I tend to have Radio 4 on all day most days, I enjoy it. Since I've had DD I find something on listen again turn it off if there is something with an unpleasant or disturbing atmosphere on, but other than that it's never occoured to me to censor it at all .

DS (6 weeks) seems to find it calming and it's doesn't seem to bother DD either, but she's 20 months old now and understands quite a lot. After something DP said last night I'm wondering if I should stop listening to it so much. I'd certainly never randomly leave the television turned on when she's around but I'd never considered that wall to wall speech radio might also have negative effects too. TBH if I've thought about it at all it's just been as another way of normalising English (DD's bilingual and we live overseas).

What do you think? Is it a Bad Thing (repeated news etc)? Do I need to cut down? I really hope not...

Would censor The Archers. Its quite dull and possibly could be damaging to a small child to hear too much about Shula.

Lol MovingOutOfBlighty

Don't let her listen to quote, unquote. that's harsh even to adult ears.

if it helps, I am a bit of a radio fiend, and have it on in the background constantly. 2.3yo DD's speech is clearer and better than most of her peers, so the negative effects on speech development can't be that pronounced.

I read somewhere about a spurious very sensible piece of research which surmised that speech radio had beneficial effects on the developing vocabulary of children.

It was in the Guardian, so it must be true.

I heart Radio 4. I love the listen again function, but must confess that Radio 7 has had more of my attention of late. I feel the urge to cheat on R4 with R7 as it's sometimes a bit quirkier and more sexy.

I also think I need to get out more

lol

Both my DDs (34 months and 8 months) have R4 in the background of their lives most of the time (apart from the occassional break for nursery rhymes/loony dancing in the kitchen to my varied collection of music). DD1 has very clear speech and nursery say she's very clever - must be R4 influence as I don't think it's me!

I have Radio 4 on most of the time but will turn off the news when certain things come on. I don't want to listen to it, never mind letting my 8, 5 and 4 year olds listen to it. I rarely have the tv news on when they are around now.

Lol - I'll carry on as normal then! Cheers all