how do you use TV?

[PeepersMom]

DS is just over 12m and he has never watched TV.  Well, we do have the XM radio on through direcTV, and the name of the songs appear on the screen, and he sometimes watches that for a few seconds, but that is about it.

I am wondering if there is actually some things that he might be missing out on that he could see through a tv show or video?  For example we live in first teir suburb of a city so it is a city neighborhood.  NO big open spaces with lots of wildlife to look at.  Sure we can make trips to the zoo, museums and stuff which we do, but could I use the TV for this purpose, as well?  And honestly he is my first and I don't really know too much about child rearing so I might be able to pick up on how to teach him new words and how to ready through a show like Electric Company or Sesame Street. 

Any thoughts on this subject?  Is he too young?  Should I wait another year?  It isn't as though I feel like I really NEED another activity, but he could watch a program from 5-530 maybe while I pickup and make dinner... am I dreaming that he would actually watch the shows?

Thanks

Meg

[Heather]

Some do, and some don't.  Even my now 3 year old has a very short attention span and even when I WANT him to just sit and have some quiet time, he won't.  Currently, we do a 1/2 hour show between 9-9:30am while I get ready for the day, ds#1 gets a video after lunch for his quiet time, and ds#2 gets a SHORT video after his nap.  That's it.

[~tess~]

ok my thoughts 

we have never been big tv people.  it's one of those things you get sucked in to and suddenly one day you wish you had less, but then it's a withdrawal thing....i took a walk a few months ago at dusk and literally every window i walked past had a tv on and people on the couch.  it wasn't that late...still time for kiddos to be up and such.  Every home I passed had on the tv.  It just reinforces my tv beliefs.....

If your child hasn't watched it yet.....good for you!  Keep it up!  There is good tv out there.....in the way of videos or shows you know the content of.  It's easy on the bad days to put it on all day.  So many people find several bad days lead to months though.  So it's up to you.  Here is what we did and what I would do if I could all over, lol

my son got the Baby einstein videos.  i think at  6 mo he watched it once a day.  it gave me a good half hour break to do dishes and such.  doing BW since he was an infant I was anal about noise in the house and didn't do anything when he slept, lol(this is a mistake...make noise so they learn to sleep through it!!!).  when he was near 1, then he got to watch some pbs shows while i cooked dinner.  See how innocently it is?  Well, when baby # 2 came I think he watched several hours a day.  I was so sad about that.  He sat and sat in his little chair. he wanted it.  I did mostly videos, but still.  he had toys.  he could have played, but it was easier when breastfeeding or needing to cook, to put he tv on so he wouldn't bother me :-(  there were some tv posts here at BW then....and alot of us let our kids watch a lot of tv...i means hours a day.  it was an eyeopener.  we cut back drastically.  it was literally a battle over the tv.  and hard for me not to want to turn it on.  and there are times you need it on all day(when you are sick and physically can't do squat for them).  but it shouldn't be hours a day.  they need to move more.  i read a good article this week how toddlers shouldn't sit for more than an hour at a time.  that really made me think!!!!

anyway, now my kids are allowed half hour a day but we don't watch everyday.  if they haven't watched in days then they can have a movie which is usually a little over an hour.  all videos.  we have no cable.  i had 2 stations but one went away this month, lol.  so i have one station for me at  night and it's bad stuff, lol, so I rarely watch.  (hence the computer additction post i need to start!)  but i found if i didn't put the tv on, the kids would find something to do.  and some days they don't want to watch tv!!!  because it's rare here i can use it to my advantage.  WHEN i truly need them quiet and still I can put it on and know they will be hooked.  if it's on all day they don't really sit and watch but they do want it on.....so i do use it when we travel in the car.  it works b/c they don't get it much. 

the point i am trying to make is, if you are going to start tv go into it with limits b/c it's easy to enjoy the quiet :-)  i let me son watch pbs but even the baby shows are for 2 and up.  stick with baby friendly videos. I will admit my kids learned their letters and sounds from the Letter Factory video series.  so tv can be good.  but with a 4 1/2 year old and almost 3 year old I can admit the kids watched too much at times in their lives.  now we hardly watch and they are much more imaginative/creative in their play.  if i could do it over...i wouldn't have had it on as much.  it's too easy to get sucked into hours and hours....but hey....the tv people are good at getting us hooked!

and for anyone who uses tv hours a day, don't send me flaming posts....this is my experience, my opinions and I am not critical of you, i have been there, done that and found it wasn't a positive thing for me or my children.  if you feel otherwise then you can post about your experience!(how sad is it i have to say this before posting an opinion !!! ;-)  )

