This is totally debatable & I'm interested in hearing different opinions of moms who have been there. It's so funny that I'm so interested in this because I'm such a major TV watcher! Lewis and I have always been of the opinion that our children will not watch TV until they are 2 years old. I want lots more reading, crafts, games, etc. Even when they are 2, TV will be limited to probably two shows per day. And this doesn't include movies. We want to have family movie nights and things like that. We are still following this plan as of right now, but have heard lots of different opinions and would like to get some insight from others. I've broken down some pro and con arguments I have thought of myself or have heard from others. I'm looking for comments or additional insight! Keep in mind that for me, these are arguments for or against TV under the age of 2. I'm ok with TV for my kids after the age of 2. I think educational programs are really beneficial for them at this point (within limits) and can help teach them lots of social and educational things.Arguments AGAINST TV
- Could contribute to ADD by conditioning children to be constantly entertained & stimulated
- Children learn by actively participating in their environment - TV encourages passivity
- Activities like drawing, painting, reading, etc. are much more beneficial for mental and emotional growth
- TV limits social interaction between the family - not completely, but much more so than other activities like games and reading that encourage interacting with each other
Arguments FOR TV
- There are educational programs and children's TV stations that have great information for children (QUESTION: how beneficial are they for children under the age of 2)
- There are programs like Baby Einstein and Your Baby Can Read that are geared specifically for children under the age of 2
- It gives the mom a break by entertaining the baby for a little while
- It is easier to prevent the first baby from watching TV, but it is almost impossible to keep the 2nd baby from watching TV if the first one is older and watching it
Comments
My nephew who is a couple of weeks older than Isis is obsessed with tv. I guess his parents watch it a lot and they play a lot of videogames and he just sits there totally enthralled by it which drives me NUTS!! I also babysat 2 boys who would literally watch tv all day and would not do anything else. They hated going outside... all they wanted to do was watch tv or play videogames... and these kids were 4 and 2.... that will NOT be what my children will be doing at that age :)
I bought several of the
Baby Einstein DVDs for my nieces, now 3 & 4, but don't plan on letting Tilda, now 4 months old, watch them. Don't have the links handy but there are several studies that which concluded Baby Einstein provided no intellectual or mental benefit and possibly caused harm. Turns out that there was no science behind the videos other than the creator doing what her own kids like watching. Past the Baby Einstein videos there is some research to discourage video watching before 2, don't remember the specific reasons.
Mostly directly at 6 and up there is some research that suggests any non physical activity should be classifies equally. In other words watching TV is the same as reading or sitting and painting. Think of it this way what is better about reading escapist books vs. watching escapist TV?
And I agree about the Baby Einstein. We are still of the mindset that we won't have her watch tv until she is 2. My concern is, like I said above - how do you do this with the 2nd child? Because when that one comes along, Isis will be watching tv (although still limited tv time). I feel like it'll be difficult to keep the new one from watching! Oh well, that's a little ways away!