Do you allow your DC to watch TV before they turn 2?

[PGTB]

We are trying to avoid DS watching any TV/DVD programming till the age of two according to the commonly published advice out there.

Here are the questions:

Did you really follow this advice or heard of this?

We are trying to stick with this advice, but it's becoming very difficult at this point especially when we just need to occupy DS on very long car trips and he is so easily bored with simple toys that used to work when he was a small baby. It would make it so much easier for us to just plop the DVD player of sorts in front of him to keep him quiet and happy for 1-2 hours before our stop on the road and between his naps when he gets restless and fussy.

Do you allow your DC to watch TV or baby programs and how much at what age?
At this point not yet. DS is almost 10 months old, but we have not purchased any baby oriented DVDs or tuned into TV stations catering to kids to have DS watch them intently. We have tried one time to put on the Earth DVD and DS was fascinated with the animals on the screen, we didn't feel it was harmful.

Do you watch your adult TV programs while the baby is in the room sometimes and do you try to prevent (shield your DC) from accidentally seeing anything?

When DS was very small we would watch something on low volume on TV and shield DS from being able to see anything. A couple of times DH was watching some violent content show when DS was sleeping in the bedroom and when I took him to the room DH didn't turn off the TV fast enough and DS would hear gun shots and maybe could have seen something violent on the screen. I was just pissed DH was not quick to turn the TV off and had an argument with him. Does this happen to you?

[toystorymama]

This is a hot topic, but yes, we did allow my DS4 to start watching TV before he turned 2 and honestly so did every other parent I know IRL. We let him watch Noggin (which is now NickJr) starting around his 1st birthday. I typically let him watch it around dinner time so I could cook and work in the kitchen without him being under my feet.

He just started watching movies around the age of 3.5, and we also introduced the Disney Channel around that time too.

I do watch TV with my baby in the room occasionally, but I angle him away from the TV.

[gobadgers]

I have mixed feelings on TV (like many parents, I'm sure).

DS is exposed to some TV because of his older sister. We try to minimize it, but I'm not going to kill myself preventing him from being in the same room when it's on. We do have a couple baby-geared DVD's - a farm animal one and an ocean one. DS is interested, but like anything else in the world, they just don't hold his attention for very long. He may sit for a minute or two, but within 5 minutes he's totally over it and ready to climb something anyway :-)

The reason I'm torn is that I do think it is a major distraction when a TV is on in the same room - I notice that when the grandparents are here (and NEED to have the news or sports on - complaint for a different time), the kids are a lot less engaged in whatever they're doing. So we just don't have adult TV time while the kids are awake. It is not a big sacrifice for us at this point though. I'm not sure how we'd feel if there was something we really enjoyed watching.

FWIW, if a DVD was an effective distraction for a long car ride, I would have no problem with that!

[SnuggleBuggles]

Did you really follow this advice or heard of this?

I know of the advice and did not follow it with either kid.

Do you allow your DC to watch TV or baby programs and how much at what age?
Like 30-60 min/ day of something like Sesame Street, Raffi or Blue's Clues when ds1 was little. Ds2? Well, he was born into a family that likes tv and he would/ will watch what's on if he feels like it.

Do you watch your adult TV programs while the baby is in the room sometimes and do you try to prevent (shield your DC) from accidentally seeing anything?

We used to watch Buffy the Vampire Slayer all the time when ds1 was little. If it was a show of ours he never watched. He'd play in the room with his back to the tv. Still "bad"? Probably. As soon as he started paying attention to what was on we censored what we watched when he was up.

Beth

[hillview]

Did you really follow this advice or heard of this?
Yes we followed with both boys. DS1 didn't watch til he was 3.5 or so and DS2 started closer to 2.5 or so. With DS1 it was easy. With DS2 it was harder as DS1 was watching TV in the other room however neither child was really that interested in watching for any length til they were older than 2.5.

Do you allow your DC to watch TV or baby programs and how much at what age?
At age 2.5 DS2 watched Nick Jr and Disney channel.

Do you watch your adult TV programs while the baby is in the room sometimes and do you try to prevent (shield your DC) from accidentally seeing anything?
We aren't big TV folks so Red Sox games were all that were on around the kids. Our only TV til this last Nov was in my office so out of the main traffic areas. When DS1 was 0-3 we didn't have a working TV. I know we are odd. So YMMV :)
/hillary

[wellyes]

No tv on purpose, except if sick or on an airplane (for the good of everyone else on the plane). I don't mind if he's in the room while it is on, but for us that is rare. We limit our tv to after the kids are in bed (thank you TiVo).

We let DD start watching PBS stuff like Superwhy at around 2.5.

[Kira's Mommy]

Here is a link to a similar thread from several months ago.

http://www.windsorpeak.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=377914

We were very good about no-TV until very recently. I felt miserable and let DD watch some Baby Einstein on YouTube. She LOVED it so much I even got a video camera to tape her emotions as she watched it. Now I feel guilty about taking away so much fun from her and she learned how to ask for "a cartoon" in a very cute way. So yes, we watch 10 min of youtube Baby Einstein almost every day when mommy needs a break. I talk to her about the animals on the screen, the music is beautiful. I honestly don't see much harm in doing that.

