how much TV do you think children should watch?

wannabe_sybil

I used to be left alone with the test card.

I have an interesting conundrum. Both my son and my father will be in the same living room for the next few days, and my father will have the tv on all the time. It will not be feasible for me to ration my son's tv time in the way suggested by some posters.

All I can do is manage the stimulation to my son and makes sure that he is not just staring at the screen.

In real life not everyone has these choices.

julie03

most children can watch tv without any negative impact to their mental development, my 16 yr old watched tv for roughly 1-2 hours per day , he is predicted mostly A-B s in his GCSE and is a wonderful caring and sensitive son, and an amazing artist and creative writer with a vivid imagination, even when he texts me he uses full words.

i have a 7 yr old who has dyspraxia and suspected Aspergers/ASD, and if i couldnt find him something to do while cooking dinner and washing up we would basically never eat, well maybe sandwiches as he is so intense.

we cant all be perfect parents who always have the time to do things with our kids 24/7 or have perfect children who while you are busy will find something to amuse themselves or read and not need the television real life is not some story book.

today both my youngest kids came home and have not watched any tv at all, they are encouraged to play outside while the weather is permitting and both played football in the back garden till dinner but not every day is like that and sometimes that means tv, doesnt mean you are a bad parent.

elektra-2007

My lad is 8 watches 20 mins in the morning after breakfast and dressed, and usually about 30-60 mins in an afternoon, he only watches the kids channels, fav progs like pokemon, tracy beaker, sarah jane ect, cbbc closes at 7pm which is then bed time.
But then he is allowed to watch football matches and films so that ups his viewing time.
Pre school, i personally loved cbeebies and it was on in the background most days esecially after tea as it closed down ay 6pm which was then time for bath and bed!
I think tv can be educational and fun aslong as its used well. Personally i think it is more about what they watch than how much.

C_Mababejive

I wouldnt have a television in the house save for the playback of DVDs etc.

The broadcast media is largely now detrimental to child and adult development.

ailuro2

I agree with putting a radio on, or your LO having a CD player of their own (not a real one obviously, the ones you get from Asda/Toysrus for little kids)

I am quite happy in a silent house, DH puts the TV on as soon as he wakes.

Get your LO used to a bit of quiet,can you let her play by herself in a bit of the kitchen while you make dinner? 'Hiding' from a 10 month old is a habit you don't want to get into, more train her into playing happily while you can be there but doing something else.

MERFE

Apparently TV is detrimental for a very young childs speech development, I'm not sure I believe that. My DD didn't watch TV till she was nearly 2 and a half and required speech therapy for delayed speech development - I did everything by the book with her being the first etc, talked to her all the time, loads of activities etc. DS actually watched tv from really young probably only about 5-10 mins at a time around 6 months, he was actually a really early speaker has a much better vocab than DD and copies everything he hears from anyone including the TV.

I have the TV on every morning with cartoons before school sometime they watch it and sometimes they play, today they are drawing at the table. But it is there to keep them amused so I can get on with making packed lunches, have shower, get 10 mins on the net opps.

Also I watched alot of TV growing up, we all had a TV in our rooms. It did me no harm but TV in the bedroom is something I want to avoid for a long time.

LilacPixie

they spend very litte time actually watching it, its usually on while the are running around like loons being chased by tickle monsters or looking for goats thay may eat their socks. Peppa pig or humpf will make them sit and actually watch tv but other than that its just noise.

Becles

I think it depends on the child. My eldest never bothered with it when he was a baby/toddler and my daughter (now 3) has never really been interested in it.

My middle one loved Bob the Builder and had a video called Mega Machines which was footage of heavy plant machinery (tedious I know but he loved it!). He used to watch TV quite a lot. However when he was 2 he suffered from double pneumonia and was weak for a long time afterwards. He got into watching TV then as he didn't have the energy for anything else.

Would she play in the kitchen if she could see you? I used to have mine sat on the kitchen floor with a few toys and I'd blether on while I was busy "look Mammy's cutting the onion up now, and then we'll pop it in the pan........" and so on. They all were quite happy with that, as they were getting some of my attention, but I was still able to get on with jobs too. It helps with language developement too, as although she can't speak at this age, she'll be absorbing information and will know what a pan, onion etc., is when she is ready to speak.

neneromanova

Cor deary me! Some of you are stuck up your own bums aren't you. But I bet you say that you find it detrimental to their mental development but in fact, behind closed doors your child watches loads of TV. IF you even have kids that it.

My DD watches quite a lot of TV in the mornings (7-9) and in the afternoon (5-7) But throught the day she colours, goes to school, runs around like a loon etc.

She is the brightest girl I actually know and Nursery workers have even commented that. She's always happy, does as she's told, NEVER forgets a sodding thing (not always a good thing, but if I've lost something I ask her if she's seen it and she finds it straight away :rotfl: )

I'm happy with the way my DD is growing up. Her mental capacity is sometimes better than some of the posters on here :rotfl:

As long as your child is happy and content then what's the harm?

The funny thing is, the posters who have said that TV is detremental to their mental state should have seen her dancing away to prodigy yesterday. She loves heavy metal music aswell, will that hurt her?

Mips

neneromanova wrote: »

The funny thing is, the posters who have said that TV is detremental to their mental state should have seen her dancing away to prodigy yesterday. She loves heavy metal music aswell, will that hurt her?

Better than her doing sexy dances like Ive seen some toddlers do :eek: