Television

My girls are 3 months one week so i am pretty limited as far as activities go...I rotate between bouncy seats, swings, playmat, playgym, playing with toys/rattles, and bumbo....I sometimes will put them in their bouncy seats infront of the television and turn on mickey mouse clubhouse, or throw on a baby einstien dvd because they seem to be visually stimulated by it...Opinions on this??

 

I have done a lot of reading about TV and infants. It seems that they can be overstimulated by the TV and it can lead to ADD. I have decided to not put on the TV for them even though they are very interested in it. If they look at it a little while we are watching TV as a family that's fine, but I will wait to put them in front of it until they are at least a year (well that is my hope!). My sister's 7 month old watches TV a little bit every week and she is developmentally advanced so I don't think its harmful. If you think its okay, then it is I think the problems stem from when people just put their children in front of the tv and dont interact with them. You are their mommy and you know whats best for your children. Good luck

 

At that age, I kept the bouncy facing away from the tv, but I was usually watching it myself. They may seem bored, but tummy time and exploring objects is really all they need. I found I was 100x's more bored than they were! I was worried about the tv/ADD link I had read about but also knew I watched TV growing up, so I kept the cartoons and tv away from them until they were a year. Then I made it limited, but once they liked the character's I lost all power over the TV. Now I watch PBS unless it's naptime. It's mind numbing for me so we leave the house every morning to break things up.

 

I believe TV, like many things, is fine in moderation. Luke & Lila are not fans of watching TV and, in an average week, they may watch 3 or 4 shows and usually only half of one at a time, they are just not interested. Now my oldest, Olivia, loved Winnie the Pooh and watched it everyday for months when she was little. She turned out fine. I don't believe in planting them in front of the TV all day (and in the first year especially), but a little bit isn't going to hurt them, in my opinion.

 

I agree. Sometimes 30 minutes of quiet courtesy of a Baby Einstein DVD or PBS show was worth my sanity and enabled me to get some things done. I think TV is fine in moderation.

 

All my kids have watched tv from a young age, they were just interested in the bright colors and movement at first, as they got older they started interacting with the characters, answering questions..etc.

No I don't mean I stuck them in front of the tv for the day, but it's always on and since we do our living in the living room, it's just there.

So far my older two have no issues with ADD or learning problems, my oldest ds is in 2nd grade but his reading and math are at above grade 3 level, and my oldest dd has been singing in spanish along with dora lately!

So far the twins will glance at any music on the tv, they love music, and will watch bits and pieces of mickey mouse clubhouse, but that's about it, otherwise they are busy toodling around my entirely too toy ridden living room! :lol:

I'm a fan of the "in moderation" crowd but you gotta do what's right for you and your kids!

 

Same here. I usually put BE on around dinner time during the FY. Sometimes they would watch, sometimes not, but I believe the music had a calming effect on them.

 

I'm with everyone else on this one. I think a little tv in moderation is fine. My babies love the wiggles because of the music and colors but they maybe see 30 minutes to an hour of a DVD a week. I try to save it for times like when DH and I have to get something done that requires both of us or if I'm on my own trying to get myself and them ready to go somewhere. I watched TV growing up and I'm fine so I know once they are older I'll let them watch a little more and they'll be fine too, but I do plan on limiting how much and when they watch. It is funny though, from about 3 months to 7 months spongebob, mickey mouse clubhouse, etc. really kept their attention. Now they'd rather be crawling somewhere exploring something. Just do what you feel is best for your babies.

 

My LOs are huge fans of Baby Einstein. Sometimes it's the only thing that calms them down. I use it once a day at the most, for 15-20 minutes.

 

I started putting them BE once a day when they were 6 months old. I made first a "trial" and put them the BE DVD and after it finished observed their faces and found that they were happy and entertained. also, it helps keep them quiet and entertained when I am busy preparing their meal or have to take a shower. However, playing, reading, cuddling, etc. comes first. When we did all that and they are still awake, then I put them the BE DVD. And if at times, they seem not interested to watch BE, then I turn it off quickly. They like also a DVD called "Brainy baby" that puts classical music like BE.

 

I didn't like the idea of putting my kids in front of the tv and still don't. They watch a bit of what I watch sometimes but I really don't want to encourage them by putting something on that will get their attention.

Mostly, I think that they have too much to learn to waste even 30 minutes in front of the tube.

 

I just read an article about the Baby Einstein DVD's. The link is below.

http://www.nj.com/parenting/eric_ruhalter/index.ssf/2009/10/baby_einstein_recall_-_like_fi.html

 

I am very much against my kids watching TV or movies for as long as possible. There was another thead about this in the 2-4 twin age group. Here is the link:

http://www.twinstuff.com/forum/index.php?/topic/145528-healthy-amounts-of-sensory-input/

 

whoow..I did not know that there was a link between t.v. and a.d.d. My boys are 4mths. and our schedule consist of Nick Jr. in the morning..because I strap them in their rocker chairs and catch up on the sleep(on my couch) that I did not get that night because now they are going through the stage of flipping over constantly and wanting to sleep on their tummys.Sometimes they have their face down so I have to keep a close eye on this therefore losing sleep.So....in the 5 or 6 a.m. they watch and love Dora, the Explorer (I thought that they love the colors and the music, it's educational she teaches spanish) They also love Go, Diego, Go! (Here again the colors, music, animals,teaches spanish.) Then there is Ni Hao, Kai-Lan (Music, colors,teaches shapes and chinese.)The Backyardagains (funny looking creatures,music,explore)Now they do not watch this for hours but maybe an hr. here and there (too allow me to get things done around the house) because I am doing this alone.We have our times when the tv is turned off and they get on their tummy-time mat, they lay on back and reach & play with toys, kick and make music, I put them in their jumparoo,put them in their swings, take them out to ride in their stroller in the morning or that afternoon for an hr.Nap times & bath-times along with bedtime they listen to classical music ( by the 3rd or 4th song they are out like a light, also 2 or 3 times a day I spent personal time with them playing and babytalking with them and they laugh and love that. I have a friend who bought the "My baby can read" and she said that she would have started her 2yr.old at the age of 3mths if she would have known that it was effective as it is.So I may look into that and lay off the tv until 1yr. old.Thanks for the info.oh...I forgot to add...now they are eating baby foods (1st stage) and being introduced to water and juice so I do a jar of food (they share and a bttle of juice a day. Boy...when they say that we have our hands full...I see what they meant!Research shows that if stay at home moms were to get paid for what they do their salary would be 100,000 annually.oh yeah...might I add I'm in school part-time (online) Say...Hands full but it is going to be alright!

 

No they are not going to make your children little einsteins but I personally think my LO's are getting something out of watching them. They have watched numbers nursery quite a bit-well see if they count to 5 before the norm! GL! It is all in the way you use them. If you use them sparingly it is fine. The videos are 25 minutes long. If you use them constantly, then its bad. Actual research studies on the videos have shown that they dont help but they dont harm either-it is actually dependent on the Mothers education level and how much she interacts with her children outside of the video. So you get 25 minutes to wash bottles and make formula-pop in a video.