Why should babies not watch tv?

Question

My 9 month old girl loves her morning tv shows...teletubbies, its a big worl, word world.

If it weren't for those shows I swear I would get nothing done around the house... AT ALL!

my husband took her to the docs the other day and he was told to not let her watch tv .

Do you know why this is? Have I been damaging her somehow by letting her watch tv?

What are some other activities I should be doing with my 9 month old?

Answer 1

Babys should not wach T.V because local studies say that when kids watch T.V. they tend to eat a lot and not even notice it,

My neice will randomly be doing something and then the T.V. will come on and she will flip out!!!! Lol.

But I hope this helps.

Answer 2

Schedules and moderation is the key.

T.V. is okay for about an hour in the morning, then turn it off.

Play music in the afternoon while sitting her with toys in a confined and safe area.  

Interact with her and play learning games for 20 minutes at a time several times a day.

The TV is not a babysitter, but you have to take care of the house or work too.

Today is the age of ADHD abease childer who can't excersise or think for themselves.

Start with problem solving toys, educational TV (Veggietales, Sesme street or Bear in teh Big blue house)

With misic play an hour of Bach as well as Pink Floyd then something modern.

Answer 3

Research shows that watching t.v. under the age of 2 is linked to ADD or ADHD later on. Instead of plopping her in front of the t.v., try reading to her, getting her involved in a fun toy, giving her a room that's baby proof so she can crawl around and explore, take her for a walk.

"A study from the American Academy of Pediatrics shows that watching videos as a toddler may lead to Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD, also called ADD in UK) in later life.

TV watching "rewires" an infant’s brain, says Dr. Dimitri A. Christakis lead researcher and director of the Child Health Institute at Children’s Hospital and Regional Medical Center, Seattle, Wash. The damage shows up at age 7 when children have difficulty paying attention in school. "

Answer 4

TV does not damage the eyes, there is no truth in that what so ever.

http://www.medem.com/medlb/article_detai...

"Sitting close to the television can damage children's eyes." True or False?

False. Children can focus at close distance without eyestrain better than adults. They often develop the habit of holding reading materials close to their eyes or sitting right in front of the television.

There is no evidence that this damages their eyes, and the habit usually diminishes as children grow older. Children with nearsightedness (myopia) sometimes"

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn...

"TV makes kids dumb. Actually, high-quality TV shows such as "Sesame Street" and "Blue's Clues" improve children's cognitive abilities. Study after study has shown that children 3 to 5 years old who watch "Sesame Street" for an hour a day are better able to recognize numbers, letters and shapes than those who don't. When 500 kids who had participated in some of those studies were followed up as teenagers, those who had watched educational programs as preschoolers had higher grades, were reading more books, placed more value on achievement and were more creative than those who had not."

Thank you Carter's Mommy!

Answer 5

It disrupts their ability to concentrate.  Listen to what the doctor says.  Reading is a great activity, even if you think she is too young to read.  Just because you need to clean house doesn't mean you should use the TV as a babysitter.  You will end up with an ADHD kid.  

Answer 6

I guess look at why you decided to stay home during the day.  Was it to get housework done?

Answer 7

There is absolutely no benefit to her watching TV.  I agree with a few others, that you should set up a child-proof pen/play area/room where baby can explore without harm, and you can still get things done.  That is MUCH better than being in front of a TV.

And trust me, it's still possible to get housework done with an infant without TV.  My soon-to-be mother-in-law has 5 children, and they didn't even have TV.  The only things they "watched" were videos as a family at night, but only after the youngest baby would go to sleep.  And she still managed to get the housework, gardening (a large vegetable garden), canning veggies, cooking (lunch and dinner), AND homeschooling the older kids, with no TV to occupy them.

It is recommended that children under the age of 2 should not EVER watch TV, and children over 2 should be limited to 1 to 2 hours a day, all the way up until they are adults, 18 years old.

Answer 8

There are no tv shows targetted at infants. WHile she may well 'love' the sounds and colors and moving shapes' she isn't benefiting in any way from watching it.  ("Educational tv" like Sesame Street is targetted at preschoolers, not infants.)

WHile, IMO, brief periods of time are not going to do any damage, parking her in front of the tv for long periods isn't good -- at worst it may, as another poster noted 'rewire' her brain.  At best it takes time that would be better spent in more productive activities -- interacting with her parents, sleeping, eating....

Why not try and 'get things done around the house' when she is napping?  Or sit her down with you while you fold the laundry and talk about the different garments and different colors?

