Is TV Really That Bad?

My daugther is two and she know all of her body parts, she know some of her shapes, her birthday and my name and her dads. If feel like if your child is learning from educational tv why not let them watch it because my 2 year old daugther also know spanish. She runs and play and ride her bike so your child might make their minds that they tired of watching tv and do something else becasue my daugther dose it al the time

What an absurd debate really. Folks are offering examples and they span the horizon of opinion and only demonstrate that everything (as someone was astute enough to say "case by case"). Your own experience is not scientific and, as such, not valid. I am not saying that the "studies" are correct either since we find out everyday about certain nuances and even malfeasance in various inquiries. Just do the best you can and it is always prudent to follow the adage "everything in moderation".

Jill Stamm, PhD must have gotten her degree out of a cracker jack box. How she could state with such certainty that a child can not learn from a video is absurd. I do believe that there is a balance and that external stimulation is important. Selective viewing of educational material such as the baby signing dvd's and baby einsteins dvd's has my 11 month old identifying objects that he might not have ever seen had it not been for the dvd.

My thirteen month old is not a TV watcher unless it has music.I don't know the difference when it comes to teaching him educational stuff because he doesn't seem interested at the moment. He rather play with gadgets around the house

i think we should all let our kids wtch as much tv as they want to its good for them and us

We use Baby Signing Time with my 15 month old daughter. We've only used it for about a month and she gets about a total of 60 to 80 minutes a week with it. You can't tell me that she's not learning from it. She can effectively sign about 20 different signs, as well as sort of say the word for what she is trying to sign. It has helped us communicate with her much more efficiently.

Also,my child does not watch TV when she eats. I think that is strange for people to do. (Just my opinion)The only family I knew to do that.. all had severe weight issues and still do.Is there a connection...who knows?? I heard you can get hypnotized while you eat causing you to eat more on the John Tesh radio show....

My 5yr old daughter is one of the BRIGHTEST kids in her Kindergarten class. She NEVER went to daycare or Pre-K.She has watched videos since she was a few months old.She has continued to watch Disney movies and Noggin almost everyday!!! It relaxes,entertains and educates all in one.So,PLEASE tell me why my child is not only normal,healthy and thriving. But, why before entering Kindergarten she knew more about the Solar System then her teacher??

kristiemarie isn't that another argument for shutting the tv off during dinner? I don't see any benefit of having it on while eating. Yes, some kids are distracted and might eat things they might not otherwise (vegetables for example) but that is not teaching them how to eat healthily in the long run.

My son¿s been watching educ. videos since 3 months. Now at 15 months he can say 75+ words, can read 45 words & can identify & imitate several animals & their sounds & can sing parts of his fav songs from the videos. It wasn¿t easy on mom. I had to sit w/ him to repeat the words & sounds & practiced the word cards that go w/ the videos. Very time consuming but have seen the rewards & definitely support educ. videos. As long as it¿s not mindless TV it should be fine. Moms do what you see fit.

My kid WON'T eat at all if the tv is on while dinner/lunch is being served. So research studies aren't 100%. Like everything parenting related, it's a case by case for everyone.

Or gearkat you could, you know, actually interact with your child while eating together. There is no excuse to stick kids in front of the tv to eat...NONE. I believe TV has its place (in moderation) but NO ONE should eat in front of it, not even adults.

How to keep your kid from over-eating? Portion size of course. Bring as much food as you'll allow them to eat when eating in front of the TV. If they want more, then they have to come to the table to get it and sit at the table to eat it. This will work for a while, hopefully until you can teach your kid about portion control for themselves.

shouldnt let tv be the entertainer or soul educator either!! im a nanny and also a teacher; i have found there are key shows that do help in what the main caregiver should be teaching the child though.

And her vocabulary is over 35 words..

I agree that your child should not sit in front of a TV all day long. I completely disagree that children do not learn from eduational dvd's. I purchased the your baby can read dvd's and my 17 month old can name over 10 body parts, Knows her animals and the sounds they make, can read several words from different books. She learned this from those dvd's and my reading to her on a daily basis.

My 11 month old LOVES TV and DOES have the attn span to sit down and watch a FULL 22 min episode. he plays with his toys while he watches and personally, i think he plays for a longer time than he would if the TV was off. He's also been talking since he was 7 months old. He has his preferences. He likes music-based shows like Jack's Big Music Show. And he will literally stop throwing a tantrum if he hears Moose, sit down, and watch.

Brainwash, subliminal messaging, and trance, all stuff you have been exposed to and now unwillingly you teach your children to watch when you allow them to watch tv. Anything, and everything on TV is a total commercial for us to Buy, Like, & Buy some more. Its a distraction from real life which you must save yourself from it first. http://www.grassapplekids.com/A13-read-books.html rise above it.

