How Much Is Too Much TV?
The AAP recommends NO television for children under 2. How realistic is this? My
kid doesn't watch a ton of TV, and I don't keep the TV on most of the day. But he does watch Sesame every morning, paying most attention to the opening storyline, Cookie Monster and Elmo's World. He usually finds other things to do when the Count comes on or if Bert & Ernie are part of the show that day. So I'd say he watches about 35 minutes of Sesame. And then about 10 minutes of Big Big World, paying most attention to the songs and tuning out the rest. Then I turn the TV off for the rest of the day. So I guess he watches a total of up to an hour a day. Ok, fine ... some days he does watch more.
I know some people let their kids watch more and some people are so completely opposed to any TV viewing for their children. But really, how much damage can I do by letting my kid watch Sesame Street?
3 comments:
We do limited television, but my theory on people doing the "research" is that they are at work, enjoying the peace and quiet, not at home with two kids under four, whining and moaning. They should do a study of parents who don't let their kids watch tv, and how many of them are on medication!! LOL! Everything is alright in moderation! That's my theory!
I'm probably guilty of letting Kathryn watch a little more TV than she should, but she's an active toddler. If I don't put on a show while I'm trying to make dinner, she's right under my feet, trying to grab at the pot of boiling water on the stove! And even then, most of the time the TV doesn't keep her attention.
I view tv as an unstimulating babysitter. Basically, from what I've read, kids under 2 can't "learn" anything from t.v. So, when I have him in front of the t.v. to get something done, I just realize that he's not gaining anything from it. Given that he's interacting in a stimulating environment for the rest of the day, I don't feel too bad about the 30-45 mins. or so he watches of PBS a day. It keeps me sane, so that I can be better the rest of the time.
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