Television...

[carminex]

Yes or No? How much is your child watching? Do you think that there is anything gained from watching shows like Sesame Street, Barney, Blue's Clues (videos - no commercials)?? Does your child sit and stare or watch while playing? In your opinion, how much TV is too much? What do you do when s/he is watching? Watch with or house stuff?

[Ilaria]

Owen loves the Wiggles, we taped (actually PVRd) a bunch of episodes and I will play them while I am cooking.
He loves the songs and will dance/clap and get excited, or will sit and stare, when they talk, he mostly plays.

He watches one a day at most, it's 20-25 mins long.

He also likes all the Baby Einstein videos and might watch one while I shower, not as captivating as it used to be though.

[AmandasMom]

Yep, she watches Wiggles tapes too, maybe an hour a day in the morning. Then we both watch the Simpsons at night. That's about it for the TV. I don't want her to become brain dead staring at the TV. With the Wiggles she's up and moving!

[tarablesue]

Bailee watches Blues Clues faithfully....I really think that is how she learned to count to 10! ANd Dora the Explorer too. She can count to 5 in Spanish cause of that ...I think it is good for them to watch a little TV...we enjoy it so should they....We are working on her time limits with it though and I let her watch usually in the morning,so I can get breakfast made then again before lunch and dinner.
Take care..

[frogertgrl]

Hi Carminex...you might want to check out the thread with the poll on television - so many awesome responses and alot of great info on the brain damage for babes and television. And the recommendation for a media free environment for kids. Just wanted to share that in case you had not seen the recent poll/thread.

Take care!

Here's the link to that thread:

http://mothering.com/discussions/sho...threadid=32254

[ebethmom]

I held off on TV until just a few weeks ago. I still have visions of a TV-free household, but my longing for morning coffee and the paper got the best of me.

My son watches Jay Jay the Jetplane at 9:30. He sits and watches and "Oooh"s for all of the songs.

He plays while Sesame Street is on at 10:00. I usually feed him his snack (baby cereal mixed with protein shake and yogurt) while he plays.

Then we nurse some more, put his Fuzzi Bunz on, and he takes his nap.

That's our routine. I hope I'm not damaging him with TV.

[BensMom]

My DS could have cared less about TV til recently. When he was younger, and I was working from home, I admit (blushing) that I would sit him in front of the TV in his swing *hoping* I could get a 1/2 hour to focus on work. Nope. He never cared. But he was such a high needs baby, I would have tried anything to get a break!

Then I used to watch Sesame Street with him during snack and unless they were singing, he paid no attention.

Recently we discovered the Wiggles. He loves them! Like another poster said, DS plays during the talking and watches/dances during the songs. I usually get up and move with him, too and try to teach him the dances. Then he ends up watching the Mom Show more than the Wiggles.

Now that I am not working from home and trying to use TV as distraction, I just keep it off most of the day. I have friends who have TV on all day and it makes me crazy! I am amazed at how many people have "themed" B-day parties for 1 yr old b/c "Little Susie just loves ...Teletubbies, Bear in the Big Blue House, Blues Clues, etc."

Jenn

[Twelveducks]

Very anti-TV here......

We got rid of our TV three years ago, and I haven't regretted it a bit.

Yes, they can learn to count by watching TV, but they can also learn it from us if we take the time. I didn't see the TV debate thread, so I'll have to go read it.

If you get a chance, read The Four Arguments For the Elimination of Television by Jerry Mander......it is an excellent book, and quite compelling.

I don't believe in technology for children......not TV or the computer. I strongly feel that children should be experiencing life first-hand, outdoors and full of nature. I have issues with technology for adults too, to a certain degree, but I feel that we can understand its place in our lives. For example, I try to use the computer in a limited manner. Ack.....I'm tired and not expressing myself clearly. It is time for me to go to bed!

Jen/ Twelveducks

[z-girl]

Clue me in here. Who are the Wiggles? We haven't had DD watch any TV yet. I'm not sure how I'll explain that we watch some, but not much. She's 18 months old.

Thanks!

[MamaSoleil]

I don't believe in technology for children......not TV or the computer. I strongly feel that children should be experiencing life first-hand, outdoors and full of nature

Soleil wakes up, and watches her shows, yes, shows, she's a lazy morning person, I usually do some cleaning and have my coffee..these days tea, and catch up on the comp...then, we leave the house, usually for the day, we hike EVERYDAY (3 lrg dogs), and sociallize or just hang out at the toy library...
So, while I agree that they should be learning hands on, just cause they are watching tv, doesn't mean they're not enjoying nature, it's not all or nothing. IMHO.

