Friday 8 June 2012

TV for Babies



Before I had a baby, I was determined not to be one of 'those parents'.  You know, the ones who pop their children in front of the TV.  Lo and behold I appear to have joined them.  We don't have it on every day and we certainly don't have it on all day, but first thing in the morning, I have to admit I am not even close to feeling like playing games and singing nursery rhymes.  In fact, I would do anything in my power to have a few minutes to wake up and drink a large cup of tea in peace!


And suddenly big arrows appear all round the room pointing at that little grey stick, you know, the one with all the buttons, the one that turns the big black screen into an all singing all dancing entertainment centre.  How can I resist?  So we wake up, Dylan has a cuddle and his milk, and up pops the Tweenies, jumping around with the energy I will never possess at that ungodly hour.


baby watching TV, justin fletcher, cbeebies


We started when he was about
7 months, before that we had it on in the background every now and again, but never encouraged him to watch it.  Now I couldn't be without it.  I even have a bit of a soft spot for Justin Fletcher.  That half hour every morning gives me time to wake up and prepare for a day of stacking blocks over and over again just for them to be knocked down.


Every now and again, the TV goes on in the evening too!  About 5pm where I start to feel ready for bed, and Dylan is showing no signs of tiring anytime soon.  A little episode of In the Night Garden won't do anyone any harm will it?  But it is a slippery slope.  This instant entertainment that makes him sit still and pay attention may become addictive?  I haven't researched how TV affects babies of this age, and I am choosing to remain ignorant.  I would love to find the parent who has not gone back on a single thing they said.


I am starting to realise why 'those parents' are the way they are.  Sanity is a pretty important thing, and very useful when raising children! So tell me how much TV your children watch?  Is it more or less than you would like?  


21 comments:

  1. With you on this - with my first we hardly watched TV because I went back to work full time when she was 5 months old and wanted to spend all my time with her WITH her. With baby 2 it was all change - I didn't go back to work and the TV was a life saver for when toddler wanted attnetion and baby was screaming. Now I have another baby and would trade anything except my kids to keep the TV! At 5, nearly 3 and 10 months I simply don't have enough time and energy to keep them entertained ALL the time #badmummy BUT #sanemummy :)

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    1. Gosh, with 3 I am sure the TV will be on a lot more!

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  2. I'm with you, I never wanted Jared to watch tv but sometimes I need to just stick him in his chair, throw a Mickey Mouse dvd on to enable me to do at least 5 minutes of cleaning! I hate the TV and hardly watch it myself and over the past few months he has watched it far much more than I ever wanted him to, so we are now trying to stick to no longer than about 45 minutes a day as after all he is only 15 months and it does nothing for him- but it can be a lifesaver! x

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    1. I don't really watch it either, especially not since I started blogging!

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  3. Snap! I wrote a post only yesterday about some of the compromises I've made in my parenting since becoming a mummy, and TV is the biggest one, to be honest. My twins are 18 months now and watch Waybuloo or In the Night Garden every day after lunch - it helps make life manageable, and I don't think small amounts do any harm. I think they're learning far more than they're losing :)

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    1. I will pop over and check yours out! General consensus seems to be a little bit of TV is actually quite good for them.

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    2. Oh yes, please do!! I really think it is, as long as you don't over-use it - and I'm realising part of being a good parent is being able to recognise that sometimes you need to find a way to do things for yourself too, even if that just means finding your way to a hot cup of tea!

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  4. Unfortunately I have a bubba who isn't interested in TV- damn! We are the same as you we are out mostly on Thursdays and Fridays as because on the other days I work, we are always busy having fun on Mummy's days off. However when we are in I do stick it on as background noise but she isn't that bothered by it. Most of her friends stare at it but she doesn't really. The only exception is when she is tired and we always sit on the sofa with a biscuit in the half an hour before Mr E comes home and cuddle and watch it.

