How much TV...

[Anonymous]

My daughter's doctor is pretty liberal with TV and says no more than 2 hours per day under 2. I'd say she meets this on days I work (I work Part-Time), but on the two days I don't work she gets more than that. Mind you, I am counting the time the TV is on and we're not actively watching it. Active watching of children's shows? Maybe less than a couple hours per week. I really do love TV but I was never like "Oh no, I don't want to go to the park I would rather stay home and watch TV". If it were to that point with my children I would become very concerned. I plan to let it be something my daughter is doing when she is not doing other things, not something that is her main past time. I am far more worried about the computer and the video games. I guess we all have things we worry about more than others.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I just do not get how everyone has so much time for TV! This is what our day looks like:

-I exercise in the moning and am not finished showering and getting ready for the day until 8am, in the meantime DH wakes with DS at 7am and gets him fed, dressed, and they play (dad works late hours, so morning is important.
-At about 8:30 DS and I leave the house to do whatever errands are for the day. THis includes grocery shopping, drycleaners, bank, and whatever else we have to do.
-At around 10ish we normally have some sort of activity we do. Go to the park, see a show, visit at friends house (or have friends over), go to see see animals. A lunch is packed wherever we are going because normally it runs till lunch or later.
-By the time we are heading home around 1-1:30 DS is pooped and I'm working hard to keep him awake in the car.
-We get home and then DS naps until 3:30-4ish. DS wakes up and we have a snack and go outside to play in the backyard. He wants to be outside ALL THE TIME.
-I then TRY to get him inside or else he continues to play outside while I go some fast dinner prep or else is plays in the family room with his toys.
Dad comes home from work and plays with DS and either one of us then get him ready for bed, bath, book, and in bed by 8:30.

I feel like my entire day is go,go,go. Even when DS starts to outgrow his nap (he's 27mos) he will begin pre-school and I can imagine we will still do things together in the afternoon and by that time I'll have ANOTHER baby and it will be even crazier than before. TV is not even an option, we don't have one on the main level.

Where does all of this TV time creep in? Even when I was looking into daycare as an option, most daycares I saw did not even have one, I would think they would be too busy playing to watch TV.

When DS was an infant, I nursed for a year. I would read at least 2 books a week. I started out watching TV, but after a week of watching TV from my rocking chair nursing, I was ready to kill myself from the lack of programming. Generally there's nothing even to watch.

I admire how busy you are and how you can avoid TV (really, I do, I'm not trying to be snarky). However, not everyone's situation is the same. I do have days like your's sometimes, and on those days I don't find TV necessary, but on other days here's how/why the TV "creeps in" for me and my DD:

- DD wakes between 6:00 and 6:30 and I'm up with her since DH is getting ready for work
- DH leaves at 7:00 a.m. and returns at 7:00 p.m., so I am "on" for 12 hours (minus the ONE hour my DD naps)
- As mentioned above, my DD doesn't nap more than an hour a day
- I don't always have an activity planned other than errands (I should work on improving this, I know)
- We don't have any outside space to play in that is less than a mile walk (although I do manage to get to the park on most days that we don't have another activity planned)
- DD doesn't entertain herself for more than 15 minutes at a time
- My DD has been unusually fussy and needs more of my attention lately (I believe b/c we've been traveling a lot and she's "out of sorts" -- if not then I don't know why and can only pray it's a phase!)

So that is how TV time creeps in for me.

[Anonymous]

We are busy too and the TV can be off for days - then we have stretches where we all watch a lot. Like junk food, etc: - - "everything in moderation". That's my opinion.

[Anonymous]

At 20 months? A small bit here and there unless he was sick - then as much as he wanted. We were always careful to turn it off when his attention wandered. Some Wiggles videos, and not much else.

Of course, we were both working. I bet there's have been more t.v. if I had to clean the house with a toddler under foot.

[Anonymous]

My 3 year old & 16 month old watch television every day. I think they learn a lot from it. We choose what they watch quite carefully and talk to them about it, and we all get a lot out of the discussions, not to mention the dancing and singing together. Their favorite at the moment is Super Why. I think their language is better than average because of it (we are always getting comments about our 3-year-old's language skills). I would be shocked to have my pediatrician tell me what to do in this regard. As long as you are doing plenty of other activities and getting exercise, I don't see the problem. It's all about moderation.

