How Much TV Is Too Much TV? - Spring Hill,FL

My daughter is 2 and she LOVES to watch TV!!!!! I think TV is okay in moderation. I let her watch in the morning before she goes to daycare and then she's allowed to watch one movie when she gets home. It gives me a chance to change and get things unpacked and repacked for the next day. My advise would be, to try and distract him with other things. Do whatever it takes. Snack, pool, drive in the car to a carwash or store. Put on some music and start dancing. My daughter loves music and loves to dance. We have those music channels, so as long as the TV is on and there is some background noise, she is fine. I just have to tell her that she's only allowed to watch 1 movie and then that's it. She throws a little fit, but I tell her again and then if she continues to act silly, I ignore her. There is so much controvery about TV under the age of 2. My daughter watches quite a bit of TV and she is extremely smart. Counts in spanish, can sing her ABC's, speaks in complete and full sentences. TV should be used for entertaining, not babysitting. I think as long as he is doing other things besides sitting in front of the TV all day, he is fine. Kids love TV!!! There is no harm in it. And I wouldn't stress about it. Maybe, try taking him out of the room where the TV is or start up or join a local mom's group. Watching TV in moderation is fine. You just need to lay down some rules for him and let him understand them. It might take some time, but he will eventually understand. I PROMISE!!!!!

When our son was about nine months old, I was shocked to read that the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends NO TV before the age of two, then a very limited amount. We had some Baby Einstein videos and allowed some PBS children's programming and stopped it all. I was surprised that our Pediatrician never said a word. There is some indication that the incredible rise in ADD and other neurological problems may be linked to developing brains being exposed to TV and computer screens. There's something about the rapidly flashing light and/or the rapid image movement. It took some time to get used to, but our son has learned to entertain himself quietly with his toys when he's not "helping" Mom and Dad around the house. I love it that at almost five years old, he's not interested in commercial characters; we've been able to unhook from the mass marketing shamelessly aimed at children.

my daughter was obsessed with barney and just like you i was worried she needed to "broaden her horizons". she started the barney compulsion around age 2 and now is 4 , she was stuck on barney for about a year and every couple months she finds a new cartoon idol! i've noticed that she can memorize these shows and she is capable of paying attention even when she isnt watching her favorite cartoon character.i think children who have a cartoon idol have a better understanding of what they like or dislike which is a great characteristic. i might be generalizing but my daughter turned out just fine having her favorites. letting kids make their own decisions even at a young age is good for building self-reliance.

Hi,

This is probably a phase. He will also learn things from Elmo, so it is somewhat educational. My kids go through various phases, right now we are back on the Wiggles and my 4 year old will watch the same DVD 30 times and drive everyone nuts. Maybe you can watch with your son and point some things out that would be good for him to know. We did do an Elmo phase, so I know where you are. Hang in there and see if you can turn it around for some good instruction with things. The next phase may be something much more annoying! :-)

Roz

I think it's normal for kids to watch the same thing over and over because they make "friends" with the characters. It sounds like you are concious of the amount of TV your child watches and that's the most important thing. 30 minutes a day is a guideline. Some days my daughter watches no television and some days she watches more than 30 minutes and I feel ok with that.

This whole thing can get even more challenging when you have On Demand and DVR and your child knows they can watch just about whatever they want at any time. I feel fortunate my daughter likes doing other things so usually it's not too hard to get her into something else but occassionally I give in to the TV requests. If it ever got too bad, I'd consider cancelling cable for a while.

My son is the same age and he loves Elmo and eats Diego yogart daily!!! it is a phase my 11 yr old use to love barney. Elmo teaches the kids so much so limited video time is ok. you have to remember Elmo is 3 and he can relate to him and have conversation. Use this to your advantage. If you need to cook or clean or even take a nap Elmo will babysit for 30 mins. LOL

This is perfectly normal. My oldest daughters was Big Bird. My youngest daughter was Barney. Most every child picks a favorite. My neighbor is adopting a four year old and he also has a favorite. I would be more worried if your child didn't have a favorite to watch. But I would encourage more reading and coloring if possible and less television. Both of my girls are in college now and I am very thankful that I took time to read, color and just play games together. They thank me all the time for the time I spent playing with them and teaching them. Enjoy your son while he is young. He will be grown up and gone before you know it. Have a wonderful child filled day.

Trust me, Elmo is better than Barney! I can't imagine worrying about 30 minutes a day. My son watches more than that and he still does a ton of activities throughout the day. he has also learned a lot from Little Bear! I make it his "veg out" time after waking in the morning and waking from nap. He will move on to many other characters and shows, so get use to it!

I would continue to offer him other activitys. It is a phase. My now 12 year old through a fit so bad when we had family over, when she was bout 2, that she needed to watch Barney. We only had 2 videos at that time. She is well adjusted now.