is it ok for 5 month old baby to watch tv?

Question

every morning my son wakes up at 6 am and i put him in front of the tv so i can sleep an hour or 2 longer. is it ok for me to do this?

Answer 1

I say go for it, my son loves to look at the tv and he's almost 4 mo., maybe lay on the couch there and fall back asleep so he is not left unattened, but I don't think there's an issue with him watching the tv, it's very visually stimulating. And that's what we want to do with our kids is to stimulate them and if you get a little more sleep, then hey it's a 2 for 1.

Answer 2

Baby Watches Tv

Answer 3

This seems a fairly common question, and many people are suprised to find that the America Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children under the age of two should not watch television at all. They published a report in the journal 'Pediatrics' in 2004:
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Well-child visits in the video age: pediatricians and the American Academy of Pediatrics' guidelines for children's media use.
Pediatrics. 2004 Nov;114(5):1235-41.
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From their website:

"Children of all ages are constantly learning new things. The first 2 years of life are especially important in the growth and development of your child's brain. During this time, children need good, positive interaction with other children and adults. Too much television can negatively affect early brain development. This is especially true at younger ages, when learning to talk and play with others is so important.

Until more research is done about the effects of TV on very young children, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) does not recommend television for children age 2 or younger. For older children, the Academy recommends no more than 1 to 2 hours per day of educational, nonviolent programs."

While it is certainly a personal choice, it is always good to try to keep up with the latest research so that you can make a well informed decision. A good pediatrician should know the latest research on the subject and be able to provide the recommendations.

Answer 4

It's okay to have a baby watch tv but not unsupervised. My optometrist says even teenagers should not watch tv or a computer moniter for more than a combined total of two hours per day or else it will affect their eyes. What do you think of 5 month old baby watching for up to two hours straight? I have never heard of anyone going back to sleep and setting their baby in front of a tv. Surely you must be kidding.

Answer 5

While the official recommendation is no sreen time under 2 years old, I think the main problem is 'screen time' replacing real interaction. I don't think what you are doing is really bad, but be careful that he may get so used to it that it becomes part of his evening ritual. Will the dvd ALWAYS be available? What about vacation? What if the DVD player breaks down? Personally I try to keep the evenings as low tech as possible for this reason. We can always read another book or make up a bedtime story, but a dvd or for instance an electric 'soothing' light show that plays a specific lullaby is hard to replace.

Answer 6

I would say that you should probably try to go to sleep when the baby does at night, and get up when your son does in the morning. There's nothing wrong with the baby watching TV as long as you are awake, and can hear him if he falls from his seat, or if he starts to cry.

If you can't stay awake in the morning, get a baby sitter. The point of the matter is that if a relative or neighbor were to pop in while the baby was sitting unsupervised in the living room, while you are sound asleep in the bedroom, they can (and probably will) call social services on you. Is that something you want to have to deal with?

Maybe hook up with another mother in your neighborhood, and trade babysitting hours? Watch her child in the afternoon so she can run errends, and have her watch your child in the morning?

I have had 3 kids, and trust me- getting into the habit of letting your child be awake and doing what ever while you sleep will only get worse. By 2 or 3 years old, they'll be sneaking out the front door to play outside, and again, you'll have the problem of having social services called on you.

I understand being tired. I really do. But you need to get onto the same schedule as your child. If needbe, get him fed and changed in the morning, and lay him back down in his own bed to go back to sleep. Or keep him up later at night to change his schedule around some. Take a nap during the day when he takes his naps. Adults need about 8 hours of sleep during a day. Being a parent means going to bed later than the kids, getting up with them at night, waking up with them in the morning, etc. You usually don't get as much uninterupted sleep as you should.

Do you have a support system in your area? Parents, brothers & sisters, friends, etc? You need to utilize them. Do you have a husband or boyfriend living with you? Swap your schedules on who gets up each night with the baby. One night, you, then next, him.

There are a million things to do that can help you out, but leaving a 5 month old baby in a room unnattended in the morning to get more sleep should not be one of them. What about a pack and play? If you have one, use it. Put it up in your room and let him play with some quiet toys in that in the mornings while you lay in bed and rest (but not sleep).

Answer 7

Plenty of people will scorn you and say how horrible it is, but it's fine. If he's bored he'll let you know. As long as you don't do this all day every day. But, an extra hour of sleep is fine. Besides, at this age he's probably using it more for the noise than the actual visual. If you feel guilty put on some Baby Einstiens, or some NOGGIN television.

Answer 8

But is TV (and Video) really good for babies and infants under age 2? According to Dimitri Christakis of Children's Hospital in Seattle and writer of the The Elephant in the Living Room: Make Television Work for Your Kids, while older children can learn from educational shows, no study has shown that babies benefit from watching television and video. In fact, it can actually do harm:

see this link - http://www.raisesmartkid.com/pre-natal-to-1-year-old/2-articles/22-the-effects-of-tv-on-baby

Answer 9

My twins used to watch TV with me, but i don't think you should be letting him watch alone. OK so now he doesn't probably see anything but fast moving picture etc but if you get into the habit he could See unsuitable scary thing IE on the news. Toys in his cot would be better or invest in some DVDs especially for babies...nursery rhymes or baby Einstein ones. Have you tried putting music on instead. TV can lessen their concentration for more sedate activities because they get used to the fast pace.

So it's OK but limit it and sensor it.

Answer 10

No it's not ok. Because while your sleeping you don't know what that child could get into. I know that having young children is tiring, my wife and I have 3 of them, but the TV no matter what age should be used as a babysitter.