are now 4 1/2 and 21 months. I give them "tv time" every day, like a few shows, but then I turn the tv off because it is too distracting and they are not using their imaginations. It's not a problem for me because I love to read. Also, put on some nice music for the baby and let her start learning how to use her hands, get tummy time, etc. Take care.

You can turn it off. If you have the TV on all day, turn it off and play music instead. I hear classical makes them smart. At 2 months she has no idea what's on the TV, she sees blips of light and hears noise. Its these things she likes.

Uhhhhhh, turn it off. You are the adult and you have the remote. I am not really sure I get the question.

Anything that moves and makes sounds will keep her happy.

Mobiles
Radio
etc.

Best of luck!

She's two months? Just turn it off! Yes, it is bad for her and it trains her little brain to only gets used to the quick pace of T.V. Studies have shown a correlation between attention span and T.V. watching. When she gets to be school age do you want a long or short attention span?

I let my 5 year old twins (they just turned five last week) and 7 year old watch an hour a day (or two max if they don't have school). But I didn't let my daughter watch T.V. until she was 2 years old. There is no reason a 2 month old should be watching T.V.

Hope you had a great mommy's day. My now 19 y/o and a mom did that and nothing happened to her

My baby loved the t.v. too. It got to the point that whenever I brought her into the living room she'd look for it and if it was on she'd completely zone out. Now, we'd don't watch t.v. until she is in bed asleep. Instead we read books, go for walks and look at nature, and play together. We'd also sing, listen to music and dance together. It is amazing all the things you can do together without the t.v. having to be on.
It is detrimental for young children to watch t.v. instead of having one on one interactions with mom or dad. Because the programs (even a "children's" program)are paced so quickly and are flashy and noisy, it interrupts the firing of the brain synapses as they process the incoming information- in other words, their brain can't keep up with the information being flashed at them. It can lead to learning difficulties such as ADD and ADHD and it can affect their abilities to concentrate and focus on tasks later in life. Children benefit more from interacting with people so if you can do without the t.v. being on at all that is the best solution. If not, then wait until your child is asleep and out of the room.

my son always seemed to be drawn to the tv too...i think the noise and bright lights are very addictive - to us as well as babies! i've heard it was bad for babies to be so stimulated by the tv, that it would make it hard for them to focus on quieter things like books and pictures. so i always just turned the tv off when my son was really little. or if you need to watch, you can have the tv behind your baby so she cant see it.

Unplug the TV and get her interested in coloring, blowing bubbles, going for walks, playing outside, music, dancing with her, there are tons of other ideas for 2 month olds. Take her to the Library reading time for kids. She is not in charge, you are. Good Luck.

When my little one was 2 months, he got very little TV, but did get some. We did the "Mommy and Me" DVD once a day and he absolutely loved it. Mommy and Me is a wonderful DVD series where you sing and dance with your baby or toddler and they learn all the basic children's songs. It breaks up the day a bit. Other than that, a little bit of the Baby Einstein series that features classical music. I do not think that it hurt him, actually helped him and kept him amused for a half hour or so, so I could make dinner. Other than that, no TV.

I think some are bing a little tough on you. As if you haven't thought about turning it off! It is easier said than done when a baby is fussy and cranky and you know this will help. My son also loves TV (he is 17 months) and loved it from the the first time it was on. He was colicky and screamed most of his waking moments. So, if TV would help, we let him watch a little. Now he is completely addicted! This summer, we will be outside A LOT just to get him out of the TV habit. I try to engage him in other things but he is so focused on tv and wanting it on, it is not easy.
I agree with the previous posters who say "turn it off" but I acknowledge that it is not that simple!
Good Luck!

S.

The general rule in our house is that the TV does not get put on until the kids are in bed. We do make some exceptions like for Steeler games.

Ummm...she's 2 months old, she doesn't have a lot of control over what she does and doesn't do. So the simple answer is "turn off the TV." If its not on, its not like she can go turn it on!