Peace,

Mamasoleil

[oceanbaby]

Well, I don't think there is anything beneficial about watching tv, but depending on the content and the situation, I don't think that it is necessarily harmful.

I am most against tv when it takes the place of other activities - especially being active. So dh and I already know that we will not allow the tv on after school. Dh spent too many wasted hours on the couch, and wished that his parents would have stepped in and put an end to it. I always had to ask to turn the tv on, which worked out pretty well.

Okay, this is how much tv we are watching around here: Dh gets up with ds at around 6:30 - they play, eat some breakfast, etc. Dh sometimes watches Sportscenter with ds in the room for about 15-20 mins. Then at around 8:15, after dh is out of the shower, he lets ds watch Clifford while he gets me out of bed and dh gets dressed for work. Tv goes off. Then around 8:45 or so, ds and I usually turn on Sesame Street. For most of it he just plays while watching, we sit together, or we go into the kitchen to make some oatmeal, etc. There are certain segments (like Journey to Ernie) that he just sits and stares at. Sesame Street ends at 9:30. Then I get in the shower, with ds in the bathroom with me. Then, I try to get dressed and put makeup on. If ds is letting me do this, then the tv stays off. But if I'm trying to get out of the house and ds just won't let me have a moment, then I guiltily turn on the Teletubbies for about 10 minutes (it ends at 10). And that's it for ds's tv. In the evening the tv is sometimes on, but usually not until ds is in bed.

We only let ds watch PBS, cuz dh and I both hate commercials. And if we're watching regular tv, we always mute the commercials.

Ds is 18 months, and we just started watching these shows about 2 months ago. I already feel like it is a little too much, but then I am pretty paranoid about too much tv. I just feel like it's already going on almost 1.5-2 hours a day, and he's not even 2 yet. But he is playing, walking around, and sometimes not even paying attention for at least 1/2 of it. He has one So Smart video that he watches about 1x a week. He used to absolutely love it, but it's lost some of it's appeal.

Anyway, that's what's going on over here.

[BensMom]

The Wiggles, BTW, are a group of 4 Australian guys who sing and dance, etc. They are pretty goofy. Apparently they have just recently taken the US by storm, but have been on in Oz for ahwile. They even have a live show that tours. I read that 3 of the guys met while studying early childhood education at the University and started by making childrens CDs and then moved onto TV.

The show is on Disney Channel here (no commercials, but ads for Disneys website between shows - not too bad). There is around 4-5 songs per half hour and a short plotline inbetween.

HTH,
Jenn

[cumulus]

Hi:

As my parenting has changed, hopefully for the better, I feel I've stepped away from what I think were my days as a "quality control officer" where I kind of watched for things that might be deterimental to my children and removed or restricted them as they presented themselves. I now try to proactively present what is good for my kids. I know of no study claiming any actual good from TV just some that say it isn't so bad.

At our kid's school there was a speaker who came to talk to them about TV. The thrust of his talk was that everyone can decide about TV without the need for any studies. He then started walking back and forth accross the stage stroking his beard and pausing once in a while to stop. "What am I doing?" he asked the kids. A universal, "Thinking" shout the kids. "Have you ever seen anyone doing that on TV" he then asked. A univesal, "No" from the kids. "Do you think when you watch TV?" "No" yell the kids.

"Oh, great altar of passive entertainment... Bestow upon me thy discordant images at such speed as to render linear thought impossible! ~ Calvin in Calvin and Hobbes, Attack of the Deranged Mutant Killer Monster Snow Goons. p49-3

[Peach]

Dh and I started our marriage with a normal household level of tv-watching. Since then, we cut back more and more until we finally put it in the attic this spring. Our reason? Even though we had no network or cable and were only watching movies and a few kid videos, dd (now 25 mo., then about 18 mo. or so) got hooked on Wallace and Gromit (which I think is adorable, but there's only so much I can take). When it wasn't on, she'd sceam at the top of her lungs for it. All day. Every day. So we went off tv cold turkey. It was hard at first, but she only had major withdrawl for a few weeks.

