Babies and TV

[CrunchyKnitter]

Dh and I are, unfortunately, regular TV watchers. Him more than me, I could do without, but then again my vice is the computer but we have the TV on a lot when he is home. DS will be 4 months old in about 1 week and we've noticed that he notices, 'watches', and loves the TV. He will sit on DH's lap and watch football with him. We didn't plan to let him watch TV as a young child, so I'm not sure where that line is... Do we need to already stop this and keep the TV off or does a baby this age just see colors and movement and it's not the same as parking a, say, 2-3 yr old in front of the TV?

I've been so worried about this and my mom says at this age it's fine and not "hurting" him, but I don't know - it's creepy the way he can be so fussy and then if we turn him around to the TV he's happy as a clam. (Creep and sometimes a relief!)

Thoughts on this?

[red and lulu]

I've been thinking about this too. I don't watch a lot of tv, and when I do it's usually while I'm nursing in the evening (that's when dd likes to cluster feed) but she's starting to show a little too much interest in the screen if it's on and she's awake- she'll turn her head and stare. I never seat her facing the screen, but I'm still concerned that she's being exposed to more than she should. Maybe now is the time to stop since she's starting to pay attention to it? I'm curious what more experienced mamas have done about tv... If you don't plan on letting your lo watch tv as a toddler, do you make sure to not have it on when they're babies if they're in the room?

[Blueone]

We watch TV in the evening and sometimes during the day. My son has shown some interest, but in general isn't too interested. He'll look, turn away, and go back to other things he was doing. It's not something I do regularly so I'm not concerned.

[Carter'sMummy]

my baby does the exact same thing, he's 3 mos, im not worried, i dont doubt by the time he's crawling and walking and such he will pay no attention except to how fast he can crawl to the other side of the room. i just dont let him see fighting/violence etc. i put on baby dvd's as many other parents do, so whats the difference. i dont believe im setting my child up for laziness and things when he cant even inch worm yet! dont worry about it, it helps calm my baby and change his mind long enough for me to finish changing his bum or get a drink.

[dogretro]

Originally Posted by CJsMama

I'm curious what more experienced mamas have done about tv... If you don't plan on letting your lo watch tv as a toddler, do you make sure to not have it on when they're babies if they're in the room?

We are a tv-free family & do not own a tv. Dh and I have 2 or 3 shows that we do enjoy watching together over the internet via Hulu & we make an effort to try and watch them when dd is asleep. If she is awake, thankfully she only really likes cartoons and does not pay attention.

Neither of us watched much tv before we got married, so it was not a difficult decision for us & it was one we made largely w/ our children and family life in mind. DD's play room/area is downstairs in the main part of our house, where there are no screens at all, so I guess the short answer is no, we do not have the tv on when dd is around. We read, read, read a ton to her, play some, and mostly she entertains herself while we are doing housework or are otherwise busy. The main thing w/ no tv is that she depends on herself for entertainment rather than always seeking to BE entertained, which has been our long-term familial and personal goal from the start of no tv. People like to be naysayers when you have kids, esp young ones, but once you are living it, you have plenty to do to fill the time. I used to read a ton while I nursed when dd was little.

[BlueWolf]

Originally Posted by Carter'sMummy

my baby does the exact same thing, he's 3 mos, im not worried, i dont doubt by the time he's crawling and walking and such he will pay no attention except to how fast he can crawl to the other side of the room. i just dont let him see fighting/violence etc. i put on baby dvd's as many other parents do, so whats the difference. i dont believe im setting my child up for laziness and things when he cant even inch worm yet! dont worry about it, it helps calm my baby and change his mind long enough for me to finish changing his bum or get a drink.

DD shows interest in the TV too.. however, it usually the Food Network on our TV, so I really don't have to worry about violence in the programs she sees.

[nukuspot]

Here is how we worked it. We do NOT want the baby to watch or hear the TV. (Many reasons but not going into it here, not enough time!)

