How much tv in your house?

[lunavix]

I know this is probably been asked a zillion times before, but...

how much is your tv on?

Normally, ours is on if we're in with a mix of kids videos for ds (11 months) or grown up stuff for me (which I put on so he doesn't sit engrossed!)

I want to limit it now, so he watches noddy in the morning (he loves noddy!) and then maybe one cartoon, or 20 min video in the afternoon, and that's it. DP usually has the tv on a lot once ds goes to bed.

(think I might have to move ds's bedtime, else I'll miss eastenders!)

[Toothache]

On all the time!! We all love it. I don't limit the amount of TV ds watches at all. Can't really see the point in it. It isn't doing him any harm and he seems to be growing into a healthy boy. It keeps him amused when we're too busy. Dd (7mths)is starting to get into it as well.

I have never really known why people are so concerned about TV. As long as they are not watching something inappropriate then I baffled by the stigma attached!

I'm sure I'll be informed now of the terrible terrible evils I'm inflicting on my children.

Ds has a TV and video in is room too!! toothache runs
from the thread ducking missiles.

[nutcracker]

Ours is on all day every day too , usually with cbeebies or dvds on.

I am trying to cut it down but not doing very well. Roll on the warm weather so i can chuck the kids in the garden and hide the dvds

[wheresmyfroggy]

lots and lots of tv here.............................all kids tv during day though . TV is what pays for everything we have [including our house] so we are paying it its dues

[lunavix]

all I can say is... phew!

[maisystar]

very little watched by ds, his choice not mine!! there are times when i would love him to just sit and watch a video instead of tearing round like a loon we sometimes watch a bit of a video after tea but it is always me who instigates it. having said that he is sort of watching blues clues now cos he know's it is going back to the library later!

i watch on avaerage 1 1/2-2 hrs a night, tis all i'm fit for at the end of the day

[welshmum]

I'm in the minority on here but I have it on very little. Can do a whole week with no tv BUT this is because I'm working quite a bit so any time with dd I like to spend doing stuff or chatting. She watches the odd episode of the tweenies in nursery, we all watch big rugby games as a family (Wales..Wales etc etc), I might put a bit of Mary Poppins occasionally, erm that's it until after she's gone to bed. Then it's feet up and Eastenders or whatever.

[crunchie]

Too Much!!

[strawberry]

More than I would like! At weekend dh has it on permanently for sport. Ds has been poorly recently and has become a telly addict. New baby due soon so I guess will have the telly on a lot then too for all the wrong reasons!

[handlemecarefully]

It's also on most of the time in our house - although not that frequently actively watched, most of the time just background noise.

I don't worry too much about it though because I take the kids out a lot.

[dinosaur]

Far too bloody much. DS2 in particular is a telly addict (although quite often he puts it on and then doesn't actually watch it, he plays with something else with the telly on in the background).

DS1 likes watching nature programmes; I don't mind that too much.

My main concern is that quite often DS3 is in the TV room with them and of course watches the telly if it's on - keeping remembering that the American Institute of Paediatricians say that under-ones should not see any telly AT ALL and feeling guilty

[Hulababy]

We have a fair bit of TV on here too. DH watches TV loads (always has done). I don't but do tend to have the TV on in the background - mainly to listen to music, etc. Or we may have CBeebies on, or one of DD's Disney videos.

It certainly hasn't harmed DH. He has always watched loads of TV - but not exclusively just TV. He also played sport and with friends. But he still got good A levels, a degree and is a solicitor. And he is pretty well rounded too - but still watches TV.

DD is certainly not held back by watching TV ether. Her language skills are excellent and she is a bright, aware little girl. She doesn't just watch TV - but I admit it is on a lot really.


I can't be doing with worrying about something like the TV TBH. Having worked at a school with lotas of disaffected kids I would say Tv is the least of their worries at times!

[velcrobott]

I am like you Welshmum
Very little.... they are not that interested, they play a lot with their toys - DS is into imaginery play and colouring, writing,... and DD can play with her dolls for hours.
Personally I think TV is very passive medium of development... playing is in (IMO) more fun for them.... having said that I am glad my kids don't ask to watch it much because I would hate to have to tell them "no"...