We did watch TV with baby in a room but she does not pay much attention to it yet. I always felt and still feel guilty about it though.

I also understand that the no-TV policy often goes out the window as soon as DC2 is born. As one of the moms put it in the thread above, it's easy to follow these rules when you only have one ;)

[arivecchi]

DS1 was not interesting in watching TV until well after he was 2. I was not really keeping him from watching, he was simply not interested. DS2 OTOH, looooves watching TV. He started around 18 months because we do let DS1 watch TV for a bit to unwind sometimes and they are pretty much always together. DS2 only watches age-appropriate shows like Blue's Clues, Caillou or Backyardigans.

It's not a biggie IMO if you limit the time they watch TV and offer other activities throughout the day.

[chottumommy]

We don't have a TV or rather it doesn't work and we never have time to watch when DS is awake. We'll see what happens when DS2 comes into the picture. But right now, no plans of buying a new TV.

We only watch movies on Netflix and that happens maybe once a week when DS is sleeping.

[nfowife]

Yes my kids both watched tv starting around 1-1.5 years, just noggin or PBS kids stuff. Didn't really hold their attention until 2-2.5. The only adult stuff they see is hgtv or football. I do watch adult stuff while nursing my newborn though- when the big kids aren't around.

[baileygirl]

DS2 (almost 2) is exposed to tv, but has no interest in watching it. I would be fine watching adult shows around a baby, but am pretty careful about what I watch around my kids. DS1 did watch signing times before he turned 2.

[smilequeen]

DS1 did not watch TV until he was over 2, but barely. I was pregnant ;)
DS2 got a little earlier by default and I wish he did not. I didn't turn it on FOR him until he was over 2.
I plan to be more diligent with DS3.

I watch TV with the baby in the room. Until he's old enough to pay attention I won't worry about it.

[kijip]

We are not much of a TV family.

T watches something like America's Test Kitchen or those science/engineering/manufacturing shows or a movie very sporadically. We don't have any rules because he does not overdo it, though when he was 3ish we limited it more. When he was 2.5-4 he was into Dora and Thomas and a little Bob the Builder. When I say sporadic, I mean as little as once a month in some cases. I have also pretty much always had to suggest it, with the exception of the movie Wall e.

F has FAR more interest in TV and we let him watch Sesame Street, Thomas, Curious George or similar 4-5 days a week. He is 2. He can't make it through a Sesame Street or a whole Thomas video (with multiple stories) without wandering off. So it is usually in the 20-40 minute range each time.

We are not big TV watchers so frankly the low TV thing with the kids is not some virtue, it is just not a big part of our lives in the first place.

We stopped watching adult programming (usually marathon nursing session dvds for me) past the new infant stage.

[MamaSnoo]

I do not watch much, and DH only watches sports, so we do not leave adult programming (network TV, not "adult" whatever) on when DD is in the room because I only watch about 3 hrs a week anyway.

DD has been watching some TV since about age 18 mos. :bag
She had a fair bit of eczema and would not sit still for all her emollients to be applied, so we tried TV and it worked great. She is still limited to 1 hr a day or less.

She likes Curious George, Clifford, and Backyardigans. We have limited to scope of what she can watch to help limit the asking for different shows.

@OP....as for your car trips/flights, you might be able to do a few shows in the portible DVD. If you never let DC watch in the house, the shows will only be associated with the car, not being at home.....of course this could turn into having to have show for all car trip, even short ones. :shrug: We have used the DVD lots for flights, but less in the car.

[bubbaray]

Yes, my kids watched TV before age two. I would not have been able to shower had they not.

[twowhat?]

Heck yeah:) Though much to my chagrin, they don't sit and watch for more than 5 min at a time. I guess that's a good thing, but there are days I really wish I could pop in a movie or turn on a show and they'd watch for JUST 20 minutes! Maybe in the future.

We rarely have the TV on. It's just too busy around here for TV. The only times it gets turned on is if DH wants to check a ballgame score or if the girls are super fussy. Then we turn it on. And only get about a 5 min break:)

[jgenie]

DS1 didn't watch TV until he was almost 3. We don't have a TV in the main area of the house where we spend most of our time so it wasn't really a problem. I started letting DS1 watch DVDs when DS2 became more mobile. I would put DS1 in his chair in the kitchen to watch a DVD while I cooked dinner and could leave DS2 to play in the living room without worrying that DS1 was going to accidently hurt him. DS1 watches about an hour of a Thomas DVD or Signing Times DVDs 3 or 4 times a week. DS2 is a year old and I'm hoping to keep him away from the TV till he's two. They both catch bits of TV when I turn the TV on to catch the weather but I'm pretty good about turning it on just before the weather report starts or just after it has started.

[ahrimie]

We are trying to avoid DS watching any TV/DVD programming till the age of two according to the commonly published advice out there.

