You probably read somewhere that the American Academy of Pediatrics officially declared television to be non-beneficial to children under age 2. They said that time in front of a video screen provided nothing in the way of education, and took away time from things that do, like interacting with people and playing.
I disagree.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not suggesting that we leave our children (of any age) in front of the babysitter television for hours on end, rather that the imaginative worlds offered in many programs can be stimulating, play-inspiring, and yes, educational. But what do I know, I'm a parent, not a doctor.
My kids got their fair share of Sesame Street, Little Einsteins, and Backyardigans, and they're just fine. Of course, by the time my oldest was 2, he could also sing the entire theme song to Monk and, thanks to House, diagnose that most things are, in fact, not lupus. The point is, the kids knew their way around a remote and it didn't hurt them. In fact, it was quite the contrary.
When the oldest started preschool, he joined a class of kids that had been in the program for a year and a half. He had never been in a classroom setting and it took all of an hour for the teachers to realize that he was further along than his classmates. She praised and thanked me for all of the things we were surely doing at home. I went home and thanked the Wonder Pets. Then we all munched on a celery stick.
I understand what the American Academy of Pediatrics is saying -- TV should not be a substitute for human contact or replace playtime. However, I find it hard to believe that 30 minutes of singing and imagination has no educational or developmental benefits. And I've got the kids to prove it.
Do you let your young children watch television?
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Comments 41
We also have the tv on most of the day. My 3 year old son has never been one to plop down and watch it for hours...he plays with his toys and we read books all day and the longest he will sit and focus on the tv is for maybe 15 min and that's only when it's one of his favorite shows. Everywhere we go, we are told how smart and advanced he is. He has a very good vocabulary, knows all his letters, numbers, colors, shapes, etc. We of course teach him these things but tv has definately assisted and taught him lots of things that we haven't. Some people need to be realisitic and realize that this is 2011 and technology is a big part of most people's lives. BIG DEAL. I think trying too hard to keep your child away from it could result in rebellion once they're older.
Actually the AAP doesn't say no TV time. Well it does up until age 2. Then from age 2 it's limited I believe to 30 min a day. Not sure where it bumps up at but I know for my nephew the pedi reccomends no more than 1 hr total of screen time.
Oh please.....the Academy of Pediatrics ???? How many of them are there ?? How many of them are parents ?? How many of them have children under the age of 5 yrs old ?? And how many of them have at least one stay at home parent at home with these young children ?? How detrimental is daycare vs a loving parent at home with them ??
Frankly some of these boobs have gotten college educations......and lost all sensibility and common sense. I personally don't know of any of my friends who used the TV as a long term babysitter- but lets be honest here........what parent hasn't used the tv, video or dvd in order to give our children something fun, educational and interesting to watch while we made a phone call, threw in some laundry or some other household chore, took a moment to use the bathroom and just plain old take 5-10 minutes for ourselves ?? Anyone who tells you otherwise is either a saint or a liar.
My son didn't watch TV until he was older than 2 and now it's very selective shows, for something special every now and then. Congrats your kids were above the rest of their classmates, that's not the norm. When my son was 2 he talked as well if not better than most 5 year olds. He could count to 20, knew his ABCs, all his colors, shapes, animals, their noises and a million other things - he was way ahead of the game... because of ME, not a TV. Most children by the time they are 5 watch more TV than it takes a 4 year college student to study! That is RIDICULOUS! I dislike a lot of bloggers on here because they're idiots, I'm not even shocked to see a man wrote this article. If my ex has his way the TV would have been on ALL the time and my son would have seen things that were totally not age appropiate, as most children do... including media messages.
I think every child is different... its up to the parents to decided and follow their instincts on what would be best for their child. When i had my first daughter (who is now 12) I had to work a lot and i know for a fact my mother did not spend time playing with her... its plop in front of the tv and leave me alone. That's my moms mode of raising children. Safe to say my daughter was so happy when i'd pick her up, so we could have park time, go to the city, or the please touch museum... but on the way she would tell me all the interesting shows she had watched, and from it i feel that she gained a very good vocabulary and imagination skills. Cause even though the tv was on, allot of it was used a background noise while she would play with her toys. To this day she does well and school and her imagination is strong and show through in the amazing stories that she writes. There are certain things that tv teaches that wouldn't even cross my mind to bring up to my kids, so its nice to have educating shows on, if used in moderation it can be a great helper.
I believe the experts have the facts & the research to back what they say; however, I think their message is directed more at those who are not committed SAHM's like most or all of you responding here are. (Case in point may be 3gifts.from.god's response.)
Their main point is that TV should now be used to entertain & baby-sit like many these days seem to think is okay. Actual conversation w/ a baby will HELP their hearing develop correctly, having a radio or TV doing all the talking ("in the background" or as a "sitter") is DETRIMENTAL to their hearing development.