I had read a good article not long ago about this which I posted,.... will see if I can find it again.

[muminlondon]

About 2 hours in the evening. Not much during the day when I'm home, apart from the odd half hour video or CBeebies (a little bit more when she was ill).

[muminlondon]

if we have the TV on in our house it can't just be in the background - our set dominates the room in our wee house and dd (2) goes into a trance. There's so much else to do and more so now that it's getting warmer.

[muminlondon]

I've heard that babies can't easily distinguish background and foreground noise so if the TV's on constantly they may not hear actual conversation distinctly enough. But presumably the same goes for the radio and i'm guilty of having that on a lot.

[velcrobott]

I found another article.... here is an excerpt... the whole article is linked at end of my post.
I have to say whilst some of the article is quite radical I totally agree with some of it from watching DS' friends who come to our house and after an hour....

1. request to turn tele on "can we watch tele?"
   
2. complain they are bored...
   
   Now maybe my son is not amusing them...
   
   I have never heard my 5yo say he was bored and he can amuse himself for hours...
   
   Here is part of the article:
   The first two years of life is when the greatest and most rapid development of the brain occurs. As all parents know, a child's mind is different from an adult's, and the differences go beyond children's innocent and often poetic perceptions of the world. While the adult brain has two distinct hemispheres, the infant brain is a single receptacle of sensory experience in which neither side has developed or overpowered the other. Until they learn language, children absorb experience using a kind of nonverbal "thinking," characterized later in the brain's development as a right hemispheric function. When language begins, each hemisphere seems to be equally developed. In its structural and biochemical sense, the brain doesn't reach its full maturation until about age 12.
   
   
   By maturation, the left hemisphere typically develops as the dominant side, controlling the verbal and logical functions of the brain, while the right hemisphere controls spatial and visual functions. For many years, such development was thought to be genetically predetermined and unaffected by life experiences. Today, however, this belief has changed. Although the acquisition of language appears to be universal, we now recognize that the abilities required for expression and reasoning are not automatic. Watching television threatens the development of these abilities because it requires a suspension of active cognition.
   
   
   The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children under the age of two not watch TV or videos, and that older children watch only one to two hours per day of nonviolent, educational TV. Young children watching TV are routinely described as transfixed, passive, and nonverbal. One of television's appeals for parents is that it serves as an immediate way to silence and sedate active toddlers. But such nonverbal absorption does more than simply relax and amuse preschoolers. Language spoken by actors on TV does not have the same effect as real-life language experiences. The Journal of Broadcasting reported that language skills among American children declined as TV viewing time increased.8
   
   
   In real life, conversation is reciprocal and participatory; it allows time for reflection, questions, and encouragement. Television, however, is a one- way street, and you had better stay glued, ask no questions, and take no time for thought, because the next scene will appear in seconds and there is no rewind. As a result, children learn not to think but to remain passive and unresponsive to whatever stimulus appears before them. Television conditions them to absorb images without mental effort and to expect rapid change. Since young children's questions and imaginations are the cornerstone of their learning processes, remaining unresponsive hour after hour, day after day, year after year surely affects their intellectual, emotional, and moral development. Fantasy play, a critical component of childhood, allows children to explore different situations with varying responses and outcomes. While books and storytelling nourish fantasy play, fantasy watching does not foster the same reaction. The US Department of Education reported that 81 percent of children ages two to seven watch TV unsupervised,9 which means that young children enter a world of fantasy without the guidance and oversight of an adult. Research by the Yale University Family Television and Consultation Center reveals that imagination decreases as TV watching increases.10 TV teaches children to be amused by its images instead of encouraging kids to create their own. It dulls the mind by the power of its fast-moving pictures, supplanting the mental activity necessary to follow in the mind's eye a book or a storyteller's tale. The Yale Center reports that complex language and grammar skills are directly linked to fantasy play, and that children who create fantasy play are more tolerant, peaceful, patient, and happy.
   