Here are the questions:

Did you really follow this advice or heard of this?

I tried my darnedest best :) Even though we didn't really follow it, I will say DD wasn't THAT interested until she was much closer to 2 or past 2. Before that, even if we had it on, she didn't pay too much attention. I could watch an episode of something I wanted and she didn't care. Now, if the tv is on, it HAS to be her show.



Do you allow your DC to watch TV or baby programs and how much at what age?

I let DD, 2.5 watch usually 1-3 shows at a time. 3 shows is not the norm though; mostly 1 and sometimes 2. But we don't watch tv in the car (unless it's a trip) or on the ipod (unless we're on a vacation/plane). She also doesn't get to watch everyday. So I try to look at it in terms of a few days at a time. If she watched a lot on Saturday, none on Sunday or whatnot.



Do you watch your adult TV programs while the baby is in the room sometimes and do you try to prevent (shield your DC) from accidentally seeing anything?


I don't mind watching adult shows with DD unless it's violent or has sexual content. The only show we might watch with her in the room is a cooking show or something like that. Almost everything else, I feel like, is too mature in content and language. Plus, I don't want her to copy anyone she sees on tv. But really, if the tv is on at all, it HAS to be her show. So I just watch after we put her to bed :)

[jenfromnj]

Yes, my kids watched TV before age two. I would not have been able to shower had they not.

:yeahthat: DS watches either Backyardigans or similar while I shower and cook dinner most days, and has for awhile now (he's nearly 2).

As some others have said, I know it's a controversial topic, but I think that as long as it's not a matter of plunking your kids in front of the TV for hours on end instead of interacting with them, then it's OK in moderation. I definitely wouldn't have an issue with letting DS watch kid-friendly movies or shows on DVD during a long car or plane trip.

[TwinFoxes]

DDs didn't watch tv before two. Preemies are predisposed to ADD, and there is some (not conclusive) evidence between early tv viewing and ADD. I didn't want to give them a double whammy. Honestly, I don't know how strong the evidence is, what I personally have seen looks pretty iffy. But, I couldn't do anything about their prematurity, I could control their tv viewing, and I can't think of a downside to less tv.

The only grownup shows they watched were sports for a bit at a time. When I would nurse them I would sometimes watch shows on the computer with headphones. They couldn't see or hear.

Now they watch at most 50 minutes a day. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse is 25 minutes, they are allowed to watch two/day. occasionally they will watch Blues Clues or Miffy instead (although poor Miffy is out of favor with everyone but mommy!)

[kellij]

Yes, my kids watched TV before age two. I would not have been able to shower had they not.

This! My DS that is almost 11 months watches Curious Buddies like it's something magical. I tried a different show and no go, but Curious Buddies works like a charm and I get at least 30 minutes. He often falls asleep right after so it's really great.

[Uno-Mom]

We don't have "tv" but we do have a DVD player. We have no plans to show tv to Sprog but we don't freak if she watches Nascar with Grandpa! She does love youtube clips of animals, though.

It's the flicker / overstim thing that's rough on little nervous systems. Over-arousal with no physical outlet. I'm sure come kids are more sensitive than others & you guys who do show tv to littles are seeing that your kids are ok with it. But I saw it first hand when Sprog went dead-still with HUGE eyes when MIL showed her a Baby Einstein. Seriously creepy.

But really, my real concern with TV is commercials. We plan to enjoy DVDs with Sprog in a year or so. And like I said, we don't freak if she gets some TV time at loved ones' homes.

[Multimama]

Did you really follow this advice or heard of this?

Yep. We followed this advice because it makes sense to us that TV exposure isn't good for young kids.


Do you allow your DC to watch TV or baby programs and how much at what age?

DS is 2.5 and hasn't seen a TV show. (He has of course seen TV when we're out and about and knows what it is.) I'm glad we did it like this. I love TV so no TV was the easiest limit to set rather than trying to find a different appropriate limit, which if one exists probably would have been harder to stick to.


Do you watch your adult TV programs while the baby is in the room sometimes and do you try to prevent (shield your DC) from accidentally seeing anything?

I did when I was nursing all the time etc. when DS was an infant. It was a sanity thing for me and I don't feel bad about it. I also don't feel bad if he sees something on TV briefly. I don't think that's where the danger is.

OP, for car trips, I think 9-11 months is a really hard age and then for us it got easier. DS does great now in the car and of course we can't know, but I do wonder if the reason he does so well entertaining himself in the car now is because we taught him how to do that instead of putting on DVDs to do the entertaining work for him.

[♥ms.pacman♥]

Did you really follow this advice or heard of this?

yes, i've heard the advice. but i also agree with those that said it's much easier to be strict about TV when you only have one child. my second is not even out of the womb yet, and i already get this. we started letting DS watch TV at 7mos (soon after i got pg with dc#2) bc honestly, there was no other way i'd get 20 minutes to eat lunch or sit down or something before i threw up and/or passed out (i had horrible all-day morning sickness). I figured a mom who wasn't completely sick as a dog all the day was more useful to DS than trying to shield him from all TV.

Do you allow your DC to watch TV or baby programs and how much at what age?

Yes, we let him watch Baby Einstein starting at 7mos. at most an 1 hour a day (even when i was really sick), but most days recently he doesn't watch any at all (maybe he watches a couple times a week). we only let him watch a dvd when 1) we're in the car, it's late, it's been a long drive, he's cranky and other efforts to soothe/entertain him have been tried OR 2) i really need 20 minutes to cook dinner, DH still is working, and DS is fussing. i'm hoping that once he's a bit older we can instead start using our Learning Tower when i'm in the kitchen, but right now at 13mos he's still too young to use it.

Do you watch your adult TV programs while the baby is in the room sometimes and do you try to prevent (shield your DC) from accidentally seeing anything?

No, nowadays we almost never watch any of our own programs with DS in the room. When DS was younger and i was nursing in front of TV (rare, i usually nursed in ds's room) we'd occasionally watch things with DS in there, but now that he's older and more aware , no, DH & I only watch our own programs when he's asleep (thanks to TiVo/Netflix/Hulu :)). We made an exception for the Superbowl though. :)

[Kaylee31]

Did you really follow this advice or heard of this?
I have heard of it, and planned to follow it. But like so many other things I planned on for DS, it kind of went out the window.

Do you allow your DC to watch TV or baby programs and how much at what age?
He started watching TV recently, around 18 months. I let him watch Nick Jr. in the morning, while I get ready for work. Then we usually watch 1/2 of a movie together before bed. I bought all the Toy Story & Shrek movies. He LOVES Buzz & Shrek.

Do you watch your adult TV programs while the baby is in the room sometimes and do you try to prevent (shield your DC) from accidentally seeing anything?
The only thing I watch while he is awake is the news. I keep it on in the background while I'm making dinner. DS doesn't pay any attention to it. Other than that I watch shows On Demand or watch movies when he goes to bed. DH sometimes plays Gran Turismo on his PS3 :rolleye0014: during the evening, and DS finds it fascinating for a few minutes. Then he goes back to playing.

[kozachka]

DS did not watch TV before the age of 2 and for most part even 3. I was a SAHM for one child and had the time and energy to make sure he does not watch it. This is going to sound counter-intuitive but DS had limited interest in TV, as in it did not hold his attention for more than a couple minutes, and he'd get this zombie look where'd he zone out when he did catch a glimpse of it. DS did not start watching much TV till he was closer to 5. He watches way too much TV on week-ends now while we sleep in. We do not allow any TV before school (according to our school "it puts little minds to sleep" + creates arguments over switching it off) and limit it in the evenings.

I stopped watching TV around DS once he started reacting to it. Don't remember for sure when, it's been a while. I did watch a bunch of TV while nursing him in the first 3-4 months and possibly longer, but once he got bored with being on his back, and wanted me to hold/entertain him, that was it. DH has to have TV on all the time, CNN is like a white noise to him, so we had our share of arguments over it, but even he agreed that it was not good for DS and would switch TV off as soon as DS would get in the room.

We have an older car so DVD player. DS listens to audio books instead. I occasionally let him play on my iPhone but in general try to save this treat for when I want to do some clothing shopping or run a boring errand.

[MoJo]

We don't have "TV" (as in cable or satellite), so that makes it a lot easier. And in our house, DVDs are for after the kids go to bed, or when DH wants to unwind by himself.

They saw a little TV at their grandmas' homes, but rarely watched; JellyBean was much more interested in playing than watching TV until she was older than two, and still doesn't watch much unless we say something like, "Look, a dog on TV!" Since neither girl pays much attention to the TV, I haven't worried about shielding them from it when we visit family.

Now, occasionally (once or twice a week?) DH will watch a DVD with JellyBean, mostly to get her to sit still and usually take a nap. She rarely watches more than ten minutes. But I don't think Ha has ever been in the room when he has done that, so for us the older + the younger doesn't make any difference.

As for long car rides, we've been successful with books and a favorite toy or two. We don't own a portable DVD and at our kids' ages never considered using one in the car. Three hour car trips are a twice-a-month event, and we sometimes take longer/more frequent ones.

[maestramommy]

Well yes we do. For our oldest we let her watch a Baby Neptune video for a few minutes each day because I was preggo and exhausted, and it coincided with her very needy stage. When I say a few minutes I mean like FIVE minutes because her attention span didn't last any longer than that:p

For the others, well yeah. Because if the older one is watching of course the younger will too unless they're napping.

We don't have cable, so they're viewing is limited by what we allow, which makes things easier. But strictly speaking they do watch.

[egoldber]

Did you really follow this advice or heard of this?

I had heard of it, but did not follow it. As some have said though, neither of my kids was really that interested in TV for more than a few minutes at a time before age 18 months. And yes, it is easier when you only have one child.

Do you allow your DC to watch TV or baby programs and how much at what age?

