I brought my daughter to her 15 mos. check-up last week and the Dr. said that ideally she should not be watching ANY TV at this age. She said that children under 2 should not watch TV because studies have linked it to Autism (something to do with their little brains not able to process all the flashing lights/movement/sounds). Ever since that appointment I have felt SO guilty! I must admit the TV is on the majority of the time at our house. My daughter usually ignores it and plays with her toys (and we play with her)but occasionally, at night when she is tired she does cuddle with us and watch a show or two. Since I've been feeling so guilty I tried to go for a day without TV and honestly after an hour I was SO bored! What do you guys think about TV and little ones? How much TV do your kids watch?
TV doesn't cause autism. It might affect their attention span though. TV, especially bad quality children's TV, has lots of fast moving action. It trains the brain to need more and faster stimulation. Therefore, kids can become "bored" when real life doesn't offer therm this stimulation.
TV is not the devil. As with most things, moderation is the key.
C.,
I hate to say it, but your pediatrician is right. The little ones shouldn't have the TV on so much of the day. I haven't heard of the link with Austism, but have read lots of studies on language development and TV/screen time.
My guys are just turned 4 and 2 years. We started letting them watch some (like 15-20 minutes) of TV around 20 months. Currently most days they watch about 1/2 hour of TV. Some days up to 45 minutes for the 2 year old (if they watch at two separate times during the day) and sometimes (like once a week) my 4 year old gets to watch a movie so he gets a longer stretch of time then.
We ONLY watch PBS or DVD's though, I think that a lot of the adult daytime tv and commercials that are aired during them are not appropriate for little kids.
I know it can be boring to not have the TV on during the day... I miss it sometimes (I kept it on a lot when my first was an infant and too little to pay attention to it), but with summer coming, maybe you can make a transition into doing other things instead of turning it on? The weather has to get better pretty soon, and when you get the urge to turn it on, maybe you can go outside instead... or go to story hour at your library, or even go shopping! Get out of the house! :)
Don't feel guilty about what you have done, but now that you know better, feel good about making changes that will be good for all of you.
Good luck!
jessica
SAHM to Charlie (4) Joey (2) and Rebecca (4 months).
I would feel less guilty about your daughter and more worried about you that you are so addicted to it. There are so many more useful things to be doing in life than watching TV. TV gets in the way of meaningful relationships and meaningful discussions as well as over exposing us to advertising (and yes advertising does change our buying habits despite our best efforts).
Be brave, unplug the TV(s) and stick it in the garage or a closet for one month. Then get creative, go to the library and check out books, sit down and have uninterrupted, undistracted conversations with family members, teach your child sign language, turn on music and dance, go out to the park, listen to yourself think....I could go on for a long time.
I haven't heard the Autism link, not sure I believe it, but our TV is on all day most days too. We have been trying to make an effort to shut it off more, but it never lasts all day. My son (3) watches PBS Kids GO in the mornings, so many quality educational shows! He has learned so much from them! He doesn't necessarily sit and watch them, he's often playing and just coming back to it occassionally. My daughter (14 months) only pays attention if it's a song and she dances to it. My son also loves watching a variety of sports, he likes to imitate them! My son's vocabulary and verbal skills (according to our doc and anyone who talks to him) are that of at least a 4 year old, if not a 5 year old. He's very active and has shown no sign of autism. (by the way - he also knows who the president is when he sees him on the TV - "president Obama" - kid is way too smart!) If you are worried though, make an effort to have TV Free time, go outside, take a walk, explore... it's easiest if you don't have the TV right there tempting you - otherwise, turn on the radio! My kids love music and dancing to the radio!
Yes, TV isn't great, but it's not the evil some make it out to be.
I realize my answer is going to be far from "average", but my 15 month old son watches 1-2 hours per month. Some weeks, it's literally none. We get kid DVDs from the library, and many of the episodes of Winnie the Pooh and Curious George are 15 minutes long, which is a perfect length for him. The last time live t.v. was on in our house was the Palin/Biden debate last fall. About once a week, my husband and I will watch DVDs after our son has gone to bed.
My daughter is 21 months and she watches about 20-30 minutes a day. She watches educational shows like Baby Signing Time and Sesame Street.
C., we have the tv on all the time too but the only time our daughter pays any attention is when we turn it to her channel, direct tv #293 (baby 1st). You have to subscribe to it for $4.99/mo but it's worth it. There are no commercials or advertisments, there are no fast movements,flashing lights etc..and it's quality kids shows that are in 5 minute segments so it's easily tuned off after 10-15 minutes. TV does NOT lead to or cause autism. Just monitor what she watches closely and avoid commercials if at all possible, put in baby Einstein if you have to.
I'm surprised your doctor would say that--I remember hearing something about a link when my son was born (05/07), but I researched it, and there's no evidence backing the claim. However, the APA does say no tv until 2 years of age, but how realistic is that? I tried for the longest time not to have the tv on, but now that my little guy is so active, it's one of the only things that will keep his attention for a bit while I can whip up some dinner! :) I do try to limit it--a little Thomas the Train here and there, but I don't think it's completely realistic to say no tv. Don't feel guilty.
My daughter is 17 months and as NO interest in the TV. She would rather play and listen to music than watch tv. Although there are times I wish she would just sit and watch tv for a few minutes...lol
My son is 19 months old and we to have the tv on all the time. i love it for the backround noise to. my son does not watch it at all though. he is just playing. the only time he looks up to watch someting is if there is a doggie on tv or some sort of sport is on he will watch it for 15 min at the most and then he is off and playing again. i would love it if he would sit still for a few minutes and watch a seseme street movie or something but im glad he is active. i think every kid is different. as long as shes not watching it constantly im sure it is fine.
Our 18-month-old doesn't watch any TV. Here's a link to a good article about toddlers and TV:
http://www.babycenter.com/0_tv-watching-guidelines-for-to...#
