how much TV do you think children should watch?

Morgan_Ree

ninky wrote: »

the jury is also slightly out on drinking alcohol during pregnancy but most sensible mums to be still avoid it. there is some evidence that watching tv when young is harmful and there is no evidence that it is beneficial.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090113074419.htm

“For example, the American Academy of Paediatrics discourages TV viewing in the first two years of life, but only six per cent of parents are aware of this advice despite ongoing publicity.”

if a serious professional specialist body is suggesting it is best not to allow viewing in the first two years of life is is not a good idea to keep to this advice?

Well actually it does wonders at keeping my DS amused whilst I have housework/uni work to do :cool:

I feel sorry for new mums and dads. So much crap thrown at them from 'experts'
Can't do this, can't do that!
Their heads must feel like they're about to explode

ninky_2

Morgan_Ree wrote: »

Well actually it does wonders at keeping my DS amused whilst I have housework/uni work to do :cool:

I feel sorry for new mums and dads. So much crap thrown at them from 'experts'
Can't do this, can't do that!
Their heads must feel like they're about to explode

if you read the article the 'experts' do acknowledge this practicality but state is should not be encouraged. it's fair enought to say it's a convenient source of 'baby sitting'. but just don't fall into the trap of thinking it is educational when the evidence suggests it can actually delay development and effect concentration span in later childhood. many things that are convenient are not necessarily good in other ways. of course unless legislation is brought in it is up to individuals whether they take the advice of experts or not. personally i think it is great that scientists bother to research such things.

• 29 per cent of parents who took part in a survey of 1,000 American families published in 2007 said they let their infants watch TV because they thought it was “good for their brains”. But claims made by manufacturers are not substantiated by peer-reviewed medical papers and industry studies.
• Watching TV programmes or DVDs aimed at infants can actually delay language development, according to a number of studies. For example, a 2008 Thai study published in Acta Paediatrica found that if children under 12 months watched TV for more than two hours a day they were six times more likely to have delayed language skills. Another study found that children who watched baby DVDs between seven and 16 months knew fewer words than children who did not.
• Infants as young as 14 months will imitate what they see on a TV screen, but they learn better from live presentations. For example, one study found that children learnt Mandarin Chinese better from a native speaker than they did from a video of the same speaker.
• A study of 1,300 children conducted by the author and colleagues in 2004 found a modest association between TV viewing before the age of three and attentional problems at the age of seven, after a wide range of other factors were ruled out.
• In another study, the author and colleagues looked at the effects of early TV viewing on cognitive development at school age. They found that children who had watched a lot of TV in their early years did not perform as well when they underwent tests to check their reading and memory skills.
• More than one in five parents who took part in another study said that they got their infants to watch TV when they needed time to themselves. This, says the author, is an understandable and realistic need, but not one that should be actively promoted.

Morgan_Ree

ninky wrote: »

if you read the article the 'experts' do acknowledge this practicality but state is should not be encouraged. it's fair enought to say it's a convenient source of 'baby sitting'. but just don't fall into the trap of thinking it is educational when the evidence suggests it can actually delay development and effect concentration span in later childhood.

Of course it's not educational, it's entertainment.
I'm forever hearing DS giggling away at whatever Horrid Henry has just done.

Like I said before, so much crap from 'experts'
It's all too much! In a few years I expect a manual 'How To Bring Up Your Child' delivered with every baby.

I'll take my chances and let DS watch his cartoons in peace

bylromarha

Morgan_Ree wrote: »

It's all too much! In a few years I expect a manual 'How To Bring Up Your Child' delivered with every baby.

Ah, you obviously didn't receive your copy of "birth to 5"

bestpud

ninky wrote: »

the jury is also slightly out on drinking alcohol during pregnancy but most sensible mums to be still avoid it. there is some evidence that watching tv when young is harmful and there is no evidence that it is beneficial.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090113074419.htm

“For example, the American Academy of Paediatrics discourages TV viewing in the first two years of life, but only six per cent of parents are aware of this advice despite ongoing publicity.”

if a serious professional specialist body is suggesting it is best not to allow viewing in the first two years of life is is not a good idea to keep to this advice?

I think it's all about moderation tbh.

Alcohol is discouraged and yet many still drink 'sensibly' when pregnant and go on to have healthy babies.

TV is discouraged by this organisation but many well balanced children watch TV.

I see no reason to ban either of these so long as a bit of common sense is used.

After all, children will be faced with many tough decisions and one of our jobs is to help them assess risk and make balanced choices in life. I don't want my children to think they must completely avoid anything that may cause them 'harm' - that would be the end of their 'life' as far as I am concerned!

peachyprice

ninky wrote: »

.

• A study of 1,300 children conducted by the author and colleagues in 2004 found a modest association between TV viewing before the age of three and attentional problems at the age of seven, after a wide range of other factors were ruled out.

Hardly conclusive is it, they haven't even put a figure to this 'modest' number of children, so I would hazard a guess that it's a very small percentage.

There will always be 'scientists' who are happy to receive grants for 'research' so they don't have to get a real job.

You only have to read the news this week, apparently your windscreen cleaning bottle carrys a risk of legionaires disease and showers carry lethal bacterias. However have we managed to stay alive so long.

Research any aspect of life and there will be someone that will find something bad about it, purely because they are looking for it.

ninky_2

hey look, you can stick your kids in front of the telly for as long as you like as far as i'm concerned.

Morgan_Ree

bylromarha wrote: »

Ah, you obviously didn't receive your copy of "birth to 5"

Oh god I forgot about that!

I must confess I've lost my copy. DS is only 4. God knows how I'm going to get him to 5 without the help of that.
I'll have to ebay it. I fancy seeing the updated version

Changing a nappy

Step 1 - open nappy - remember to wear gloves/facemask/goggles because you might catch ebola/mad cow disease/dysentery/a cold

Step 2 - clean with a towel because baby wipes will cause your childs ears to fall off.

Step 3 - once clean incinerate offending nappy in the garden.
Do not let child witness Step 3. If they do they will grow up to be an arsonist

Repeat as necessary

bestpud

ninky wrote: »

hey look, you can stick your kids in front of the telly for as long as you like as far as i'm concerned.

Why are you having a strop?

thatgirlsam

my kids don't watch that much tbh.. they could be watching it now if they wanted, but ds is riding his bike in the garden and dd is playing upstairs.. goodness know what her game is , she just shouted at the top of her voice ' I'LL HAVE YOU KNOW.. I'M A VERY ELEGANT FOWL'

i have never really limited it, years ago when i was a childminder i had 2 boys that were never allowed to watch and they were totally obsessed with it

i did use it as a babysitter when they were tiny, when i was cooking for eg.. probably would hold their attention for 30mins or so

everything in moderation is fine in my opinion