We limit it to (what I consider) high quality children's programming or to adult TV shows that are completely OK for kids (no language, no adult themes, etc.)


Do you watch your adult TV programs while the baby is in the room sometimes and do you try to prevent (shield your DC) from accidentally seeing anything?

Except as a nursing infant, we do not watch "our" shows when the kids are in the room. The exceptions would be something on HGTV or a cooking show. So for example, we would watch Hoiuse Hunters but not CSI.

[dec756]

Did you really follow this advice or heard of this?
i have heard of it but didnt really follow after age 1

Do you allow your DC to watch TV or baby programs and how much at what age?
my son is 13 months and he watches baby einstein movies

Do you watch your adult TV programs while the baby is in the room sometimes and do you try to prevent (shield your DC) from accidentally seeing anything?
yes movies sometimes and tv will oftentimes be on the news channel
i do try to shield him from COD because i strongly dislike it

[scriptkitten]

My twins weren't interested til after 19m or so. We did not want them watching TV at that point anyway.

Now I limit it to 1 or 2 30m shows a day. I don't use the TV as background noise. My twins do know how to find their "favorites" on my iPhone YouTube so they get extra "tv" when they steal my phone. I have mixed feelings about that. I'm sad for the screen time and proud they can operate the phone.

[jacksmomtobe]

Did you really follow this advice or heard of this?
*Yes. The studies show even some of the "educational" stuff out there really isn't educational. I will say that since DS was a pretty easy guy that probably made the choice easier. I have a 4 1/2 yr and almost 7 year old and today they still watch very little tv.

Do you allow your DC to watch TV or baby programs and how much at what age?
*I don't think he saw tv until he was @5 because when I started to consider letting him watch tv I realized it could be something we would battle about so why go there. Plus he now had a younger sister in the picture and I wanted her to also not be exposed to TV at a young age. Now they only watch sports on tv with Dad and an occaisional PBS show if they are sick or we are stuck inside due to snow.

Do you watch your adult TV programs while the baby is in the room sometimes and do you try to prevent (shield your DC) from accidentally seeing anything?
*When DS was very young I did but then I realized the potential impact and stopped. Now I only watch tv when the kids are asleep. DH does put sports on during the weekends. DH also does not have the same filter I do ie if the news come on it is not appropriate to keep it on. He generally will switch but not as an immediate decision.

I will say I am not a pollyanna on this issue. I made the choice and have adhered to it and am happy when studies back up my decision but I know it doesn't work for everyone. But one thing once you get used to not having it as an option you discover other ways to get things done, to amuse the children and its not difficult to deal with. There is no fighting about watching tv, etc :)

As a side note DS who is in first grade is more naive than his counterparts since he has been less exposed to the commercialism of tv. The commercial world has come into his world at a slower rate and he knows about some of the things through his peers.

[KHF]

The whole TV thing is just not one of my worries. I respect whatever anyone chooses, but frankly it's just not a huge deal to me. I watch a lot of TV, but don't watch my shows with the kids. DD likes to watch the Food Network or the home design shows...and both kids like to watch movies. DS is obsessed with Cars, and likes to have it on...though he rarely actually watches unless he's sick. He's usually playing with his trucks or trains.

I worried about it far more with DD (when I just had the one kid to worry about), but once I figured out that she was pretty good at self-regulating and liked to play more than just veg in front of the TV, I stopped worrying.

[Moneypenny]

DD had very limited TV before age 2. When she was an infant, I'd have the TV on sometimes for me but had her turned away from it and even then, it was a cooking or home design show.

When she got closer to 2, I would sometimes let her watch a cooking show with me. She was probably 4 years old before she watched any kid shows. .

[mom2binsd]

The whole TV thing is just not one of my worries. I respect whatever anyone chooses, but frankly it's just not a huge deal to me. I watch a lot of TV, but don't watch my shows with the kids. DD likes to watch the Food Network or the home design shows...and both kids like to watch movies. DS is obsessed with Cars, and likes to have it on...though he rarely actually watches unless he's sick. He's usually playing with his trucks or trains.

I worried about it far more with DD (when I just had the one kid to worry about), but once I figured out that she was pretty good at self-regulating and liked to play more than just veg in front of the TV, I stopped worrying.

:yeahthat:

I think compared to many on this board there are quite a few things I don't worry about as much (tv, junk food/eating out, organic cooking), my kids are very healthy/rarely sick and get plenty of healthy food, and have a wide range of decent foods that they enjoy. Our lifestyle and with my work schedule and my IL's preference for eating out makes it work for our family.

We watch a lot of tv and so do my IL's who are my sole and free babysitters (they also only watch Game Shows which I credit DS's amazing and very early letter and number Id skills to, the kid could tell 25,000 from 100,000 by age 3!).

We also play a lot of games, have tons of imaginative play and outside play too. My IL's also do a lot with the kids but they love Wheel of Fortune and Deal or No Deal.

DD loves to chill out and watch a cartoon or movie, DS watches sports mostly and is usually playing hockey or football while it's on. I am careful to not have anything adult on when they are in the room, but I do admit to letting DD watch Modern Family the other day, it led to an interesting but educational discussion of alternative families- she wondered how two men had a daughter (a gay couple have an adopted dd), my DD asked which one of the them got pregnant...

[Twoboos]

DD1 started watching Baby Einstein videos around 9mos. DD2 started way earlier, since Big Sis was watching Sesame St., etc. at that point. Now they mainly watch only PBS shows, and a movie on the weekend.

We usually did not have the TV on regular programming when the kids were little. When DD1 was a baby, if I was watching something during the day I would have her facing away from the TV.

I still don't generally have the tv on during the day, even now that the kids aren't home!

[marymoo86]

From what I have read, it is not the TV material itself that is damaging but the reduction in interaction from parents that slows development. The studies indicate that the TV isn't a replacement for that interaction.

But like everything - moderation

[BabyBearsMom]

DD is 10 months old, she does not watch TV. It isn't so much that I am focused on the advice (links to ADD, obesity etc.) it is just that I don't think it is the best use of her time or my time with her. When we are at other peoples' houses who do watch TV, DD seems transfixed by it and doesn't play as actively as she does normally. I would prefer her to spend her time actively playing. Also, when the TV is on, I tend to let my mind wander to the TV so I'm not giving DD the full attention that she deserves. I WOH FT, so I feel like the limited time that I have with DD should be high quality time where I am 100% engaged with her. I do only have one child, and I don't know how having a second child will impact this (probably a lot).

[edurnemk]

Did you really follow this advice or heard of this?

I did hear this advice many times, but I did capitulate and let him watch some PBS Kids starting at around 14-15 months. Sometimes you just need the kid to sit still for a few minutes so you can make dinner YKWIM?

Do you allow your DC to watch TV or baby programs and how much at what age?

He watched PBS Kids shows (Thomas, Sesame Street - especially Elmo, Curious George, Super Why and Word Wold were his favorites). I'd never leave it on for more than 30 minutes at a time, and usually he'd loose interest before that. He started at about 14 months IIRC. Closer to 2, he also started showing interest for some Nick Jr shows (Dora, Diego, Backyardigans)

Do you watch your adult TV programs while the baby is in the room sometimes and do you try to prevent (shield your DC) from accidentally seeing anything?

Hardly ever, and even then only very benign stuff, like a sitcom. DH sometimes watches sports. Anything else we always watched after DS went to bed.

[Fairy]

I'm opinionated on this subject.

Did you really follow this advice or heard of this?
Yes, I knew of this before I had DS, and I followed it until he was diagnosed with asthma and needed a nebulizer X times a day beginning at age 16mo. While he'd seen TV and it was on sometimes, we didn't introduce programming targeted to his age until this time.


Do you allow your DC to watch TV or baby programs and how much at what age?
Yes, beginning at 16mo for the reasons indicated above, but two things here are very important:

1. I believe TV is never ever ever appropriate for infants. Under any circumstance. I would never introduce television to a baby under 12 mo of age. 12-14 months I don't get, either, but kids and circumstances are different. Around the 18mo mark I can get on board, but I think under age 2 no TV should be the going-in position. \

2. I believe firmly that at all age levels above babyhood (we're talking 18mo and up), it's all about the content of the program, not the concept of video programming.

Do you watch your adult TV programs while the baby is in the room sometimes and do you try to prevent (shield your DC) from accidentally seeing anything?
Yes, I did at all ages, content would depend on the age. In infancy when he was up in the middle of the night or had fussy time where he just screamed for an hour, you do what you gotta do, and having a television on for your own sanity during fussytime is a very different animal than showing them a baby video. I would have some music shows on sometimes, alot of cooking shows. Depended. Never the news. Never prime time programming that I watch (and i watch alot), that ALL IN ITS ENTIRETY happened after he went to bed.

For me, this is the bottom line.
It's about the shows you choose to show them. Be choosy and very picky. Don't show your 2yo Tom & Jerry cuz you loved it as a kid. Be smart about what you're exposing your tot's spongy mind to and use TV time as an educational and nurturing tool. TV is not evil, but some of the shows you expose them to definitely are. There is fantastic programming out there that will only enhace your child. You want a list? Sesame Street, Upside Down Show, Jack's Big Music Show, Little Bear, Blue's Clues, Oobi, Oswald, even Dora. When they're older, like 4 or even 3, you've got Little Bill, Backyardigans, Martha Speaks, The Electric Company. Avoid any channel with commercials, and that means Disney Channel, too. Avoid any show that's not age appropriate. That means no iCarly or Hanna Montana.

I must agree that things must be very hard when you have more than one kid in different age ranges. But, I have just one, so this is how I roll. Good luck.

-- Fairy

[momtoethan]

With #1 child, yes. But it was mainly Signing Times and on occasion Elmo's World! With #2, it's almost impossible to keep her from watching especially when the older one is watching. And short of wearing her, or unless she's down for a nap, she's watching most of what the #1 is watching. Luckily, he's limited to mainly PBS Kids!