   
   Many children become habituated to TV by their parents, who desire a break from their child's activity and attention. However, the short-term benefit of a quiet, mesmerized child may actually lead to a greater dependence on adult supervision by creating children who are less capable of amusing themselves. By supplanting their imaginations, creating fast-paced pictures, and transforming active minds into passive recipients, TV teaches mental lethargy.
   
   
   For a child raised on hourly doses of TV, boredom is a common component of later childhood. In refusing to use TV during the preschool years, parents may save themselves from constantly having to create amusements for their children.
   
   
   The best way to keep TV from becoming an issue with children, of course, is not to begin using it. If a TV is present in the home, it is vital to establish clear rules on its use and to maintain these rules. Never make TV a reward or a punishment; this only heightens its power. When starting the withdrawal from TV, explain why you are making these changes and that it is not a punishment. The first month will be the most difficult. Children may cry or plead, but you can remain firm if you keep in mind that you are freeing them from an addiction.
   
   
   It is also imperative that you help your children learn how to fill the time that they formerly spent watching TV. Work with them to nurture interests, discover hobbies, and explore new possibilities. Begin a nightly read-aloud for the entire family. Take walks after breakfast or dinner. Share your hobbies-sewing, knitting, baking bread-with them. Learn to play instruments and make music as a family. Encourage children to help with work around the house and yard. Visit neighbors and relatives. Tell stories and pass on your family history. Build a birdhouse. Go bowling. Go sledding. Finger paint. Color. Practice yoga together. Involve your children in the daily activities of the house, and encourage yourself and your family to rekindle the flame of exploration and discovery, away from the draw of the flickering blue screen.
   
   
   www.mothering.com/articles/growing_child/consumerism/turn_off_tv.html

[handlemecarefully]

I don't wish to be rude velcrobott - but aww bollocks!

I was raised on tv and have a masters degree so it hasn't compromised my intellectual development(sorry, that sounds pompous)

My 2.9 year old has a vivid imgination and excellent language skills and most certainly and isn't being adversely affected

[handlemecarefully]

Sorry - that did sound rude. No offence intended....

[AuntyQuated]

in the minority here too
kids only ask for TV if they are poorly!
imo it does damage some children. addicted to cbeebies means that once they ahve outgrown cbeebies they have to find another prog to replce it and the older they get the more damage the progs do. they learn very little in front of even educational progs...they learn by doing (Confucius).

[OldieMum]

DD watches about 15-30 mins about every 2-3 days at home, plus about 20 mins at lunch time on the three days she goes to the nursery. We never put it on for ourselves while she is around (apart from the Wales-Ireland match on Saturday, hurrah!). This is because we never watch TV during the day (too many other things to do). We watch very little at night, too, so I don't imagine things will change much when her bedtime is later. The one thing we used to watch is Channel 4 News, but this is on when we are putting her to bed. We occasionally video it and watch it later, if there is a big news story that day.

[Hulababy]

AGree with HMC. As I said before DH was brought up on TV and is a very successful partner in a solicitor's firm. I have a degree and have (until last week) been a teacher.

MY DD is nearly 3. Her langague skills are way ahead of where they should be. She was walking and talking (single words) at 10 months, sentences at 18 months. Her imagination is fantastic - she will play for ages on her own with Happy Land toys and doll's in her own games. She is social and happy - loves playing WITH (not just along side) other children at nursery and play dates. She adores books and singing/dancing. BUT she also loves TV and films. She knows Beauty and the Beast and Little Mermaid by heart, and from being very small loved singing along with the Tweenies.

I think there are far worse things that affect children's development and behaviour than a bit of age approproate TV!

[Hulababy]

AuntyQuated - acyually some children DO learn by watching and listening. Not all children are programmed to learn by doing. there is a lot of educational research around on learnig styles and much current thinking prefers there to be a mix of different learning and teaching styles. What suits one person, doesn't suit another.

TV is NOT evil!

[lunavix]

Hula - ds loves tweenies too

It's only the singing ones, songtime 1 and 2, and some other music ones they do, but he's entranced with them. Sadly, they're what I've strictly limited as he does just sit there staring unable to do anything else. But he loves them so much!

[velcrobott]

Hula- but surely you can watch and listen to another real life, in front of you person... who you can interact with...