Studies on TV?

[tillymonster]

I am in no way anti-TV. I want to be more adamant and not allow TV as much, for sure. But with my 2yo, I feel like I have "bigger fish to fry" in the my parenting/mothering journey. I saw a thread in a DDC group that got me thinking... 

Here's a different perspective maybe some haven't thought of when it comes to babies/toddlers watching TV...

I was so lonely and freaked out when my husband went back to work 3wks after DD was born that I had to have the TV on to feel normal. It made me insane after awhile but it was better then silence or the radio. I do this still when DH gets home super late. Because it feels normal. But usually, we watch zero TV before/during/after dinner because the shows that we want to watch are in NO WAY ok to have on with a 2yo or even a baby, IMHO. I come from a semi-anti TV family but my husband is the opposite and could seriously name every cheesy movie from the 80s. 

There was a time when my DD (about 6mo) would NOT let me put her down. Totally normal, and it still happens, she's 2yo now. I had to make breakfast for myself and get dressed and was whining about it, so my husband suggested I play a "Your baby can read" or "Baby Einstien". Well guess what-- she loved it. I got a tiny break from babywearing. I could go to the bathroom. Also--while nursing NON STOP till about DDs 1yo mark-- the TV was on some of that time. Just like my iPhone, which keeps my mind off how much I'm nursing DD and if it'll ever taper off. Even though I love it! Figure that one out...

Then we discovered DDs hatred of the car. We had NO WAY to get DD in a carseat without a crying fit. I can't handle CIO-- especially in the car. No way. So he suggested the DVD player. She's never liked the car and has slept there a handful of times. So this saved our lives at the time. I don't like TV and especially commercials. I just recently went off grains/sugar and commercials are not my friend. I turn the thing off as much as I can but some of the shows are cute and do teach things I find valuable. Mostly PBS shows.

I'm sure these shows are not why my DD is smart, but I don't think they hurt her either. She reads words at the supermarket, like "milk" or "fruit" (yes OMG!). She loves books, knows all her colors, alphabet and numbers. She was a late-ish talker but enunciates well. Super smart kid. 

What do the studies say? I guess it's my duty to read them, isn't?

[JudiAU]

Well, the research is pretty clear. All screen time is negative before 2 and moderate screen time after two would be 30-60 minutes a WEEK. Background tv counts as screen time. That is the American research anyway.

The British and French research is much, much more negative. The French don't allow television programs directed at children under 3 at all.

[tillymonster]

I've seen no studies that say anything at all pro/con. Like this I just found on time.com, which is garbage, but it talks about what the AAP thinks:

"The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no television time for toddlers younger than 2, in large part because no studies have yet established that TV exposure improves babies' learning. Now a new study published in the current issue of Pediatrics confirms that position."

That's not vague or anything... 

[P.J.]

If anyone can post links I would love to read them. It seems everyone everywhere says tv is nothing but BAAAAAAD for young children and I do get why lots of it would be. But I will admit to using it sometimes (not every day but a few times a week for maybe 30 minutes) when I need or want a break or to get something done. I feel like the world's worst mama and terribly guilty about it. Sometimes I wonder if DS will have some sort of behavior/learning/social issues later in his childhood and I'll always wonder if it had to do with early tv watching....or ~as I see more likely~ he'll grow up to be normal and what will have mattered most is how I am as a parent in the 99.99% of the time when he's not watching tv. But I'm not sure. He's 22 mo now and so far so good ~normal, bright kid, not aggressive at all.

And tillymonster I totally relate and feel that right now there are other parenting and personal priorities than making sure DS never sees a screen ever. If you had asked me a few years ago, before I had my baby, I would've said tv is evil for children and mine will never see any in the first years of his life and maybe never. But yeah, that idea flew out the window when the reality of parenting a toddler arrived.

I also wonder if there's a difference between tv watching and watching DVDs without any commercials. I would actually never let my toddler watch normal tv, but only carefully selected videos. I try to find things that aren't too hectic b/c I've read that the problem is how fast the images flash and what that does to brain development and that it can cause aggression. And need I even mention why commercials for children are just plain wrong? So I wonder....what difference does content have?