[lizzywednesday]

I tried really hard not to let DD watch, but SIL (who was my primary DCP last summer) has 3 older kids who watch TV so I had no control there and MIL (who was my primary DCP in the fall) watches TV all day to keep herself company. So, DD was watching by default.

DH watches TV & flicks it on so he can surf the internet. I'm trying to encourage him to actively play with DD; it's hard for him to "get" that she wants his attention a lot more than the TV's.

I keep it on so I can keep track of time while I work (and I do fine with the TV on as "white noise" while working) but object to certain shows and definitely try to keep away from commercials. If I am not working, DD and I are playing, so she does get Mommy-time. She's patient enough to let me read to her, too, so I take advantage of that when we get to bed on time. And I've shown her "classic" Sesame Street clips that I've found online at Sesame Street's site ... the "here fishy-fishy-fishy" bit with Bert & Ernie was a hit - she giggled the entire time. (And I also do the fish-call for her when I'm cleaning up her "fill-and-spill" fishbowl toys.)

We also watch televised sporting events as a family - football games, baseball games, hockey games, NASCAR, etc. - but DD doesn't seem to care one way or the other. Except for baseball. She was absolutely fascinated by the Yankees.

As for non-kid stuff, well ... DH has banned me from watching reruns of House while DD is present. This bothered me at first, but, honestly, I have a laptop with WiFi so I should be able to find the reruns online somewhere.

[Minnifer]

Did you really follow this advice or heard of this?
I knew about the advice, but didn't set out to follow it one way or another b/c I'm not convinced strongly in either direction - I just don't think it's the big deal it's currently made out to be. I figured I would just see how it went (my brother and I turned out just fine and watched tons of tv ;) ).

Do you allow your DC to watch TV or baby programs and how much at what age?
DD was a pretty fussy baby and I'm a single mom, so to get anything done, I did try using Signing Times or a Baby Einstein dvd when she was young, but it didn't really hold her attention. Her first real interest in tv came via the Baby Boost videos of kids singing nursery rhymes that my mother introduced to her (my mother is another of those people that has the tv on 24/7, so these videos were pretty much a compromise otherwise DD would have watched Fox News the whole time we visited - ack!).

So overall DD has never watched a lot - right now she's pretty much limited to watching some while I read the paper and have my coffee on Sat and Sun mornings - helps me feel like a normal human being to be able to have that time to myself (again, single mom of non-napper so that's my only time). She likes Blue's Clues, Maisy, Umi Zoomi, Sesame Street or Dora (ugh!).

What I don't like about it for my DD in particular (b/c I think this is really kid specific) is that (i) she simply *adores* tv and I swear she would watch all.day.long. if I let her and (ii) when she's watching, that's all she's doing - no playing or anything else, so I do think for her it takes her away from more engaging/enriching activities.

Do you watch your adult TV programs while the baby is in the room sometimes and do you try to prevent (shield your DC) from accidentally seeing anything?
Very rarely do I watch anything with DD around - the exception is that on weekdays, I have the Today show on before DD gets up, so she will occasionally see bits of that when she first gets up, but that's about it.

[sste]

Did not have time to read all replies.

DS watched no TV until age 2. I don't think it is the biggest deal in the world but I was allowed to watch (I kid you not) 6,8,10 whatever I wanted hours of tv as a young child and so I was kind of sensitive to the issue. Also, DS was speech delayed and no way in h*ll did I want to look back with regrets and wonder about anything (the recs for no tv before age 2 are I think more important for kids with speech delays).

From 2-3, we have introduced videos (thomas, scooby-do, sesame street). I have very mixed feelings and I wish DH had been more supportive of no TV. I DO feel that it has reduced DS's passion for books and reading - - he still likes his books but he would always choose videos if given the choice. On the other hand, DS is one of those kids who won't play by himself much and will run DH and I ragged for 14 hours straight . . . we felt pretty desperate for that 30 minutes downtime per day.

DD is five months. She "watches" if a dvd is on in the livingroom but I am not too worried. We average 30 minutes or less of DVD viewing per day. And DD, I am pretty sure, is not going to have a speech delay. Her level of interaction is so high, she has always vocalized and already its much more complex than I remember from DS at that age . . .

HTH.

[HonoluluMom]

Did you really follow this advice or heard of this?
I have heard of this and my goal is to restrict TV for as long as possible (DD is 18 months).

Do you allow your DC to watch TV or baby programs and how much at what age?
DD doesn't watch TV yet (DD is 18 months).

Do you watch your adult TV programs while the baby is in the room sometimes and do you try to prevent (shield your DC) from accidentally seeing anything?
No, I don't watch TV when DD is in the room and neither does her caregivers.

[MelissaTC]

DS started before two. He is your typical, average 8.5 year old who likes his shows- Scoby Doo, Tom and Jerry, How It's Made and any football or hockey game. At the end of the day, he would rather have his nose in a book. I am ok with his tv viewing and it is not a big issue in our home.