    As long as you are stimulating them in other ways, I see nothing wrong with it- it can help with their language and can be educational.

    xx

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    1. I think Dylan is much more interested in books than TV (much like his mother) but it really is useful to be able to stick it on and know he is entertained. He generally plays while watching it though. Sofa cuddles with biscuits sound lovely!

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  5. Despite having read all the literature about not letting children under 2 watch tv, I found myself sitting my daughter in front of Baby Einstein DVDs before she was half a year old... She wasn't learning anything from it and just sat their agog with her eyes glued to the screen, but like you, I just badly needed a small break once a day. I managed to limit it to 20 minutes a day for the longest time, but when she was about 2 and half and I was pregnant and exhausted, I started to get much more relaxed about tv (and to be honest, by that age they do actually seem to learn new words and things from tv, if you choose the programs carefully). My children are now 6 and 3. On weekdays I limit them to 30 minutes' tv per day in the evening (with occasional exceptions, e.g. very cold winter days, when they are sick, etc.) but on weekends I admit that they often watch close to 2 hours a day, and my 6 year old sometimes watches even more than that. I don't pretend that it's any substitute for reading/playing/talking with them, but to be honest I don't think it's actively harming their development. Despite all her tv viewing, my 6 year old can read and write in two languages (and even a bit in a third language), and she tries so intensely hard at everything that, to be honest, I think tv is a welcome escape for her sometimes!

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    1. That is very impressive for a six year old, and sounds like she needs a bit of TV chill time. I worry about things with Dylan but I think with two you have to be so much more relaxed about it all. I like your 30 mins a day except duvet days and weekends, I think we might adopt a similar idea when he is a bit older

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  6. I was like you with my first. Infact I think he started watching TV because someone bought him Iggle Piggle for his first birthday and he didn't know who it was. Unfortunately my kids watch way too much TV, but it is the only way I can cook dinner without them starting a fight with each other. I honestly believe that Mickey Mouse clubhouse has helped in my two year olds speech though. I think that one of the big things parenthood has taught me is not to judge others.

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    1. Thanks for commenting. I think we can only do what is right for us, and nobody can be a perfect parent. I am sure I am the harshest critic of myself!

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  7. I was certain that H wouldn't watch much tv, but once I fell pregnant when she was 9 months it all went out of the window! By the time 3rd trimester arrived H was watching a lot of tv and since he has been born (11days ago) she still is doing. It's far too much I'm not proud of it but at the moment it entertains her when I cannot.

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    1. I think when a second baby comes, the TV will be invaluable! Congrats on your gorgeous little man x

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  8. I was like you, didn't want to be one of 'those' parents, but I caved when all he seemed to do was be glued to the news when I had it on. I'd much rather he saw kids TV than the likes of Syria and what not so I don't see it as a problem, especially for half an hour a day, on and off throughout the day (he's very particular about what he watches and is frightened of Peppa Pig!!)
    I believe that its progressed his communication skills- he 'talks' to Mickey at the beginning of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and gets ever so excited whenever they do their little song at the end. He actually tries to get up when it comes on so he can bounce along to it... I honestly don't see the harm as long as it's not for too long and they're not watching things they shouldn't.

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    1. Excellent point, at least children's TV is imaginative and innocent. How can you not love the hot-dawg, hot-dawg, hot diggety dawg!

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    2. And it gives you an excellent reason as to why uou should go to Disneyland Paris!

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  9. Personally I think as long as they aren't sat all day every day there's no harm. Kids TV shows are so educational nowadays that they can actually learn a lot. My friends little boy pointed out a famous painting in France while they were on holiday, named it and everything, he had learnt it on Little Einsteins. The same little boy could count to 10 in Spanish and say all his colours in Spanish too (all by the time he was 3.5) surely that can't be bad!? lol! I was of the opinion that I would limit TV etc but I think it's all to do with moderation and balance x

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    1. Hesounds like a rather clever little boy! I read somewhere today that it can be very educational once they are two, but for an under 2 year old not so much

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