Television Question

I have to agree with Danette V. All I let her watch is Noggin and I definitely attribute some of her vocabulary and concept awareness to the shows she watches. Some of her first active "pretend play" was to save various objects around the house in "Wonder Pets" style :) Though I never intended for her to watch as much TV as she does (about 2 hrs a day), what she has watched has been very educational.

M.
I have twins.
try reading to them all day every day. doable, right?
NOT.
i love it when mamas say I don't let my child watch tv. i can just imagine there is NO cooked food in that house, laundry done, things picked up etc
that said, at your daughters' age my kids loved barney, sesame street and some dora. i absolutely refused to hear oobi or teletubbies. those two shows drove me nuts. other than that pretty soon you can introduce princess movies. when that happens you'll love it too as you'll get to discuss with them the movies.

Hi M.,
My son is 27 months old and I've always been kind of liberal with the TV watching, all he watches is Noggin anyway which is educational. There are just certain points during the day when I need a break, so the TV goes on! And any Mom who tells you that 45 minutes a day is too much, probably has a nanny and housekeeper. :)
Don't sweat it.
Lynsey

Hi M.,

I think that's perfectly fine. I've found myself allowing my 2.5 year old to watch a favorite episode of Sesame Street, Clifford, or Toot and Puddle when I've needed to throw in a load of laundry, wash the dishes, or check email. As long as it doesn't become a habit, it's a wonderful way to grab a few precious minutes during your day!

Only you can decide what is too much. If you are really questioning it maybe it is too much for your girls. My DD watches about 2 hours a day at nearly 3 and she does well with it.

Sounds fine. I do 2 half hour shows a day. I think that is reasonable.

Thanks for asking about this because I have to say my 16 month old boy watches TV and sometimes when its off he gives me the remote to turn it on, which makes me nervous. The shows he watches are on Noggin or Baby Einstein, he just likes them a lot! I would feel bad if I had on horror films and the news, but I don't. Like that one mom said if your home all day with your little one you can't be expected not to turn on the TV at some point. I think 45 minutes is fine, especially if its educational. How wold we get anything done anyway!

My girls are 18 months apart and for awhile there, i definitely had to resort to the "electronic babysitter" more than a few times (in order to eat, get our house to a basic sanitary condition, etc). Just want to give you a light at the end of the tunnel: My girls are now 3, and 20 months old, and they truly entertain each other and themselves beautifully now (when we're not doing fun things together--I try to do at least one structured activity a day where I turn off the telephone and just concentrate on them, like play doh, fingerpainting, etc). Now, they are very involved in the housework with me--they LOVE to swiffer and use the squirt bottle!--and today, for example, the television never made it on until our pre-bedtime Clifford. Do what you have to do--use the television as a tool when you need it, try to fill their days with other activities, and try not to beat yourself up too much. :)

Hey, M.,
You've already gotten a lot of responses, but as another mother of twins I wanted to chime in. My girls are almost 3, and they watch a little TV every day (some Sesame Street in the morning so I can shower, and some Yo Gabba Gabba in the evening so my husband can make dinner). Just wanted to give you something to look forward to: between the ages of 2 and 3, your girls will probably start playing together more and entertaining themselves -- which means you'll get more chances to do other things away from them without having to turn on the TV. It's one of the benefits of having twins!

Enjoy them,
A.

The American Academy of Pediatrics says no TV for under 2 but come on, that is not really realistic. This might be realistic if your kids are in daycare all day but I don't think so for a SAH family. We get Noggin and Sprout at our home and my 18 month old definetly has his favorite shows. I never allowed TV before age 1 but I have found that since he has watched a few hours a tv a day (mostly when I have to get things done or during eating) his vocab and his attention span have increased dramatically. This may be coincidental and I know lots of people would object to eating in front of the tv. It is linked to bad eating habits later in life and is pretty White trash, but my son is not a hearty eater, to say the least. Don't worry about 45 minutes as long as its not violent, lound, very blinky or has rapid movement, or otherwise not appropriate.

As long as they are watching something educational 45 minutes a day is appropriate as long as it is broken-up a little.

If your cable company has Noggin as part of your package, it's great! The channel is commercial-free so the episodes are about 20 minutes long and are entirely educational- social, language, and pre-literacy development.

Man, I feel like a lousy mother after reading these posts! LOL Our weather stinks here, so indoor entertainment is hard to come by at home. We watch a lot of Caillou, Super Why, Wiggles, Sesame Street, but none of my shows. We do play, but when that wears off, tv is what keeps the twins occupied & out of trouble.

My 3 year old has watched the Sprout channel since she was an infant. Her language skills as a result are above average. I think educational television can only be a help coupled with quality time from the parents. My daughter watched more than 45 minutes of television each day and from what I can see, it has helped her tremendously. Blessings to you and your family!

I'm sure there is a vast range of opinion on this, but I think 45 minutes is totally reasonable! I applaud you for keeping it to this; TV in our house is getting out of control, and it's hard trying to rein it back in.

45 minutes would be perfect - just enough time to get dinner to the table.

I am so glad that you asked this question. I have been feeling like a "failure" because the first thing my DD does when she wakes up is point to the room where the TV is and says "my elmo" meaning Seasame Street. We only allow her to watch Seasame street, Barney, Thomas, and Bob the Builder. Like so many other moms responded, tv gives me the opportuntity to get things done. But my husband and
n I do watch a majority of her tv time with her. I thin it is a great opportuity to see what is out there for kids as well as she her smile and watch her learn. ------M.

I'm married to the cable guy so we have every station under the sun available to us. I'm embarrassed to say that the TV is on in our house most the time. I like the background noise more than I do a silent house (which will put me to sleep). My son goes back and forth between watching his shows and having mine on in the background. He doesn't pay much attention to my shows but when his shows are on, it does give me a LITTLE break to do what I need. He's never sat in front of the TV mesmerized like "they" warn. Instead, he'll play, watch for a few, play, etc. If music's on he'll dance to it.

Besides Noggin, there's Sprout TV (great shows on), Nick in the morning, Nick2, and NickJr. Sprout and NickJr. always have toddler shows on. I also have a few DVDs of the Wiggles and I bought a used Bear in the Big Blue House Potty Training video (crossing my fingers!) but what I've found to be most helpful and educational are the Your Baby Can Read DVDs. They are pricey unless you find some on eBay used but my son learned a lot of words even before he could say them and he loves to look at the images. Even now at 19 months. They really do work and though he's not reading (I don't play them every day like I should) he has learned more from them than from any of the shows on TV, including Sesame Street and Baby Einstein. So that might be something for you to consider that would ease your guilt over them watching the "boob tube". Either way, I wouldn't fret too much about it.