Ok fine, thanks for your advice but I didn't ask for it, and I will do what I want with MY child, I as a child watched TV and it was less educational compared to now and I turned out fine! No she doesn't sit in front of it the entire time she is awake...she plays and will stop once something catches her interests and the continues to play or when she is sleepy she will climb on my lap and cuddle and then go back to playing! We do only haves few channels/shows that we allow her to watch! Baby First TV is the one we have on the most...she will also watch Sprout & Disney Jr.
Baby First TV is very educational and I think it part of why she knows as much as she does! The shows are only about 10/15 minutes long and teach counting, colors, letters, animals, art, music, etc. I first found this channel when she was only 4mo old and we were visiting my sister...then we switched to Direct TV once we moved and it's been a favorite ever since (if you happen to have direct tv check it out!)
I don't let it be a babysitter....We do take time to step away from the TV to eat, color, read and do some other activities in other rooms. As a parent do you let your child watch TV or are you against it?
To each their own, each family is certainly different and they do what's best for their child! As far as TV goes in our house, it's never been much of an issue. Ryan liked a few shows when he was a toddler and I'd let him watch them in the early mornings when we'd both still be in a fog from waking up. Emily was never one for TV and very rarely watched it. Now that they're older, I'm extremely lucky that I never even get to the point where I have to speak up about it. If we're home, my kids are usually outside... winter or summer, doesn't matter, they'd just prefer to be outside. Emily is very crafty and when she's inside, she spends her time doing crafty things. Ryan does like video games which is the same as TV (it's all screen time) but he's not one of those kids that plays them all the time by any means.
ReplyDeleteOur state has implemented a program called 5-2-1-0 which all the kids learn about from pre-school on up. 5 fruits/veggies a day, no more than 2 hours of total screen time, 1 hour of physical activity, and 0 sugary drinks. Going by that outline, my kids come in way under the screen time limit and way over on the physical activity so I'm glad for that!
I always have the TV on. Mostly it is on Disney channel or an education DVD that we have. My daughter loves it and it is good background noise. We sing with the shows, dance, etc. And like you said, most are very educational now so have her hear again what I am teaching is helping a lot. We too step away from the TV to eat, color, read, play but it is almost always on. She will stop when something catches her attention or not even pay it any attention for hours depending on her mood.
ReplyDeleteI don't use it as a babysitter but, it does help on those days where she won't nap and I really need to put dishes away, switch the laundry or make a phone call.
Everything is good in moderation! I refuse to let anyone make me feel bad about it!
I do know, as she gets older (school age) that will get cut down but she is so young!
DeleteI love this post! I too am tired of hearing about how I must be a horrible mom because we have the TV on for pretty much the entire day here too. I see nothing wrong with it as long as they aren't sitting right in front of it with their eyes glued to it. The one thing that I have decided won't be happening for quite some time is the TV in the kids' bedrooms.
ReplyDeletemy thing is in the summer, we are outside or at the park for the most part so a few months, when its cold and dreary having TV isnt so harmful!
Deletehaha...the TV is on all day at our house! Sometimes kid shows, sometimes Mama's dr phil, etc ;-)
ReplyDeleteI love the parents who work outside the home and then lecture about the horrors of TV...because honestly, I would lose my mind if I was here 24/7 with my kids and didn't turn on the TV!
And for the stay-at-home-moms who do the no TV thing---well they are just way better than me ;-)
My husband and I looooooove TV...considering we both have graduate degrees and are self sufficent in the world I don't think it turned our brains to much too much :-P
I need the background noise for myself! Sometimes it's their shows, most of the time it's something for me--Ellen, news, Friends, whatever. I just need the noise!
ReplyDeleteI have learned that with Shepherd's special needs that the noise actually DOES overstimulate him, but we have figured out ways to help him out with that. And I do take days to turn the tv off, honestly not enough though. ;)
Our TV is on ALL day, mostly Disney Channel or Sprout. We are big Mickey Mouse and Thomas the Engine fans here. My son gets excited when they come on and loves dancing to the music. Mommy and Daddy do watch some TV during the day as well so its not just on for him. Definitely in moderation when he is older I think but for now I see nothing wrong with it. I have yet to have anyone say anything too me about this but I am aware of the topic. I do what I feel is right for my son and like you, I am not ashamed. Let them be kids. I turned out just fine.
ReplyDeleteI am only a stay at home mom a few days a week, but we have it on sometimes....more in the winter than the other seasons. We usually watch a show in the morning (something educational though we dont get babyfirst on fios anymore) and one after dinner before we start the bath/bedtime wind down. If we dont get a ling wnough nap, we sometimes have some "quiet time"..snuggles with dim light and a quiet baby einstein video (since they are classical music and less stimulation than most toddler tv). I try to limit it on my days home only because we had it on all the time when my sibligs were little (and my brother and i were teenagers) and they are now teens and you can hardly get them to answer you if the tv is on. That being said when kiddo was sick all the time we had. it on a lot more because it distracted her from whatever hurt. Then again i have the benefit right jow of being able to work 2-3 days and SAH the rest of the days so on my work days she is at daycare and away from tv all day, so im never too worried. Once she gets a bit older there will be definite limits to tv time to make sure she is developing other skills like creativity and her imagination!
ReplyDeleteWhen I am home we usually have the TV on, but more for me that for V. I let her watch shows, but I cannot handle repeating the same show in the same day, so we avoid that. V seems to be too active to really watch for more than 20 minutes at a time. Everyone has their own rules about the tv, but the important thing to remember is you are the mom, you make the rules and who cares what everyone else thinks!
ReplyDeleteDuring the day we leave the Tv off because I love the quiet. It's on all evening when my son and hubs are home. My boy never sits still when Tv is on anyway and it does teach them many things. I don't mind it but we mix and mingle. They both have plenty of toys they enjoy and tv-free time is good too.
ReplyDeleteI personally hate having the TV on all the time. I just like a bit of quiet at times!!!
ReplyDeleteLily is just like Dylan was, and has no interest in watching TV. The big kids watch it when they wake up, but as soon as they go to school, I turn it off.
Grant grew up with the TV on all the time, and he has to have it on if he's home, even if he's not watching. It drives me crazy!