We hooked up headphones with an extension cord from the TV to the couch. They have a splitter so we can listen to them at the same time (2 sets of headphones needed). Then we only watch TV while dd is nursing or sleeping. If she is awake and aware during nursing, we put a stack of couch pillows in front of her. So to her it seems that she is sitting with mom on the couch nursing in silence, while mom is also enjoying her fave shows and movies. It is the best thing ever! I'm so happy dh thought of this. We have DVR so we record our shows and watch them in pieces over time if needed.

[Auraji]

I only watch tv on the evening with DP. He likes to watch more tv than I do. DD is 7 months and doesnt really pay much attention to it, sometimes she turns to look at it and smiles at something, but quickly resumes whatever she was doing. I also put her to play on her playard or sit her on her bumbo where she cant see the tv.
Dss is a tv addict and whenever he's here (half the week), he wants the tv on at all times. He likes to have it on the background. She really doesnt care for it, but I fear that this is habit that she'll copy. I do try to distract him with other things, play outside, in his room, or just tell him that he doesnt need the tv on all day.
I feel like these kind of habits develop when they are this young and also from seeing the people around her be glued to the tv all day. I have no problem with tv being a small part of her life, I just want her to know there are many other ways, better to be entertained.

[pangirl]

Our pediatrician recommended no tv til 2. It's challenging as DD is now almost 5 months and is not oblivious to her surroundings and we do like to watch some shows to unwind in the evening. But we are making the effort by watching shows on-demand when she is asleep or nursing.

[Erinz]

Well even the APA rec's no TV until after 2 years-- and that is what my youngest son got. Nothin'! At night we'd turn it to mute and put a barrier of blankets up so he couldn't see the it/the light from it much. We only have one in our bedroom though -- so nothing during the day. With our younger son who is now 6 months it gets complicated. Sometimes I put TV on in the morning for my older son if he is in a hard-to-wake-up mode and it's so easy to leave my 6mo in bed so I can get breakfast started. He can't see much of it, but what he does get draws him in and I don't like it. I use 2-3 minutes here or there but wouldn't have it on regularly. I guess I mean, in moderation (LIGHT moderation) how can it hurt. That is MY philosophy for my family. ps I've read the studies so I don't need admonishment

[Angelorum]

I've been having the same questions myself.

[GreenGranolaMama]

Originally Posted by Blueone

We watch TV in the evening and sometimes during the day. My son has shown some interest, but in general isn't too interested. He'll look, turn away, and go back to other things he was doing. It's not something I do regularly so I'm not concerned.

This is where we are at... we don't have TV, but we do a movie like once or twice a week. I usually sit him facing away from it, and play with him while I am watching.

[LisaG]

I wish our TV was in the basement and not in the family room/living room. DH really enjoys TV and while he has cut back significantly since the arrival of our DD, I could really do without it. Somehow watching football all afternoon/evening and then me asking him to turn it off translates into "my wife never lets me watch TV"

In the book Bright from the Start by Jill Stamm, she mentions that that because the brain is undergoing so much structural development those first 2 years, this is why TV can have such an impact when watched during that time. It can change how the brain gets hooked up.

"You'll remember that the very structure and functioning of each person's brian depends on how one uses it. Also, the brain 'wires up' in a predictable sequence. By definition, timing matters when you're talking about a sequence. What impacts something in one part of a sequence may create a very different effect in some other part of that sequence."

There was another discussion on this here that you might find interesting.

[spitbath]

honestly, i don't know how anybody is comfortable with their babies being exposed to any television at all. maybe i'm in the minority here. our house is not one of those where the first thing you see when you walk in the door is a big black box

dh and i want our little one to spend his childhood exploring nature and being wild, and you could consider us as pretty 'unplugged'. i've noticed LO staring at the screen at his GM's (he's 2mons) and it freaks me out. there's evidence that youngins exposed to tv (not just violent programming) are more aggressive, and they play for shorter periods if the tv is simply in the background. tip of the iceberg, it all just freaks me out, and not in a fearful way, but in a "so many people throw away the chance to have a rich and wonderful life with their children" way. please don't flame me for that, it's just how i feel. we're also pretty conscientiously objective, and want to limit the indoctrination/commercialism (or sexist/racist/lifeless ideals) that our kids are exposed to. for what it's worth.

oh, and BTW, those infant DVDs that are supposed to make them smarter are a ripoff. and you might be able to get your money back.

