Parents of Toddlers: Does you child watch TV? If so, how much and what type of programs? Do you think that i:?

Question

Parents of Toddlers: Does you child watch TV? If so, how much and what type of programs? Do you think that it has a bad effect on them in any way? Please list your childs age....

Answer 1

I have a 4 year old boy, and 5 year old girl, and 1 year old girl. I allow them one movie a day. No more, but sometimes less. I read to them after breakfast when we all get up, then go outside for a walk, swim, or park, then they eat lunch, play for a little while, then I put a movie on- really anything. Sometimes educational, sometimes just a disney movie. We're pretty limited since we dont get any chanels. Then they have quit time in their room where they will take a nap, or color to themselves for an hour or two. that's my schdule- I'm not sure what you were looking for. Oh, I think the bad effects it could have is poor communication. They are used to being entertained by something, and not entertaining themselves. They need interaction with you, and other kids too. They need to learn through play, and real life. When they are very small, they cannot tell what is real, and what is not.

Answer 2

I did not let my son watch tv til he was 1....then we sat together and watched sing-a-long videos and such...when he was 2, i started letting him watch PBS which has shows like Barney, Sesame Street, and then some shows like Blues Clues and Dora. Every since then, i have just monitored what shows he watches. I think letting them watch garbage on tv is pointless and harmful...puts thoughts and ideas in their head that their brains don't really need or comprehend. My son is 9 now and i still monitor what he watches....I go so far as to ban some cartoons that come on Cartoon Network and Nick....he love Animal Planet and the Discovery Channel though. Some people say i go overboard, but since he is extremely intellegent...way above average, happy adjusted and has tons of friends and is involved in soccer and baseball.....I say that what i have done obviously hasn't hurt him, heck its seems to have helped him!!!! Good luck with your decision....every parent is different and raises their children different....just because one parent chooses to do something different than the next, doesn't mean that their children will turn out bad!

Answer 3

My son is 2 1/2 years old and, yes, he does watch TV. He's allowed to watch two programs on Noggin. Noggin is very educational and I don't turn the TV on and leave. We sit down together and interact ie Blue's Clues. If it's Little Bear, we turn the TV off afterwards and my son tells me what happened on Little Bear. I manke tv interactive with my son cuz I can't get him NOT to turn on the tv in the morning. So my idea is that as long is it's not an all day thing or something to distract them, it perfectly okay. My son has a very healthy imagination and is rather intellegent, so it doesn't seem to pose a threat to his development. HTH

Answer 4

Kids are different period. My son is addicted to blue's clues and playing nintendo DS. The bad part is he's only three. What I would tell you is that every child is different. We allow him to watch as much tv as long as it does not negatively effect him. For right now I don't see it has, as a matter of fact its helped him a great deal. He knows his ABC's, can spell words, count, and he has a wonderful imagination. My advice would be not to just use the television. Kids need exercise!!! Or else they would never sleep. So I say TV's ok, just don't let it be the only thing they experience.

Answer 5

My kids are 3 and 1 and I let them watch TV only when the educational DVDs are playing. That way, I do not need to worry about the violent content in some ads. Two hours will be ok. I expose my kids more on hands-on educational stuff than TV. I let them play with bricks and mats and guide them to draw with crayons. Im a atay-at-home mom, I've a lot of options. My kids and I bond more with these hands-on activities.

Answer 6

1 hour of TV a day for a kid under 3 is plenty

most kids shows are a serious of short skits - this has been proven to contribute to Attention Deficiet as it jumps so kids do not have to focus for more than a short time before something different happens - and even watching tv with mom isnt good because our sit coms (for example) they cannot understand and are interupted by commericals so even they jump...

point is people choose to become parents then take the lazy route and use the TV to babysit and then complain when their kid acts snotty or cannot pay attention for more than 5 minutes... TV and video in the car is equally bad - kids need to learn how to cope with being bored - if a kid MUST be entertained all the time it will suffer as an adult in real life

my kid is now 12 yrs old an watched limited TV - lots of outdoor activites

Answer 7

My daughter will be 2 september 3rd and will not watch t.v. I have tried to get her interested in musical programs such as the wiggles or the doodle bops because she loves music and dancing and thought it would be fun for her, but she won't even look at the t.v.(unless a baby on t.v. crys or a dog barks, then she looks over and says "baby" or kisses the t.v or barks at the dog) We've found that she prefers adult music to kids music....the only movies i can get her to look at are Dirty Dancing, Cry Baby and Footloose (obviuosly these were accidental finds, i was not activly encouraging my child to watch dirty dancing, but now we fast forward through innapropriate scenes because i want to encourage her love of music and dancing so i do allow her to watch these movies on occasion), but only during songs, then her head snaps to the t.v. and she goes nuts.
Personally, i think that t.v. is ok in moderation (Say an hour to two hours. I'd have to take age and what they were watching into consideration, Also keeping in mind that many movies are almost 2 hours long.) dependent on what shows you let your kids watch, so long as you are also rounding out their day with other activities that help them learn and be active. Good old fashioned play is also important, too many parents put the emphasis on learning and not on play. The key is to give them fun toys that encourage them to learn. I also believe in interacting with your child during t.v. time, helping them to get involved in the show and learn, not just sit back and watch.
Good kids programming inspires learning while being enjoyable. Sesame street, blues clues, Dora, Doodle bops, etc. are some that I'd let her watch. Not that it matters what i want her to watch, she's a do-er not an observer, which is good, just means more running around for mom, lol!

Answer 8

My son is 3 and my daughter is 19-months.

I limit my son's TV viewing to 45 minutes a day and my daughter's to 30 minutes.

They usually watch a DVD, often Baby Einstein, or just normal pre-school shows like Tellytubbies.

To be honest though, they're not that interested in TV, and often a few days can go by without them watching any at all.

Sometimes, I'll ask my son if he wants to watch one of his DVDs, and he turns round and says he'd rather continue his creative play.

That's great to hear, because I would hate for my children to rely on TV for entertainment, and would rather they have vivid imaginations!

Answer 9

my toddler is 3 almost 4 and she watches nick jr and disney channel. She is allowed to look at tv when ever she wants as long as it is not bed time. zI dont think that tv is a bad influence......certine shows should not be seen by children. My child is very smart and she is also very fit. So not I dont think that too much tv is bad for children.

Answer 10

My 4yr watchs about 2-2.5 hours of tv a day. Some days more, some less. I only let him PBS or videos. I have not seen any negative effects. But we stay away from violent cartoons as I do think they have bad effects