[Anonymous]

I'm also going to argue the theory that children under 2 only see flashing lights and colors and don't learn anything. If that's the case, I'd love to know how my 18-month old DD learned to do about 7 sign language signs. I did not teach them to her -- she watches the "My First Signs" Baby Einstein video. While I reinforce the signs when she uses them, I don't sit and teach her sign language. She has also picked up words from these videos and points and says the names of animals when she sees them in the Baby McDonald and Neighborhood Animals videos that she also watches (I will take credit for teaching her the animals, though).

So, I believe if TV/video is used in moderation and is accompanied by plenty of other activities such as outdoor play, reading, etc...there is very little, if any, harm done, and perhaps even some good!

[Anonymous]

Our son's 5 and he watched little, if any, TV until he was 2. Since then, it varies. There can be a couple of days when he watches none, and then a day when he'll watch 3 hours worth. Basically, the only channel he watches is PBS Sprout and he's particularly into Caillou and Noddy these days. DVDs usually consist of Caillou.

I agree that there are better things that kids can be doing but I also don't think they (or we as parents) can be "on" all the time. If our son's been at day camp all day, for example, running around, playing games, swimming etc., I see little harm to him watching an episode of his favorite show when he first comes home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Some addressed this but I'm curious how many folks say they don't let their kids watch TV but do watch TV themselves with their kid in the room - particularly infants. Like while nursing. Its really hard to read and nurse at the same time - what's the harm in watch Mad Men on OnDemand?

Also what about sports? Am I going to have to miss football this year?

I always thought I'd fall in the no TV until 2yo category but I was thinking in terms of kids programing/using the TV as a babysitter not missing Redskins Games and sitting on the coach nursing and bored.

Really, does no one do these things?

Ha, I'm having major flashbacks right about now of watching nearly every minute of the Democratic convention, the Republican convention, and the Athens Olympics while feeding my newborn in the late summer of 2004. Four years later, she seems to have somehow survived. She does a huge variety of things during the day; she's quite a good little athlete. As for TV nowadays, we watch a little Playhouse Disney in the a.m., and sometimes a movie before bedtime (Wizard of Oz, Mary Poppins - current favorite is original late '60s version of Winnie the Pooh). If she wants to play, she simply turns off the TV by herself. Several times, we've had playdates come over - no-TV-at-home kids - and, if we haven't turned off the TV yet, these kids stare at it like zombies, while my DD tries to turn it off and drag them away to play. Like several of the PPs, I'm an everything-in-moderation kind of mom - it works for us.

[Anonymous]

I'm a no TV mom not really by choice, but b/c we do not have all of the time the other posters seem to have for TV. Whenever we go to friends houses and the TV is on, my toddler pays no attention. I guess he used to keeping himself entertained with out the tube. I don't know what people are talking about when they say no TV kids stare like zombies at it. I have one friend who has the TV going all day. If they come over to play and he gets out of hand, she turns on my television. Her son settles in and is the one who turns into the zombie while my child plays.

Many people on this board are making excuses that TV is a learning vehicle-keep telling yourself that. From what I have witnessed, most parents use the TV as a way to control their children's behavior and subdue them during the day. Its the simple truth and I've seen it time and time again. Why bother to stay home with your children? Its odd when people are always proclaiming that they want to be there for every moment b/c children grow up so fast. Isn't SAH a JOB too? Do you think working moms tell their clients to go and watch some YouTube on their computer while they finsih up a few things?

There is nothing wrong with teaching your child to play alone. You don't have to be "on" all day entertaining your child, that is what toys and crafts are for. Its better to have them play creatively than have their mind turned off watching something. There's no place for creativitly and imagination when the television is on, I don't care how many silly and pointless sign language gestures they learn.

[Anonymous]

12.03 - The right television shows are packed with creativity and imagination.

As for sign language - I guess you didn't use it. I didn't either, but I therefore wouldn't make judgments about how useful it is. I guess it's very useful for children without the ability to speak.

[mpeluso]

My DS is 17 months old and we let him watch about 10 mins of the wiggles in the morning while we get ready and make his lunch. We also let him watch about 20/30 mins of wiggles or word world or classical baby while we make dinner. My husband and I both work and both get ready at the same time so we let him watch the tv so we know he is not getting into something he should not be while we are getting ready or cooking. DS loves to dance and he gets up and dances with the tv - fine by me!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm a no TV mom not really by choice, but b/c we do not have all of the time the other posters seem to have for TV. Whenever we go to friends houses and the TV is on, my toddler pays no attention. I guess he used to keeping himself entertained with out the tube. I don't know what people are talking about when they say no TV kids stare like zombies at it. I have one friend who has the TV going all day. If they come over to play and he gets out of hand, she turns on my television. Her son settles in and is the one who turns into the zombie while my child plays.