Answer 9

Too much tv for a child can lead to ADD/ADHD later.  TV is designed for short attention spans-5 min show followed by 2 min worth of 30 sec. ads-  This does not allow the little one to develop his/her attention span.  It also doesn't help them learn as much as we would be led to believe.  Speech and reading are both best learned by active participation, not the passive version you get with tv.  

Good activities for your little one, read books (lots of books)to her, work puzzles, give her some dollies or blocks or any other toy that engages her.  If you need time to complete house work-which I know is a big thing and time consuming- set aside a "child safe" area (like a large pen area) and put your girl there with a lot of her toys while you clean for a while-checking in on her every few minutes, and returning to play with her every 45 min to an hour for a period of time.   It won't shorten your housework time, but will help your daughter out and that's more important anyway, right?

Answer 10

Because it hardly exercises the brain at all.  TV does all the work for you.  You wouldn't want her to get used to that!

And from personal experience, my oldest son is now 7, very hyperactive, has a LOT of trouble paying attention.  It's very difficult sometimes.  And yes, I let him watch a load of TV when he was a baby and toddler.  I really had no idea it was that big of a deal :/  I do now though!

Answer 11

It's not damaging her if it's educational

Answer 12

You probably haven't damaged her, but she is a little young to be sitting her in front of the tv. Excessive tv time has been linked through research to problems such as adhd, add, and learning delays.

Answer 13

the radio waves you get while watching tv can damage your brain, especially at an age so focused on growing and developing. It could hurt her or mildly stunt her development.

you could play outside or go to the park, get interactive toys and read books.

if nothing gets done around the house, have you considered hiring a nanny??

Answer 14

it doesn't allow your baby to think and i have heard it can damage the eyes x

Answer 15

Babies have horrible taste in television shows.  They always want to watch boring kids shows.

Answer 16

I don't think there's anything wrong with a child watching tv as long as what they are watching is monitored like don't leave the chanel on somthing questionable  and as long as the child doesn't become dependent on it tv ,or isn't sitting too close to the monitor

shows such as what you mentioned are interactive and somtimes educational and can help your childs brain development in the future

Answer 17

As an educator, I am aware that current brain theorists suggest children under the age of 3 should not be watching television.  The theory is that it overstimulates the brain.  Also, for some reason, the type of light/image used in television interferes with the brain's ability to hardwire in the learning that took place during the day, that is usually "hard wired" in while one sleeps.  If one watches t.v., plays video games (a bit early for that, I know), etc., right before going to sleep, less learning takes place.  I also think there are a lot of activities children under three could be doing rather than watching television, such as crawling, playing with toys and manipulating objects (to hone fine motor skills), going for rides in a stroller, being talked to and sung to, etc.

Answer 18

Watching t.v at a young age can affect them when they're older. They say like when they're older they want to watch alot of t.v. It's like starting a bad habbit at a young age.

Answer 19

Are you sure the doctor said this?  psychologist agree that children who only watch TV and have little human interaction are slower in gaining language acquisition but a few shows in the am seems like an over-reaction.  

Teletubbies is specially designed for infants, by psychologists and child specialists. I think your hubby may has misconstrued the doctor.

EDIT WHite Dot is the International Campaign Against TV, they have no background in research and as an academic I know them to be a knee jerk joke.  Do NOT be alarmed by anything any loonies from this organisation may say

Answer 20

I did a debate speech about this topic. I was for children watching tv. The topic was "Television is harmful to children". I personally grew up watching tv and as long as you moniter what she watches she should be ok. Nowadays that makes special shows for babies, there's even television channels for babies. I felt that the tv helped me to stay in touch with what's going on in the world. By watching tv I learned some stuff before I even started going to school. Depending on the shows she watches she should be fine. Television has changed a lot, from the research I've gotten. There's specific times for show now. From 7 a.m to 10 p.m, it's mostly childrens programming on specific channels. From 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. it's other shows. Hope that helps!

Answer 21

Basically the Dr. and researchers say they there is no proof that sitting a baby in front of a TV benefits them.  So they suggest doing other things that have been proven by research to benefit them developmentally, with your children .  I have heard no more than 1-2 hrs a day.  I agree with you that by letting your child watch a show or two frees up time for you to get things done; so just make sure they are as educational as can be and limit the time in which she is watching it.  You have not done anything wrong to your child by letting her watch a show or two a day, and don't let others freak you out and make you think you have!

