I have a three month old daughter and I've let her watch television a few times. Is this bad? What are the negative sides to this? Any positive sides?
2007-11-08 11:15:53 · 9 answers · asked by KBaylie 3 in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Newborn & Baby
I have a channel on Dish Network that is especially for babies. It's pretty much like a screen saver on a computer set to music. I watch it with my 3 month old for about an hour a day. I'm against just ditching a child in front of the T.V. but I don't see any harm in watching it WITH them. She really seem to enjoy watching it judging by the cooing sounds and smiles. In my opinion, I'd rather have her watching a little T.V. than staring at the same mobile and listening to the same lullaby's every day.
Good Luck!! :)
2007-11-08 11:30:40 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Babies should not have exposure to television until they are at least two years old. There is a lot of research and literature to support this. Baby Einstein DVDs are also not a good choice for infants. There are no pros, only cons.
Early television watching has been linked to ADHD and other neurological development issues in children. However, a few times will not harm your baby. My daughter glances at the TV every now and then to see where the noise is coming from, but she never watches a show or even 5 minutes of a show. Television should not be a substitute for real hands-on playtime, this is the main concern.
Edit: there are special networks and shows that claim to be for newborns and infants. Most doctors are infuriated with these claims, every doctor I have interned with has felt the same way. a baby's brain is incapable of processing the 2-d images from the TV screen and in no way benefits from watching.
2007-11-08 11:20:22 · answer #2 · answered by MediMommy 3 · 3⤊ 2⤋
No more dangerous than staring at a light bulb and believe me as much as my son is fascinated at 3 months with the TV he still gets fascinated by light bulbs as well.
Negative problems are caused by parents who park their kids in front of the tv and discourage interaction or ignore them. The TV is not a babysitter.
Yes my son likes to stare at the TV from time to time but he is either in my lap eating (and unless something is distracting him he can be a very poor eater so if I can find something on the tv for him to stare at he will eat a lot more because he forgets to fuss) or on his activity mat where he will play with his toys and only watch the bits that catch his attention. He adores the Wonder Pets and if I sing the theme song he smiles so big, it's adorable. He'll focus on the Backyardigans when singing and most shows if the character's are singing, other than that he could care less. He does like that painting pony on BabyE with the colors though. Usually if he is focusing on the tv I'll talk to him about what he is seeing. He may not quite understand right now but as he gets older it is a good habit to have with your children (watching together and talking about what they are watching). Also when he does focus on the TV I can get to the bathroom or grab a snack or do a quick chore like grab something out for dinner or make sure the pets have food, etc... I don't use it to distract him for me to go grab a shower or spend a half hour out of the room or tied up with something else, that's what his nap times are for!
2007-11-08 14:37:36 · answer #3 · answered by babybugs1980 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
My daughter is 10 weeks old and I let her watch it. When she is crying and I put her infront of the tv she is quiet. I think she like the colors and sound. I usually have it on dora or blues clues. I dont care what statistics say. I have a 3 year old who has watched it since about 8 weeks. Shes now 3 and more intellegent than her 5 year old half sister. MY 3 year old daughter watches mostly PBS, Dora and Blues Clues. She can even speak spanish which she learned from watching Dora.
2007-11-08 12:38:06 · answer #4 · answered by HondaChick 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
most of the research i have read really discourages television for children under two - sometimes even five! the brain is developing and tv is fairly overwhelming. while i don't believe a few cartoons will cause any permanent damage or dissorders, there is no way to say it won't contribute to those problems. i don't think there is any reason a 3 month old needs to watch tv.
2007-11-08 11:26:39 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
The experts say you shouldn't. I let my daughter watch and it hasn't seemed to hurt her. She's a very well developed 3 year old.
Limit how many hours a day you allow cartoons, or they'll take over your TV!
2007-11-08 11:21:19 · answer #6 · answered by Kat H 6 · 3⤊ 0⤋
I think, because she is so young, if you watch them with her it will be good snuggle time. I don't think she will understand it, so you scan watch something that you like(that is not violent, sexual, or language) while she is on your lap, or sleeping on you. I disagree that tv"exposure" is bad for babies, because just being in front of it isn't bad!
2007-11-08 11:29:39 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
at that age it wont hurt to watch 20 min. of tv a day. But no more then 20 min.
2007-11-08 11:30:29 · answer #8 · answered by favorite_aunt24 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
everything in moderation.
2007-11-08 11:24:55 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