Many people on this board are making excuses that TV is a learning vehicle-keep telling yourself that. From what I have witnessed, most parents use the TV as a way to control their children's behavior and subdue them during the day. Its the simple truth and I've seen it time and time again. Why bother to stay home with your children? Its odd when people are always proclaiming that they want to be there for every moment b/c children grow up so fast. Isn't SAH a JOB too? Do you think working moms tell their clients to go and watch some YouTube on their computer while they finsih up a few things?

There is nothing wrong with teaching your child to play alone. You don't have to be "on" all day entertaining your child, that is what toys and crafts are for. Its better to have them play creatively than have their mind turned off watching something. There's no place for creativitly and imagination when the television is on, I don't care how many silly and pointless sign language gestures they learn.

I'm the PP who said my DD has learned some sign language from watching a DVD. I did not say I'm using it as a learning vehicle or a substitute for learning from reading books, playing, outdoor exploring, etc.... I was only making a counterpoint to the claim that children under two can't learn anything from a video and only see flashing lights. I am a SAHM and a damn good one if I do say so myself. Yes, it's a job, and quite frankly, the most challenging job I've ever had (and I was previously in a very creative and challenging position). I am a SAHM because I want to raise my child as I see fit and want to watch her grow and thrive as much as possible. I won't even bother to give you the laundry list of creative activities I do with my DD in addition to allowing her to watch a little television because it sounds like it would be wasted on you. If allowing her to watch 30 minutes of Sesame Street or a sign language video makes you wonder why I stayed home, well, I don't really know what to tell you. We can't all be Supermom like you, I guess.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:12.03 - The right television shows are packed with creativity and imagination.

Yea, packed with someone else's creativity and imaginative thoughts. Watching television is a passive engagement, there is absolutly NO active engagement in TV. They are not creating anything new. Coloring on a piece of paper and imagining a bunch of scribbles is a barnyard scene is much different than watching a barnyard scene on TV. If I watch a show about painting with oil, is that the same as actually painting on a canvas with oil? Which one challenges your mind more? Does the first even challenge you at all?

I'm not saying there is no time and place for the television, but don't kid yourself.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:12.03 - The right television shows are packed with creativity and imagination.

Yea, packed with someone else's creativity and imaginative thoughts. Watching television is a passive engagement, there is absolutly NO active engagement in TV. They are not creating anything new. Coloring on a piece of paper and imagining a bunch of scribbles is a barnyard scene is much different than watching a barnyard scene on TV. If I watch a show about painting with oil, is that the same as actually painting on a canvas with oil? Which one challenges your mind more? Does the first even challenge you at all?

I'm not saying there is no time and place for the television, but don't kid yourself.

If you can't think of creative and imaginative activities based around television shows then perhaps it's not for you. There are a lot of ways to learn things and television is one of them. Sure, it can be passive at the time, but it can provoke lots of interesting ideas. It can open your mind to things and attitudes you haven't been exposed to before. Personally, I think it's not good to have it on in the background, but you can definitely use it as a learning opportunity and a basis for discussions. We have a video with nursery rhymes and kids doing dance actions which my kids love to join in with. They have great fun doing the actions - so it's fun & exercise at the same time. I doubt that anything bad will come of it!

[Anonymous]

I'm sure I'll get flamed for this, because someone already did... but having a child listen to you reading a book is ALSO passive. The child isn't being creative any more than the child is while watching TV. Is having someone read to you more valuable than watching TV; of course. But it's still passive. Listening to music is passive too, but nobody argues that babies/children shouldn't be allowed to listen to music. In fact, my kids' favorite TV shows/videos are those that are centered around music. They sing and dance along with them. I'll hear them singing the theme songs. or whatever song is in the video long after the TV is off. Admittedly, I don't have my kids watch TV with the purpose of learning something. To me, it is some down time for them from the rest of the day (yep--some passive activities are necessary; whether you choose to spend passive time watching TV, or doing something else is up to you). But I will say they DO learn things in the process. For example, when I was a kid, I learned to count in Spanish from Sesame Street.

I guess my thing is, everything doesn't have to be black and white, or all or nothing. TV shouldn't be a child's primary educator, but that doesn't mean the child learns NOTHING from TV.