So... I am interested in hearing from other moms out there... how much time per day do you have the tv and/or radio on with your child around? Does your child pay attention to either?
Evelyn pays absolutely NO attention to the tv. It is probably because it is located up above our fireplace and she would have a hard time watching it since she plays on the floor usually right in front of the fireplace. After work, Travis typically turns on the tv and watches whatever sports game is on that night... I don't really care to have the tv on until after she goes to bed (I prefer more of the primetime shows). If the television isn't on, I will turn on some music -- nothing loud, just kinda in the background. I find it relaxing to have on light music -- as opposed to complete silence.
Here is the reason I am asking... I know that children watching endless hours of tv is bad for them. I recently read something that said that having tv noise in the background is possibly even worse than having your infant/toddler watching it. The article said that the children will have a hard time distinguishing words -- the words being spoken on tv and the words we are saying to them. Supposedly the children that were exposed to tv noise in the background talked later... and they also played with toys differently (not sure how that is related to the tv) -- but they would go from toy to toy, instead of focusing and playing with one toy for a little while.
The article didn't say anything about the radio, but I am assuming that if the tv noise in the background is bad that the radio would be bad also. It seems like it would still interfere with the child being able to just hear one voice at a time.
What do you guys think? I hate reading articles like that --- it makes me start to question my parenting abilities. We all want smart kids --- but I sometimes wonder if these "studies" are making a big deal out of nothing?
10 years ago
4 comments:
I read somewhere that the AAP recommend that children under 2 not watch tv because their brain develops so quickly and they learn better with interacting with other kids/ppl as well as focusing on toys.
With that said, I do allow my kids to watch tv. I try to keep it to music, learning, etc. Sometimes they just get bored with playing and want the downtime. I try to keep it minimal in the morning and evening. (1-2 shows in the morning and 1-2 shows in the evening) I do have the tv on for background noise or music. They don't really focus on either. Right now music is playing and they are all over me to play.
I love TV, I love to watch Food Network, and I have a few favorite prime time shows. We have the TV on a lot. Ava does like to watch it. There are some days where she probably watches too much, but we live in MI, it's cold right now, she gets cabin fever. In the summer, it's a different story. She also does and always has had a very advanced vocabulary. She was using full distinguishable sentences by the time she turned 2 years old. People in restaurants or grocery stores would ask me how old she was and then be amazed at her vocab for her age. I don't think TV has affected her learning abilities at all. She's very close to reading already, and she's not even 5. I actually think shows like 'Dora' and 'Diego' have helped her vocab...
Noah on the other hand has very little interest in the TV unless it means he gets to snuggle in the chair with me or JR while we watch a show.
Neither one of my kids liked to watch TV until they got older. And even now they lose interest in it long before the 1-2 hour time limit is up.
I can see how that article might have validity if kids were always surrounded by interfering background noise, but it doesn't sound like that is your case. Relax. You're doing just fine. :)
I would say making a big deal out of nothing is accurate on this one. We have the TV to the news quite a bit and Emerson won't stop talking. Plus she has gotten to the point if she doesn't want the TV on, she turns it off, which is fine by us.
By the way I finally started a blog...
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