I have a 2-month old son and the only time he is around TV is when my husband comes home in the evening, they bond together on the couch while I am able to get dinner and other things done. Even though he is not put directly infront of the TV and only hears it as background noise for a few hours at night will that affect him?

As an elementary teacher I swear the rise in ADD related diagnoses will one day be traced back to early and chronic TV ABUSE. Letting young children sit in front of a one dimensional object with rapid visual stimulation at such an early age will affect the brain. American Board of Pediatrics still recommends NOT letting children under 2 watch tv. Talk with your child, go on walks, TIME with your child, NOT time in front of a tv.

My daughter is 11 months old, and when i do finally turn the tv on for her, she is awestruck by it- it is obvious to me that she evidently knows what and how things are occuring, because she will not only repeat it but reuse the information later in real life instances. However, watching tv everyday is not a practical decision to make for your children in my opinion.

My son is 3yrs old and he knows his colors and all of the favorable animals like lion,duck,cat,dog,bug,butterfly,fish,and horse.He Watches baby Einstein and blues clues he also learned problem solving from Dora.I don¿t believe in letting your kid sit in front of the TV all day long.But my child did learn all of those things from watching those shows.¿With My Help".You Have to interact With the shows to help them Learn

I have a 3 yr old 2 yr old and 1 yr old. When they watch TV it never leaves NickJr. Every show on there is fun and educational. Makes them dance, and my 1 yr old repeats words he hears. My 2 yr old knows her colors and a couple shapes, some of her alphabet, and my 3 yr old knows his whole alphabet, reads some sight words and talks in spanish AND chinese. These are things they probably would not have learned from me tryong to teach out of a book because they wont sit still long enough.

My 19-month old won't even sit down to watch TV. I got him a couple of Baby Einstein movies and the first time I tried one, he watched for maybe five minutes. The next time I tried was after his 18-month doctor appt. (we had a hot ride home in a hot car) and he watched the whole thing. When I tried again a couple weeks later, he watched maybe half of it. That being said, I don't think a SMALL amount of TV is bad for kids. Even if my son did like TV, I doubt I'd let him watch every day.

I let my 2 year old son watch TV for a couple hours a day. He can count to 12 in English and 5 in Spanish. He knows all of his colors and he knows the letters, S, M, D, and H. He knows most of his shapes. He has great imagination and is able to problem solve like crazy! My background is in Child Development and I see nothing wrong with him watching TV as long as he is thriving. I will not allow him to watch mindless cartoons.

TV could be a bad source, if you let your child do nothing but watch it. Only because she is not intereacting with the world. My daughter is 34 mos and watches Kai-Lan and Dora. She knows all her colors in Spanish and English, also knows run and hop. She knows Grandpa, Up, Down, slippers and hat in Chinese. Her teacher did say she is one of the smartest kids in her class. Do these experts have kids?

I rarely let my twins watch TV. Maybe 30mins a day and then once or twice a week a Disney video. My friend on the other hand always seems to have the TV on for her twins. It seems like mine are better behaved, smarter and more creative as well as they both possess very good social/talking skills, where her kids have some issues with talking and in my opinion their eating habits as well.

As the old adage advises -- everything in moderation. My 14-month-old daughter is especially engaged by the animal-oriented child cds. She can now name many farm and other animals and mimics most animal sounds well when prompted. Her favorite are goats. She certainly wouldn't be exposed to many in "real life" considering we live in NYC... Is this life-changing? Probably not. But, coupled with interactive play, etc., it is expanding her horizons and fostering her curiosity.

I operate a childcare and there is sure a heck of a lot more to do than sit down and watch TV. Providers who interact with the kids that is. What's sad is I teach my kids and part of that teaching used to be a visual phonics program.Parents that are more new to the system? I love them, but they won't let their child interact on the visuals. I just dropped it as 2 of the kids can't participate. My previous kids who did see the shows pertaining to circle time? Smart as a whip!

I disagree. My son is 22 months and he watches his favorite shows every morning. He has repeated words from the shows he watches and he uses them to relate to his toys, books and everything. He interacts with the shows and has learned to do new things like pat on your lap, spin in a circle, etc. I also have a 3-month-old infant, and let me say that the tube has been a amazing distraction for my toddler so I can get things done around the house and have my morning cup of coffee in peace.

I agree, but my kid speakEnglish and spanish, I just speak spanish to him and his english he learned on tv. We don't eat in front of the tv, just when is an speacial nigth and my husband and me make sure our kids do something actives all the time, from dancing, to playing soccer inside the house or doing something different bur active. If i let my kid wacth tv the whole day I fell like I am not communicating with my son. He need playgroups, sports and imaginary play.