And here's the psych. student in me talking: tv is a powerfully addictive medium. I know I've been hooked. It's unbelievably hard to quit. It's unclear how tv manipulates our brain chemistry, but it does produce brain wave patterns like those of a hypnotic state, somewhere between wakefulness and light sleep. Watching tv can seem very restful: often we can stay up late watching it when we'd otherwise be tired enough to fall asleep. It can alter sleep patterns. Perhaps the most influential aspect of tv is that we have an emotional response to it before we have an intellectual response. Even if you realize that you will have profound and instantaneous feelings about what you're watching, it is very hard if not impossible to circumvent these feelings in favor of a more rational response.

Dh was "creeped out" when dd, normally an extremely active and verbal child--and I sometimes turned to our tv to help me get a break from her high-need behavior--sat in her chair like a bump on a log when she watched tv. It was scary to see.

A couple good authors on this subject are Cliff Stoll and Jane Healy.

BTW, dh is a computer-programmer and is not in favor of dd using the computer for anything but learning to program and e-mail, and not for many years.

[SerenityScott]

We just had a run-in with tv addiction ourselves! Dd was quite sick the week before Thanksgiving and the only thing that made her remotely happy was snuggling with mommy while watching Veggie Tales. So... we watched many many hours of Veggies. She was sick on and off for an entire week and when she was finally really feeling better, we discovered that she had *forgotten* how to play with toys. She spent Thanksgiving weekend putting cassettes into the VCR (we weren't even at home!) and pointing to the TV saying, "LYLE!" (Lyle the Kindly Viking is her favorite video - we only had two when she got sick!) Anyway, I declared a moratorium on Veggies - it actually took 3 or 4 days before she was back to playing normally! We are finally over her withdrawal and feel like we are able to let her watch them in moderation again (3-4 per week, MAX, is my feeling on moderation). It was really alarming to me how quickly the addiction could take hold of her! SCARY!

[MSings]

My ds (23 months) and I watch no television. My dh watches 1-3 shows a week. I started out just planning to follow the American Association of Pediatricians recommendation of no TV before 2 years (this is not a very radical group so I think their statement says something). Now I'll probably do no TV until age 5. I agree with ch that TV acts like a drug. My dh grew up in a house where the TV was on constantly and it is very hard for him to not watch TV (our TV is in the guest room). I watched very little TV until I was about 10 or 11 but have been addicted at several periods of my life. I don't miss it at all.

[Embee]

Yes, we do allow DS (23 months) to watch TV... We do not get cable so he watches PBS and I occasionally check out a video from the library (they have videos of many of the cable shows which he enjoys).

I am not overly-concerned about the educational value of TV. DS and I spend most of our day with it off and he's out and about (or in the house with the weather being what it is) learning about all sorts of things everyday, all day. DH and I prefer his "real surroundings" to serve as his education and DS always prefers a romp outside to TV... soooooooo, if he enjoys watching a program here and there because it's fun and entertaining, than he may do so provided it's not something innapropriate. I find that focusing on TV as entertainment (age approp of course) keeps me from thinking that it's ok for him to watch more than he does because it's "educational." It keeps me honest so to speak. That said, he's learned some things, about shadows from a Sesame Street excerpt and about cooking from Elmo.

He likes Sesame Street (Elmo), Zooboomafoo and videos of Blues Clues and Bear in the Big Blue House. We usually enjoy them together however sometimes I use this time to prepare dinner or drink my coffee in the am. Ds will sit quietly and watch in the evenings when he's tired. But usually he's rather interactive with the program... singing or dancing along or pointing out things for me to name or as in the case of Zooboomafoo, running all about the house to grab whatever stuffed version on the animals they are presenting that episode.

My main concern about DS watching is that he not watch for more than 30 minutes at a time. I try to limit it to 15-20 usually... this is easy if you record shows and show exerpts instead of just turning on the set and letting it go. Elmo is his fav and it's a 15 minute stint at the end of each Sesame Street. I tell him he may watch Elmo and when it's over, he's fine with it... assumably because I rarely let him watch for more than that and that's what he's used to?

Em

[adb252001]

Our baby is 8 months and the other day stared at the t.v. while sesame street was on. The only reason she watched was because I put her in the carrier for 15 minutes so I could clean up a glass i broke. I don't like kids watching too much t.v. In my experience they are more hyper, aggressive(no matter what the program) and more dependent on it for enetertainment. So babe will probably get about half an hour to hour a day. If that.