My own personal opinion was that I didn't have my son start to watch TV until he was 18 months old and then it was only educational shows for 1/2-1 hour a day. The American Pediatrics Association recommends no TV at all until a baby is 2 years old. There have been studies that show that it impacts their development and potentially causes ADD, so I just found other things to do with my son. I'm not saying no TV is the way to go, because many kids watch TV and they are fine. I would just say even if you are having her watch TV, you do need to limit it. Since she's only 2 months old, I would think that it wouldn't take long to help her form a new habit. I definitely think that one-on-one interaction is always going to be better than a medium like TV. So, my suggestion would be to limit the TV watching and start to find other ways to keep your daughter engaged. Especially now that it's spring, spending alot of time outside or at the park on walks would be fun.

I do NOT buy into the whole TV being bad for babies thing. Yes, I think too much TV is bad, but I have not seen any evidence in my own personal experience that shows my daughter having any attention or learning problems. She watches TV, she plays computer games, she loves to read and do puzzles. Anyway, I wouldn't be as concerned about it as other people are probably making you feel. However, if you find her starring at the TV more often than you'd like, just find something else to distract her with or, as others have said, turn off the TV. If it's something you want to watch then you can always record it and watch it when she's napping.

I agree! Turn it off! Let her watch a video or something, but keep it off for the most part. You can watch while she's sleeping!

Turn off the TV. You are the parent.

what is she turning it on herself??! LOL, turn it off!!!!!

she's 2 months, I'm sure staring out a window at the birds she'd enjoy just the same!

Its quite simple really...don't watch TV while she is in front of it. It is bad for them....it is overstimulating.
J. W

could you get a mobil that turns around for her to lay and watch. My kids had a winnie the pooh mobil, I would wind it up and they would get so excited to hear the music and watch pooh and friends go round and round.

The fisher price aquarim toys that you can hook on the side of the crib, and they can watch the fish. Or a real fish tank would be cool too.

TV is an easy babysitter but not the best for your baby.

T., no doubt you are a sweetheart trying to do what is best for your baby and what is workable for you. Have confidence, you can make it through this difficulty. Please look at the situation from a "why" perspective. Why is your daughter watching TV? There are lots of possible reasons. She may be watching it because you are watching tv. In which case the question becomes, can you lessen your tv time? She may be watching it to calm down, in which case let it work for a minute or two, then move on to something else. She may be watching tv, so you can do a task/project and she is preoccupied. This is the tough one, we all need time to get things done and it is a tough balance to find time for chores and take care of kids. I'm sure you will try many different tactics to find this balance and sometime it will work and sometimes it won't. Good luck on this one. And, if there is another reason she is watching tv, evaluate it and see what can be done. TV is one invention that can be wonderful when balanced, but can be awful when used ALL the time. I know you will do what you determine wisest for you and your daughter. Please let me know how you overcome this struggle.

Turn it off and be a good example yourself. Too many moms waste their childrens childhood watching soap operas. Now I'm not saying you do that but there are so many fun ways to interact with oyur baby. Right now she loves to see your face and have you hold her close. You have such a precious time with oyur daughter use it wisely and you'll set good patterns for the future.

My son loves tv too,do what you think is right. at least watch educational tv like barney,sesame street.

I had the same question for my doctor when my son was that age! He told us at that age their eyes are still not fully developed, so they're just really interested in the visuals. It's not really bad for them as long as they're not staring at it for hours at a time. It's around the 10 month to 1-year mark when you should put limits on TV watching.
Hope that helps!

Well, the first thing is, she's not 16, she's only 2 months, lol. At 2 months old, she should be having plenty of tummy time and laying with a toy bar over head. When you have her in a bouncer in front of the TV, put in a learning DVD. This is when you're off doing the dishes or other chores. Baby Einstein is great at this age. It's very visual. By the time they turn one, you want to start switching over to Brainy Baby. With the DVDs, you control what she watches and when. After all, she's only 2 months old.

K. b
mom to 5 including triplets
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