[dislocator3972]

I've been wondering the same thing lately, so I have set aside some TV free days and TV free time. Then at least I KNOW she's only getting it in moderation.

One day I'll cough up the $$ for a decent set of speakers in the living room and wont leave the TV on for background noise.

I guess I could get used to the quiet too. . .or wait for my DD to get a bit bigger.

[April Dawn]

The TV is not turned on at all when my son is in the same room. DH and I worry about research indicating higher levels of attention disorders in TV watchers. I also worry about kids seeing a bunch of commercials and getting the gimmes and feeling dissatisfied with what they have. Finally, I don't like that even TV for young kids focuses on conflict - it frequently depicts bullying, name calling, etc between children. Yes, the problem is always resolved by the end, but more time is spent showing negative behaviors than the resolution.

Edited by April Dawn - 7/5/11 at 7:44pm

[melamama]

Also it's not really just content, but the actual act of watching that I am most concerned with.
With so much development going on so fast in the baby/young child, it's a risk I'm not willing to take.

[CalaRei]

So here's my question... my husband and I are "not tv watchers." We have a select handful of shows we record and then watch, and we watch some sports. But when they're over, the TV is off. But since I brought my babies home, nursing sessions go on so long, I fall asleep just sitting alone in the quiet. I've resorted to putting on TV while we nurse to keep me awake - since I tandem, I can't read with "the other hand" etc. What else does everyone else do while they nurse if not TV? I've tried audiobooks, but they also put me to sleep.

[Ms. Cellaneous]

Originally Posted by spitbath

honestly, i don't know how anybody is comfortable with their babies being exposed to any television at all. maybe i'm in the minority here. our house is not one of those where the first thing you see when you walk in the door is a big black box

LOL, the first thing you see when you walk in my living room IS the big black box -- but these days, that's all it is, a big black screen above the fireplace! I didn't realize how much TV DH and I watched until we stopped cold turkey when the baby came along. He's only seven weeks, so we'll see how it goes, but it's our plan not to expose him to any TV until he's at least two, as per the APA's recc. After that we'll see. A recent study showed that when the TV is on, adults talk less -- to each other and to children -- and that impacts babies' langage acquisition.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/...Vandkids_N.htm
This was really interesting to me because I've actually seen this in my family. One niece is growing up without TV, she started talking really early and is incredibly verbal and articulate at 2.5; the other niece, same age, is growing up in a household where the TV is on literally all the time, and she started talking much later. She's a darling girl but I definitely see her becoming transfixed by TV -- something I want to avoid.
A sample size of two is obviously not statistically significant, but it helped DH and I make the decision to go TV-free. We have been watching a movie on Sat. nights but that's it. And we definitely have noticed a difference, we have so much more quality time not only with the baby but with each other. We listen to music, dance, play games, read, talk... it's been great.

Originally Posted by CalaRei

So here's my question... my husband and I are "not tv watchers." We have a select handful of shows we record and then watch, and we watch some sports. But when they're over, the TV is off. But since I brought my babies home, nursing sessions go on so long, I fall asleep just sitting alone in the quiet. I've resorted to putting on TV while we nurse to keep me awake - since I tandem, I can't read with "the other hand" etc. What else does everyone else do while they nurse if not TV? I've tried audiobooks, but they also put me to sleep.

I listen to NPR, (wnyc.org is my local station and it streams live online) and I just started listening to This American Life, an NPR show that I love -- they have weekly podcasts and also lots of past shows available for free online.

[Masel]

For the mama nursing at night. I turn the sound down low and have closed captioning on.