Try putting toys or books in front of her instead or you could give her a couple of tupperware bowls with wooden spoons and let her bang away (will help with motor skills).  Just try adding something new for her to explore in replacement of one her movies or shows she enjoys watching - while still giving you a little time to get things done!

Good Luck!

Answer 22

because babies brains are still developing....letting such a young child watch too much tv MAY cause them to have ADD or just poor attention spans.

you can let her watch educational shows for babies but do it in moderation.

Answer 23

they should watch educational baby tv!like all babies

Answer 24

For one, your doctor seems a bit old school. Only because the child shouldn't get wrapped up in watching TV. The child should be a bit more interesting with her surroundings as well as developing her physical abilities. I personally think a child is perfectly fine watching a bit of TV. Just not all the time. Especially baby Einstein videos. My toddler watched those shows and a few others while she was growing up. There is nothing wrong with her now. Shes perfectly normal. I would suggest to do whatever you feel is normal and comfortable for you and her.

Other things you can do with her is watch TV with her. Help describe things that are on TV with her. Also, while your cleaning, let her watch you as you tell her what mommy is doing or have her sit with you while folding clothes. I did this and she loved spending the time with me. Good luck!

Answer 25

I believe what all the moms wrote about ADD/ADHD and other such things, but I think if it's in small dosages and educational tv made esp for kids it probably won't be so bad.

She's at an age where it's still hard for her to entertain herself and not possible to get stuck into an art project (except for 'repainting' your walls with crayons perhaps)

Answer 26

Ah, the great debate "tv or no tv" that I'll let others answer.

"What are some other activities I should be doing with my 9 month old?"

- Plop her in the highchair, drape her in towels, and put her in front of the sink or a dishpan full of water with cups and funnels.

- Let her hang out with you while you make dinner. Again, put her in the highchair to keep her safely away from stove etc but she can bang pots and spoons while you cook.

- Get a carrier (sling, Ergo, whatever) and carry her around while you vacuum or do laundry

- Read books to her and let her play with (and chew on) board books

- Blow bubbles for her and let her try and catch them

- Put a cd on and sing along (doesn't matter what CD, if you like it, she'll know that music is a good thing and respond positively)

- Put a cd on and play along: everybody likes playing maracas! :)

- Bounce her on your knee while you recite rhymes (nursery rhymes, whatever) so she can feel the rhythm of the words

- Go for walks and point out trees, clouds, dogs. You'll surprise yourself with how many names of trees, flowers, and breeds of dogs that you know!

Prioritize your work so you can spend more time with her. She'll be a toddler before you know it and you'll miss this time!  

Answer 27

I just copied and pasted this from an article. Here is the website below.

“Children of all ages are constantly learning new things. The first 2 years of life are especially important in the growth and development of your child's brain. During this time, children need good, positive interaction with other children and adults. Too much television can negatively affect early brain development. This is especially true at younger ages, when learning to talk and play with others is so important.

Until more research is done about the effects of TV on very young children, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) does not recommend television for children age 2 or younger. For older children, the Academy recommends no more than 1 to 2 hours per day of educational, nonviolent programs. “

Answer 28

wow! a child is a human being just like us sometimes doctors talk about them like if they were aliens or something. don't give them water, don't give them too much milk, be careful with what they eat, they cant have this and that until there 1 and now don't let them watch tv?? your the parent and there your children raise them how you want them to be when they grow up. so what if they watch tv?? don't we need a little tv here and there... what if they drink water? don't we need water when were thirsty...what if they eat our food or different kinds? don't we eat all types of food... understand.. children are humans too raise them like it.

Answer 29

TV shouldn't be your babysitter.  Does she have a bouncer or activity seat or something?  That should entertain her for some time at least.  

There have been studies that say that babies and toddlers who watch alot of TV end up having trouble concentrating.  

Answer 30

If you plop your kid in front of a TV all day every day, of course it's going to be harmful.  Letting the baby look at the TV when it doesn't have anything "bad" on it, in moderation, is of course fine.  Let all the earthy crunchy types do what they will.

I swear, common sense is a rarity these days.  If there was a study sponsored by the Academy of something professional sounding saying that breathing could be detrimental to infants, you'd have a bunch of mothers on here saying, "Help!  My child insists on breathing!"

Answer 31

Because within the next 5 years I'm sure someone will prove it "causes" some form of cancer...

actually watching tv really doesn't harm anything some people will say eye strain and what not but its actually worse to go outside without sunglasses unless they're sitting there all day or something watching tv.  a little here and there shouldn't hurt anything though.