Do you let your baby watch tv?

Question

why or why not?

Answer 1

Yes! My daughter is 5 1/2 months old and loves her Baby Einstein DVDs, Baby Genius, Sesame Street and Barney. She has been watching since she was about 1 1/2 months old and is very smart and alert. When she first started watching, she was glued to the tv. Now she enjoys playing while watching. I think she enjoys hearing other voices and sounds more than anything. She does not watch a lot of tv during the day, but sometimes I'll turn on a program for her when she is tired of playing but not quite ready to sleep yet. Of course she still gets tons of playtime, reading, and many other stimulating activities. I believe that in moderation, and with the right programs, tv can be a good educational tool for children.

Answer 2

My kids (4 and 1.5) get 2 30-minute cartoons a day, or one episode of Sesame St.

I don't think TV is good for kids. Before I cracked down on it, our baby-sitter (ie, grandma) was letting them watch 4-5 hours of TV a day while I was at work. They would plop down in front of Disney and watch shows that were NOT age appropriate (Lizzie McGuire, Zach and Cody, etc). I'm still fixing the bad habits these shows taught my 4 year old. She says things like "That's not my style" or "I want to be a rockstar." She also mimics some of the tantrum action from the Lizzie McGuire show (clenching her fists and stomping around while growling).

She's been much better behaved since we cut back and I wish we had never gone through this. It never really affected my 1.5 year old that badly - she was too young to understand. Every morning we watch Pen-Pen and Big Wide World on TLC. Both are very cute shows that teach good manners and nice stories.

Bottom line, TV is NOT going to kill your kids, but it isn't great for them. I think they'll learn more from you if you take the time with them then they will ever learn from Baby Einstein (although the Beethoven thing is really cool).

Answer 3

My son wasn't interested in watching TV, Baby Einstein or not until he was about 3. He WAS interested in anything that had music, period.

I was born in '61 and was raised on children's programming (Romper Room, Captain Kangaroo, Sesame Street, which I watched with my younger 4 brothers and 1 sister.) I have no problem letting my 5yr old watch TV. I do monitor what he's watching but for the most part, I think its been pretty good for him.

He watches all sorts of cartoons now, from Scooby Doo to Sponge Bob. He's into Tom and Jerry these days. He's learned about good vs evil and tends towards defending the weaker kids than bullying them. We talk about so many things that come up (historical references, humanities actions and their global impact, dinosaurs and their demise.....) sometimes I'm amazed at how his mind works all this stuff through.

The long and the short of it is this: always, starting when they're very young, watch the TV with your kids. As they get older, have discussions about what it is they're seeing. You will be amazed at how much they learn, good and bad, from what they see and how much you will learn about them and how they will use what they learn.

Answer 4

I buy my little sister baby einstein dvd's and I'll let her watch dora and the wiggles. She's 2 and can count to 20 so I know that she's watching the right stuff. Of course I will not let her watch just regular television and she is limited to 2 hours of tv a day.

Answer 5

I let my son watch a fair amount of tv when he was younger, much to the dismay of many friends and relatives who only allowed their youngsters to play educational games. My son read at 3 1/2 and just won the presidential award for academics in 5th grade. I now have a 6 month old and I do allow her to watch Sesame Street, Barney and Its a Big Big World. However, I make sure to read at least 5 books a day to her and play a variety of games. TV is fine if it is mixed with reading and play activities.

Answer 6

There has been a lot of research indicating that watching TV at a young age can cause ADD and ADHD in children. The fast paced images may damage your baby's brain. But videos that are made for babies, like "Baby Einstein" and "baby Mozart" videos are made at a slower pace with easy to view images and they can actually make your baby SMARTER! Check them out and good luck with your little one!

Answer 7

I had all the Baby Einsteins. She is now 2.5 knows all the colors and counts to 16. Very articulate too.

I do not attribute this to Baby Einstein but know that it didn't do any harm.

Though she can also pick out Beethoven's 9th symphony and Van Gouge's A Starry Night. That I do attribute to Baby Einstein.

Answer 8

Yes i let my baby 3 month old brother watch tv he learns new words and learns how to do new things.

Answer 9

No. My daughter is 11 months (she is my 4th child) and she really is more interested in us interacting with her. Isn't that why we have babies is to love them and hug them and play with them? Also they need the HUMAN interaction not the electronic interaction. Besides this, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children under 2 should not watch tv, it is not developmentally good for them.

Answer 10

Baby songs is a comforting thing with songs like Mommy comes back. I limited it very much with my kids. There is supposed to be a link between ADD and small children who watch too much television