TV Or No TV?

As a mother and teacher, I say no tv till 2 or if you do, 20min a week or less.
The light patterns make it difficult for the eye/brain connection for reading later in life, causes problems w/tracking. Doesn't matter what they are watching, it changes on the screen too frequently, life isn't like that.................................. READ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! There is a ton of research out there!

A little TV is fine in my opinion. Both my kids watched some TV, mostly educational type stuff, and they are older now and very smart and get good grades.

Watching TV is not that bad but she is tooo littel and she dont need that,try to keep her away from that as long as you can.there is so much stuff she can do especially with the toys for her age,have some diferent toys with a lot of colors and diferent music she'll be happy :)

nothing wrong. try getting those baby einstein dvds. very calming for infants

I have 2 kids. My first never saw TV until my second was born (she was 3), then the TV went on for obvious reasons!! My oldest is currently 8 and watches PBS exclusively, most of the other kids in her class are hooked on disney channel and other "mainstream" channels. I think kids today are just so desensitized by the subjects that they see on TV (even cartoon violence is imitated on the playground, and sarcasm abounds as well) that we are very careful about what they see. I don't even watch the news if my kids are in the room. I don't see any reason why your little one should be watching that much TV. Even my kids only get 1/2 hour a day.

I think you should try to find other things to soothe your baby, perhaps a stroll around the block or something. Maybe a bath in the sink (my kids always loved playing in the water!) or maybe just some music. If TV becomes your "go to" at 6 months, trust me, when she can talk and work the remote herself, that TV will be on all day.

Keep it in moderation and be picky. My son didn't watch too much growing up, and I try to keep it to KERA kid stuff cause the shows don't seem to be so frantic, pace-wise. Maybe you can find some interesting music dvd's so you can have more control over the content. Good luck!

This is only my opinion, but I let both of my children watch TV - it did especially calm my daughter - and they are the smartest kids ever. They actually learn a lot! from Nick Jr. and KPBS especially. And I need to do things once in a while. The doctor told us not to let kids under 2 watch TV and for my son not to watch more than an hour a day, but whatever. Don't worry - good luck.

I think thats to young my son was almost a year , but theres nothing wrong with tv in moderation.

We always used music and books for our boys, and I was fortunate enough to be home and could take them for long walks outside (yep, in most weather conditions as long as they were dressed properly) when they got fussy. We didn't allow them any "screen time" (TV, computer, etc) until they were over 2 years old (per the american academy of pediatrics). Even now music and books are our "go to" when the children are cranky. But that's because it is what they're used to. As long as you're giving her something "age appropriate" to watch and it gives you a little sanity, do what you need to do. You can't have a happy and rested baby without a happy and rested mommy! If you're uncomfortable with the amount of time she's watching TV, take advantage of the coming spring and take some stroller rides outside. Otherwise, keep reading in addition to the television and I'm confident you'll be just fine.

I personally think that TV is too overstimulating for young children. Their is research about this subject online, I would look in to it and decide what you feel is right for your family.

My daughter is 16months old and she watches no tv. Instead we read books, play games, go outside...etc

I think it's ok. Just be picky about what she's watching!

An hour and a half seems like a lot for such a little baby to me, but my husband would disagree with me. I guess you have to use your own judgment.

Nothing wrong if it's in moderation. I would keep it to a minimum and maybe try to cut back a little and be sure it's age appropriate stuff (baby einstein etc, that's not too overstimulating.. . (1 hr a day) - so she can find other ways of soothing herself other thant he TV. How about music? Having said that - we all do it ... just slowly try some other options for the future.

i think a couple things. one, society expects a LOT from us moms. if you can get that hour and a half a day, even if it's because she's watching tv, i don't think it's a horrible thing. like other moms have said, be picky about what she's watching. at that age my son watched exclusively baby einstein movies. loved them!

i say all of this, assuming, because you sound like a good mom, that you are giving her plenty of interaction, tummy time, etc. i don't think there is anything wrong with it in moderation.

My son was 2 or 3 yrs old before I let him watch any childrens shows for a little bit. When he was little and would get fussy for no reason I could figure out, I'd put on a CD of waltz music and waltz him around the room a few time. He liked that a lot. In nicer weather, I'd get him in his stroller and take him for a walk in fresh air.

My son is now 4..i let him watch tv..but i'm also a very active mom so we were always on hikes and out of the house..but i did let him watch and he still does and he's on the computer and is quite a little wiz on the computer..i love the artwork he is making on kid pix..his teachers and other people are always commenting on how smart he is..i had him watching stuff like Prehistoric Planet..now he can name most dinosaurs and tell me about them..he also watches youtube and can tell u about different bugs and fish ..he watched the Baby Einstein stuff etc..and he's fine...he also watched a lot of the Bee Smart Baby and a lot of dvd's that teach words and signing..make sure what baby watches is educational if you're worried..

I think it's fine. Some people are completely against tv, and that's okay for them of course, but I think there are plenty of educational, fun programs for kids and babies that will teach them things and keep them occupied. Obviously you don't want a little one watching tv all day, but it's okay to let them watch sometimes. Especially when they start getting a little more mobile and you need to make dinner! Nick Jr. and Discovery Kids and PBS have great educational, age appropriate shows that kids actually like watching. My daughter is going to be 3 this week and she's into educational dvd's about fish and the planets, so there's plenty of stuff out there for them to watch that won't make you worry about what they're watching!

