A while back Kelly asked me what I thought about "leaving the t.v. on for background noise." I vote "NO WAY" for this for anyone, as it is an energy waster, it gets in the way of good conversation, & it tends to allow people to tune out what they are doing, hence slowing the progress of whatever activity is going on. That's been my personal experience anyway. That said, I truly believe that it can be harmful for kiddos on various levels. First & foremost on speech. Here is an article explaining the hows & whys that might happen.
www.webmd.com/parenting/news/20050405/noisy-places-may-delay-kids-speech
Secondly, here is a frightening article on t.v. & autism. Now, there are plenty of flaws in a study like this. And I'm glad they mentioned indoor air pollution & various other factors. Our kids are really growing up in a toxic world & we need to be aware of how to detox them for the most part. But here's the low-down on that idea.
www.slate.com/id/2151538/
Okay, now I'm not looking down on all the t.v. watchers out there. Langston gets his hour of daily something on the computer (Noggin, Playhouse Disney, Netflix, DVD from the free section of Family Video). There are rare days when he doesn't beg for more, but mostly we stand firm w. that hour. The exception has been "sick days" (a week ago Sun. he got strep, followed by croup on Thurs...his meds gave him loose stool; his coughing caused some vomiting...& he's still coughing & taking meds.). Needless to say, he didn't feel like riding his trike outdoors most days. And I put Zora in her bouncy seat or next to L. for a min. as I run down to get laundry or catch the phone sometimes, so she gets an eyefull of whatever he is watching, but she hasn't been sat in front of the t.v. to act as a sitter. There is a pic for proof. :)
Also, I will say that we havediscussed how L.'s behaviour seems worse on the days he gets "more" computer time than usual. And after babysitting in MANY different homes, I will say that, in my experience, the most articulate & well behaved kids are those with a strict t.v. limit as opposed to not. In conclusion, let's be aware of what & how much is going into their little minds. It does make a difference.
7 comments:
Funny you mention this... Jackson actually turns it off when it is on, which is a rarity during the daytime.
Thanks for sharing & posting the articles.
Love & Miss Y'all,
~Kate
We watch Sprout at night and that is all Jake wants to watch. Thanks for posting the articles. Nina
I totally, totally agree. In the kids I've observed, it definitely affects speech and behavior. Plus, I can't stand the attitude that is in most shows today.
Calvin gets 30-60min on some days, and none on others. He doesn't ask for it much so I'm lucky, but Milo sure does. I'd like to say that I stick to my rule of "No TV under age 2", but it's a lot harder when there's an older child. Milo doesn't watch for long, though, so I think we're mostly OK.
It's a hard thing. Sometimes you need them to be distracted while you chop onions or do some laundry, or else NOTHING will get done!
I have no opinion on tv and children (yet); however, I know that on the days when I lay in bed and watch E! all day - I am not in a good mood when Ryan gets home from work. It makes me "bluh" and lazy.
I blame him...lol...I never watched tv until I got married.
Anyways - the pics of your babies are precious. I miss you and wish I could see you!!
GREAT advice! I know I need to curb my TV watching habits. Sometimes I turn it on when I am making dinner and then realize I have only been using it as background noise as well. Just awful. With the little one on the way, I definitely hope to be more and more aware / informed of these sorts of things and then make the best decision for the little munchkin. (Alas, football season is around the corner, so I may be eating my words a little...LOL.)
And thanks for stopping by our blog! I love keeping up with you guys well and check in often. Love you and miss you much! Expect lots of e-mails from me in the coming months as I attempt to do this thing called "motherhood." :)
And
Good articles. It seems like this topic has come up several times lately among my friends. I'm definitely limiting the TV once Colton is born. Things are so differnt now than when we were kids.
I COMPLETELY agree that there are concrete negative effects when toddlers view TV. I have to fight everyone in my extended family and sometimes (though not often) even Marcus to keep Caleb away from the TV. He still ends up watching about 30 minutes most days, which I can live with. I think more conclusive studies that show the negative effects of TV will be coming out in the near future. Thanks for posting!
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