[Fiona (Leah & Kians Mom)]

Hmm will just tell you my experience as I really feel it's up to each individual to decide how when and how much tv. Dd loves Bear in the Big Blue House, one dvd in particular and watched it occasionally. Also loved hi 5 from about 14 months on so I let her watch it for half an hour in the morning and usually watched with her cos I enjoyed her excitement and watching her dancing. Then July and hot weather hit here( 50 degrees and about 90% humidity) and we were just back from our hols and I saw Barney was on one morning at 8.30 so I turned it on for her, then tv off, same next morning and maybe even the next. Then she was asking for it as soon as she finished breakfast so before 8.00am, I told her Barney will come when Daddy goes to work, she turned to dh and said "Daddy go to work pls"- after only 3 days. Then she started to ask for the tv to be on every now and then, so I would and let her maybe watch something like Bing and Bong, less than 10 mins then maybe an hour later something else. After less than 2 weeks she wanted it on all the time, would sit on her toy cat and watch it even if she didn't like it at which point she would ask me to come and stay with her    So the tv got "broken" and now she gets to watch Bear only 2 a week when the cleaner comes he brings bear with him, everyone else is gone on holidays and thankfully forgotten about. Dh turned the tv on the other evening, the news I think and asked dd to get him a tissue, she wouldn't move, glued to the tv, he switched it off and off she went. He didn't believe me until then either. It really bugged me to see her suddenly glued to tv as she is a great independant player, cardboard tubes are her hoover, she plays with her dolls, makes me cups of tea, plays for hours with dry pasta empty tupperware boxes and spoons.
HTH you with your decision .

[mari]

Some are telly addicts, some aren't.  If you let them sit there day in day out, or even have it on constantly in the background (as is with some other childminders that I visit) then they will get to watch it more and more and worse still, it rules the house.  I don't switch the TV on, especially on a school day, as Nathan isn't allowed to watch it before school, it messes up the morning routine ('Nathan, go brush your teeth', yeah mum, after Balamory! ) so the tv is banned at breakfast time.  But I do see the benefits of some television, there are some very good educational programmes on today and really, they have done their research, and what's wrong with asking for them to have a little quiet time, that you can get things done as well, they have to get fed, we have to keep the house relatively tidy, so why not use the 'tool' 
I do look after a child who will sit and watch the television from the moment she arrives, and I have to tell her that it is broken sometimes to try to get her to play.  I don't want my own children developing these habits, so have to be a little firm sometimes, but yeah, I'd say, a little TV is not bad and sometimes very beneficial (it's amazing what I've learned from Come Outside (UK show) I never knew that was how street lamps worked!!

[GabrielleD]

DS watches Baby Einstein for a half an hour daily from 3:30-4:00. This gives me a chance to make dinner and do the dishes. Thank goodness for Baby Einstein, otherwise I wouldn't get anything done!

[isaac'smom]

I use it sparingly. Only when I really need to do something and don't have any way around it (e.g. I'm home alone and need to have a shower; cooking dinner and ds is clawing at my legs, etc.). I think some shows are beneficial/educational, but I also think kids learn so much by playing and interacting with others. Personally, I'd rather ds play than watch tv.

It really bugged me to see her suddenly glued to tv as she is a great independant player, cardboard tubes are her hoover, she plays with her dolls, makes me cups of tea, plays for hours with dry pasta empty tupperware boxes and spoons.
on .

I completely agree! I feel this way too. I know how active and imaginative ds is when he plays, so why would I stop him from playing creatively and have him sit passively? Like I said, there are times when I use it and I think, for us, if it's only in moderation so he doesn't get hooked that's what feels right for us. You have to do what feels right for you and your little one.
 

[sousafamilia]

We really love the Baby Einstein videos.  Ben is absolutely riveted to them, and now can ask for certain videos by name.  We think that it has really helped with his language skills, and he even managed to pick up a couple of sign language motions from Baby Wordsworth much to our surprise.

Unfortunately, we've overdone it a bit, and now the first he does when he get's up, is says "TV" and goes over and turns the set on.

We're trying to cut TV time down, but it definitely has it's good and bad points.

[GG]

I've let ds watch 1 particular video (Sesame Street's "Kids Favorite Songs 2") since he was around 15 mo, I think. I let him watch 10 minutes in the morning every day, usually before his nap. It's perfect because it has lots of kids, lots of singing, just enough Elmo and a very minimal storyline (which is good because he doesn't have the attention span for something other than little snippets of story). I don't let him watch regular TV and he's also not interested in other DVD's/videos, including Baby Einstein.

