Is it ideal for young toddlers (ages 1-3) to really watch TV?

Question

I know there are a TON of preschoolder programs on televison. Barney, Blue's Clues, Sesame Street, etc.

But how much television is too much television? Shouldn't we be interacting more with our children than plopping them down in front of TV and letting the Teletubbies raise our children?

How much TV do you let your kids watch? Are these shows beneficial at all to very young children?

Answer 1

My son is 15 months old. When I wake up each morning at 9 am, the first thing I do is turn on the television. I am just so lazy for the first thirty minutes to an hour after I wake up. Then, I get up and fix my son some breakfast and turn off the television. He watches PBS, and I do find it to be educational. My son has learned all sorts of songs and dance moves from Barney. I think Seseame street is very educational. We usually only watch television in the morning, and I watch television after he goes to sleep. I would say he spends about an hour a day watching television. I know it probably isn't the best thing for him to be doing, but we are both really sleepy in the morning. We spend the rest of the day going outside or playing in his room. I really don't think that one hour a day is harmful. I don't think the education they get from television is as good as you teaching them something in real life. It's important for children to have sensory experiences, esspecially at such a young age. But, my son really has learned songs and dances from the shows he watches in the morning. He learns more from the movies because he can watch it over and over. It takes children more than once to learn usually. Well, that's my opinion on it. Like it or not, I'm a good mother, and my son watches television.

Answer 2

No. I believe these shows, even the 'educational' ones are harmful to young children. Watching TV affects brain development in a negative way. It is also addicting. There is not one thing that I want to teach my son (he's 2) that I'm not capable of teaching him.

We have a pretty strict rule of no TV all day, when my son and I are home. No TV means the TV is off. Sometimes we will watch it in the evenings. My son doesn't care much to watch TV and I like it that way.

Pediatricians recommend no TV for children under 2. So, I guess any amount of TV is considered too much. In my opinion, the less the better--at any age, including adults.

I have seen the Teletubbies. I can't believe this is a kid's show. Have you ever seen it? The teletubbies babble/talk nonsense/just make sounds. Kids start learing language from the moment they are born. How can this be seen by anyone as beneficial in any way?

I absolutely believe we should be interacting with our children instead of plopping them down in front of TV! I really think that all this TV watching is a big reason for some of the problems kids may have. Kids need to learn how to interact with people. They need bonding with their parents. They need an actual person to talk to them and respond to them.

Answer 3

My kids don't watch TV unless we are sitting down and watching a movie together. I don't it is very good for kids. I have a friend whose kids watch so much TV they don't do anything else. They also don't know how to act or behave in public. The are HORRIBLE!! I am not saying it is due to TV or that your children are that way, I just think if she spent more time with them. Talk to them, played with them they would be better off. When I have said things to her, her response is always defensive and stating how she has them watch "educational programs" first before they can watch anything else. As if that is a good excuse.

Don't get me wrong they do watch TV sometimes. Like once a week they get to watch two hours of cartoons. And, my daughter is on the honor roll friends with ever kind of child in her school rich, middle class, poor, special needs, etc. She knows all about the popular stars, shows and some music. Very respectful and a joy to be around! Her kids have been held back from school already. The nine year old is finally in thrid grade and reads barely at a kindergarten level. Her seven year old finally made it to first grade and can't read or write. They are both overweight.

There is nothing wrong with watching TV its just the amount watched and the amount spent doing other things to include mommy dadddy time. Good luck

Answer 4

My daughter watches TV and we watch it together. My husband is very addicted to TV so it is hard to go through the house at any point in the day without a TV on. Funny because people associate watching too much TV with being fat and lazy, and he is just the opposite of that. I don't really like TV so I run around turning off all of the TV's when I get home from work. You can learn a lot from TV today, but regardless too much of anything is bad for you and your children. Even though we literally have a TV on 24 hours a day, I think she has gotten so used to it that she just ignores it most of the time. I think it is mostly on around here for background noise, because we are always in and out of the house. I think my daughter has learned a lot from the TV, especially old kids songs that I had forgotten - we get up and sing and dance to Barney or whoever. So it isn't all bad, but should be in moderation.

Answer 5

ideally I don't hink there's much reason to plop your kid down in front of the tv. If they are gong to watch a little tv, it's best to watch it with them and talk about it with them. Most reasonable people, I think, use the tv as an occassional babysitter so they can get things done around the house or have a few minutes to themselves. I don't think this is much of a problem for a limited period of time but, it is easy to have hours suddenly go by. My daughter loved Sesame St (and she still loves "Arthur" and she's 17 years old!) and I never saw it as a problem to let her watch it. However, there is a lot of really awful stuff on tv, even some that is supposedly for little kids, and you need to be vigilent about what and how much to let them watch. I think an hour a day is more than enough but, there's certainly no need for any kid to watch any tv when it comes right down to it.

Answer 6

The pediatrician my kids go to recommends no more than 1 hr of Tv for children. That is children of all ages. Kids do watch to much tv today because parents use it as a babysitter to keep kids quiet. The programs are ok but some preschool programs really aren't great for some kids. I agree that parents need to interact more with their children and be the ones teaching instead of relying on the tvs to teach and entertain their children. My boys use to watch way to much tv but since doing the Icredible Years program they now get 1-2 hrs depending on the show/movie and we always watch together. I choose programs that teach some kind of lesson that we can talk about during or afterwards.

Answer 7

The American Academy of Pediatrics states that any child under the age of 2 should not watch any tv whatsoever (this also includes computer time). Hardly a reality in this day and age. There are many appropriate kids shows out there, but a one-year-old isn't truly understanding many of those concepts yet. Personally, I think it's appalling that there is an entire channel dedicated to "baby television" programming. I think many parents think they are helping their children by only letting them watch educational shows, but in reality are harming them by letting them watch all day long. Children learn language and problem-solving skills by interacting with people and the environment. However, if your child just needs some downtime, and you've really got to get something done, I don't think a 1/2 hour of tv is going to hurt anyone.

Answer 8

Ideal? Probably not. But a little TV probably wouldn't hurt them. Instead of not allowing the children to watch TV, I keep them busy by doing a lot of other things with them. Our day goes by before we even know it and the kids haven't even thought once about turning the TV on. They actually really enjoy other things because they don't get into all of the shows that are out there.

Answer 9

Some shows can be very educational like Little Einsteins, and other Disney channel or Nick Jr. shows so putting them in front of the TV for 1 or 2 hours is fine watching TV all day everyday can be a very bad thing. I watch TV for less than 3 hours a day and kids need excersise and fruit and veggies.

Answer 10

My 2 older kids are 8 and 9 and don't watch that much TV, my 2 toddlers are 2 1/2 and 1 1/2 neither watch cartoons, my 2 1/2 year old has little interest in the TV, other then the occasional shows I watch. He watches man vs wild with me, and not much else. And he thinks commercials are funny, then once they are off he is right back to what ever else he is doing.