I'm sure this is a hot button topic. I haven't read your other posts yet. I'll only share what I do. We try not to use TV to soothe because that seems like a can of worms and something that will be next to impossible to remove once she has gotten used to it. We have used a DVD player one or two times briefly on flights when they were red eyes and everyone else was asleep. I've heard that there is a big difference between letting your child watch TV and watching TV WITH your child. In other words, if you're watching together and pointing things out and having a discussion (as much as you can) about it, then it's interactive and more like reading a book. At six months, music or books should do the trick, but every child is different. Good luck! I look forward to reading what others have written.

I'm really surprised none of the other moms have mentioned that the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends NO tv under the age of 2! No TV, no videos/DVDs.

http://www.babycenter.com/0_tv-watching-guidelines_64211.bc

I'm sure you are aware that the general word out there from Pediatricians is no sceen time until age two. I have not personally research it, but they think it could be linked to ADD and attention problems in general. Anecdotally I have a few teacher friends that say they can tell which children were allowed to watch too much tv too soon as they have trouble focusing. For us personally i'm glad we waited because once you start with the tv, its pandora's box. There are endless requests from your child for tv and its all to easy to give in as a parent because there is no other thing that you can count on to turn your children into little comatose blobs so you can get something done! One thing that really helped me wean my child off tv was the realization that tv watching is basically a state of hypnosis. I don't have time to explain that in this short statement, but think about it.

I didn't read all your responses, but there is a channel that direct tv carries that is called Babies First TV. We watched on the weekend that they had it for free and I thought it was great. They didn't have cartoons or anything like that. It was more of shapes, music, very colorful pictures. My daughter loved it and able to fall asleep to the soft music they played. I think it's okay to watch some tv but not all day. I think kids can learn somethings from watching the right programs.

I don't think that 1.5 hours per day is bad at all. I was very wary with my now 2.5 year old daughter (my mom always told me that TV before 2 was a no-no). She didn't really watch any until she was a year old and then not much more than 1/2 hour until she was closer to 2. Now, she watches at least 1 hour (2 half hour shows) before bed, sometimes more!!

However, I have a 7 month old son that I envision will watch WAY more TV than our daughter did because it will be on more than when she was small. We did watch TV (our own channels, not cartoons) when my daughter was small but she'd either watch it for a few seconds and turn and do something else or ignore it.

I think that society (and doctors) put a lot of pressure and fear into our minds about how bad TV can be for children. I do agree that it shouldn't be used a babysitter and that the content is what's most important when they are watching it. I think most cartoons would be okay for her.

Don't feel bad and get something done in that time or just take the time to relax!

TV is so ubiquitous in our society...the restaurant I went to last night had a big one for all to see. hard to get away from. I would keep TV watching as minimal as possible, even past the AAP's recommended age two. Somehow our ancestors managed without it. Good luck!

I think that amount of time sounds reasonable especially since it is broken up and not all at once. Be careful what you let her watch. Most of the channels are good baby/toddler shows and then the next is violent and for older kids. I like Sprout TV. My kids love Dragon Tales. Its a great show to put on right before nap or bedtime. They sit down and relax and it's become a routine. The nice thing with this show is that it is only about 12 minutes long. My kids are 3 1/2 and 1 1/2.

My pediatrician was adamant that our daughter watch no TV for the first 2 years of her life. As mention by LeeLee below, this notion of no TV under the age of 2 is endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics. Consequently we do not let her watch TV.

My son watches tv so I am in NO WAY saying you are bad for letting her watch tv. But I will tell you I wish I had stuck to my guns and not let my son watch tv at all. Once they are a little older and hooked on those cartoons, it is so hard to get them to stop and if you try, it can be miserable. My son was very clingy and wouldn't let me get anything done, so I let him watch tv, but now he wants to watch all the time and it is a battle. I don't think it has hurt him any developmentally-wise, but I could be wrong. He is very smart and was an early talker and walker, and has learned quite a lot of stuff from tv. But who knows, maybe he'd be reading by now or composing symphonies if tv hadn't stunted him. I just get irritated at All Dora, All the Time. It would be easier to not let her watch and she will never know what she is missing, I think.

I see no problems with it (especially since you aren't having her watch it all day). Moms are not super women; sometimes things need to be accomplished and the TV helps us do that. My son has learned SO many things from TV shows. He doesn't watch a lot of it, but I am telling you that he has learned certain Spanish words, how to spell certain words, etc. just from the shows that he watches! As long as she isn't watching for 3 hours straight and she's watching child appropriate shows, go for it! :)

If you google studies on TV in children before 2 you will find several studies that have found that their brains are permanently changed (something in the development of the neuron paths requires 3d world interaction during that time) by watching TV young. If you are in doubt, do a web search. You won't want to do it! I am actually a bit worried, because our three year old is getting some you tube videos (stories and music) daily and of course, the young one wants to watch too. It's been hard to regulate. So to resist the temptation, I take them outside a lot. I hope this helps.