We read to him just before naps and bedtime, so he gets to learn plenty of stuff through that. His toys also teach letters and some numbers and colors (he's on the verge of talking and I can tell that he's already close to reciting part of the alphabet! ).

IMHO, you don't need TV to teach a child something and, if he's okay with playing with toys and gives you some time to get work done, I'd say don't bother with TV for another year. (FYI... the American Academy of Pediatrics also recommends no TV until a child is at least 2.)

[kendraak]

I've actually tried to get DS to watch Baby Einstien and he is not interested! He will look up every now and then at the TV, but then he goes back to playing. Sometimes I put one on just for the nice background music when we play. I guess they are all different!

Kendra

[PeepersMom]

funny thing = yesterday we put on Baby Einstein Wadsworth for DS.  We were thinking it would help with signing.  He wasn't interested until the segment about outside came on.  When that segment was over he was back to milling around his toys.  What makes it particularly interesting is that outside all he is interested in right now. 

 I dread when winter comes! 

[Samuel's mum]

I've found some TV really helpful for Sam to make connections with the real world and develop language. We watch some BBC programmes: Tikkabilla, Something Special and Razzledazzle (which I record).
Razzledazzle is specifically designed to develop language through poetry, conversation, simple rhyme and storytelling. It is in segments that focus on each of these areas and I find Sam remembers the rhymes and discusses them in other contexts. His knowledge of things like the Sea, farm animals, transport has certainly been aided by TV. His love of books has been helped by storytelling from TV.

I totally respect people who choose not to use TV and I appreciate why that choice was made. Some of the stuff out there is 

but I think if you choose with care, some of it can be very valuable.

[andrea21]

We have TV on regularly as we live in a foregin country.

My DD doesn't have any family here,and DH is away alot so her English has been behind other people her age.
Her teacher here had told us she wont grasp other languages until she gets hold of English.
So we mainly use it for her to learn to speak English.She is 5in Nov but is still behind some kids her age,but she is learning alot more every day.

Andrea

[mari]

I have a relative who insist that their children have no TV whatsoever and raises her eyebrows at me because I allow it sometimes.  But I do feel that we have to have some television as it is a part of everyday life, why should we deprive our children of the entertainment
and education that this everyday piece of equipment offers. And should we really be ashamed of using it to keep them quiet long enough for us to be able to prepare meals, tidy the house etc.  We have to do these things to keep us and our children healthy and if it means 20 minutes of the Tweenies then so be it!!

[andrea21]

I no of 3children that had no TV at all.When they got to school they were always in trouble.

Everyone put it down to they had no TV,so didn't no how to sit quietly and listen.

Not sure if it was true,but that is what alot of people said.

[Kimberly®]

Unfortunitly before I started my daycare the TV was always on in the background here. I am TV adicted  I admit it. Tell you the truth though it was the only way to keep my sanity, especially when DD was younger. Just the background noise helped. DD has never really paid much attention to the TV, even now she'll watch maybe 10 minutes of a kids show then she goes back to playing. My DD is a very independent child even at 1 she prefers playing alone. I actually worry about it a little. She doesn't like DH or I playing unless she comes to us first. Its nice in that I am free to get my work around the house done, but I don't really want to spent every waking moment cleaning. I read a lot, usually while DD is playing outside, but when my eyes are tired of reading the TV goes on. When other kids are here for the day its easier. They need my attention more then DD and I can sit down and play with them. TV doesn't go on all day when my daycare kids are here.

I do think that a lot of parents abuse the TV, us it as a babysitter, and I mean more then the time needed to get ready for the day. There are to many people and children who watch TV all day. I don't believe there is anything wrong woth children watching TV in moderation, but to much is deffinintly bad.

I'd suggest you stick with no more then 1/2 hour a day and stick to kids shows or video's. The can learn a lot from them, watch with them and talk about it, especially as they get older.

[ErinGP]

I don't know if it's available everywhere, but my son loves BabyTV (he's 9 1/2 months). In Canada it's on Rogers on Demand. It's pay-per-view, but there are three free 15 minute videos called First baby Songs that we watch before naps and bedtime to calm down. We usually don't watch the whole thing, just until he starts to get sleepy. We have the Baby Beethoven video, and he is not interested at all. He also loves Blues Clues (the ones with Joe, for some reason he doesn't like Steve) and we watch it sometimes before breakfast. My dh and I are big TV watchers, but we are limiting Aidan's TV time to that for now. It totals about 30-45 mins a day.