[AnnieW625]

Did you really follow this advice or heard of this?
With DD1 we definitely limited the amount of television she saw before she was 2 yrs. old, but honestly I know she saw images, and I even showed her a Baby Einstein video when she was 6 mos. old, and well she didn't care for it. I did buy her The Snowman video as it's all music and no talk when she was 9 mos. old and she watched it a few times. DD1 couldn't hear much of anything before she was 2 yrs. old so it wasn't until she got her tubes in her ears at 25 mos. old that she eventually came interested in TV.

I had only heard of this recommendation from our HMO, Kaiser who has signs up for no TV before 2, but had a TV on with a Disney movie or cartoon in the waiting room. Found that a little hippocritical, but it didn't bother me much at all because it was usually more older kids than babies in the pediatricians office when we were there (late afternoons).

With DD2 I honestly can't see us avoiding all TV until she is two because we only have one television, and we have an almost 5 yr. old who still likes to watch TV and I don't think it's fair to tell her no TV because the baby is up. Our house isn't big enough for that either.

IMHO it's all about moderation!


Do you allow your DC to watch TV or baby programs and how much at what age?

With DD1 we started letting her watch PBS, and Little Einsteins when she was maybe 18 mos. old, but because of her constant ear infections the later part of her second year (18 mos. to 24 mos.) it was mainly visual for her because she couldn't hear well. By the time she was 3 we had added a little bit of Disney, and Noggin (now Nick Jr.). Her favorite for a long time was The Wiggles. Now at almost 5 she watches a variety of shows on Nick Jr. (Diego, and Dora on Nick, but we record those to skip through the commercials). She also watches a lot of kids stuff using On Demand (through our cable), and her most recent favorite is to watch childrens programming on Netflix. She loves "the baby movie" (Babies).

With DD2 she get a little bit of TV because like I said we have a small house, and I don't think it's right to not let DD1 watch shows during her down time. We usually try and turn DD2 around and have her sit on her play mat, or I hold her on my lap.


Do you watch your adult TV programs while the baby is in the room sometimes and do you try to prevent (shield your DC) from accidentally seeing anything?


We watch TV as a family a lot. DD1 has seen The Simpsons, although any time Krusty or Itchy and Scratchy are on it gets turned off. We watch Jeopardy, and sometimes Wheel of Fortune. The news is also often on. I have no issues with those shows being on when the girls are up. Same with Top Gear, and DD1 likes to watch some anime with DH, including Dragon Ball Z, Star Wars: Clone Wars, Samurai Jack, and sometimes Cowboy Bebop (although that one hasn't been on in a while). Sports are also not off limits.

Hope this helps out some.

[citymama]

The first thing DD1 got to watch was "Once Upon a Potty" at right around 2 when she was PTing. She then watched a few things infrequently between 2 and 3. We don't have a TV so she doesn't get to watch much in the background. After 3, she demanded to watch something (DVDs/streaming video) on a regular basis, so we let her watch about 15 minutes a day before bedtime, now up to more like 30.

We're going to shoot for the same with DD2 but she will get exposed to some watching sooner when DD1 has her shows on.

[llama8]

i have no problem with letting my DD watch a little tv since she was a few months old. 30 minutes a day is our max. She watches Baby Einstein, Sesame Street, Yo Gabba Gabba, and the Wiggles.

I love to see her try to mimic dance moves on the show. I see nothing wrong with a little tv a day. It is a great type of stimulation. I do have an issue of the tv were on all of the time.

[alirebco]

My answers:

Did you really follow this advice or heard of this?

Yes, we did. DS didn't watch any tv, adult or kid, until he was 2.5. The only reason we started at that age was because I was pregnant and incredibly nauseous for 16 weeks and could barely stand for more than one minute.

Do you allow your DC to watch TV or baby programs and how much at what age?

Now, DS watches some tv...all PBS programs - Word World, etc. There are some days he doesn't watch any at all, and other days where he does watch. It depends on if we're out and about.

Do you watch your adult TV programs while the baby is in the room sometimes and do you try to prevent (shield your DC) from accidentally seeing anything?

Before he was 2, we didn't watch any tv while DS was awake. We're not a big tv family - we only have 1 tv in our house and it only goes on when DS is asleep. After he was 2, there would occasionally be a Sunday NFL game on when DS was around but he was never interested in it. I did try to prevent him from seeing tv before he was 2.

[JoyNChrist]

I said this on a similar thread a few months ago, but TV just isn't a hot-button issue for me. I'm sure DS1 watched TV before 2, and I know the babies have. It's just not on my list of big parenting concerns.

[BabbyO]

I have mixed feelings for several reasons, but quite frankly DS makes it easy for us. He rarely watches much TV even if its on. He loses interest very quickly. The exception is if he's sick. He will actually sit and watch most of a pixar movie when he's not feeling well (he's 18 mo). Other than that we restrict what he watches to Pixar movies, Baby Einstein, and Sunrise Earth (a nature theatre program) and occasionally age appropriate regular programing.