Help me please. I feel like the worst mum!!

[NiKiTaCoLlEt]

I’ve let my 15 month old watch baby TV and Cbeebies since birth. Sometimes for hours in one day. I suffer from pnd, anxiety and ocd. We do play, go out and go to groups everyday. But I’ve only just found out from research how bad it is for babies under 2 to watch tv and that is they do it can harm there development!! I’m terrified. If I’d known I would have never let him. He loves it and I feel so guilty and assamed. Please tell me it’s not to late to change what ever damage I’ve done!! X

Oh dear, I’m screwed then- am heavily reliant on YouTube nursery rhyme videos when my one year old is having a tantrum

Seriously OP Don’t panic. It sounds like he is getting plenty of other stimulation as well with groups etc. Maybe just try to scale it back a bit/limit it to a special treat?

P.s I have anxiety and ocd too, so I know how hard it can be!

Dont worry about it, your health is important too. Now you know the info you can limit tv going forward, but some now and again won't do any harm

I imagine it's "on" rather than your baby is sitting watching it for hours on end. Not the same in my view. Sounds like you go out and socialise which is bloody brilliant when you are struggling a bit in your head.
Hope you are getting good support.

Mine both watch TV before they were 2 and are both fine. If anything I think it boosted their IQ's.

My top set summer born DD is proof that TV from birth does not have to affect development at all.

Be kind to yourself. Read to your son every day. You’re doing great

I love baby tv- I usually find anyone who judges is the first to stick an iPad infront of their toddler

Cbeebies is like the highest quality educational tv in the world. If you go out every day and you interact with your son - stop worrying.

We do play, go out and go to groups everyday.

Then he'll be fine.

You’re fine. Please ignore the scaremongering. I think I’ve managed to tick off at least six of the reasons why my lo will struggle at school, yet she’s top of the class. Not a brag, more a phew. I think all first time mums worry about if they’re getting it wrong. Let’s be honest, the researchers have come up with so many reasons, there can’t be a single mum who has got it right.

Thank you all so much, you have put a worried mums mind at rest. I just want to be the best mum I can possible be and would hate the thought of damaging his development!! So much love for you all right now xxx

No he watching it all right. Glued to it 🤦🏻‍♀️ But now I know the info and I know what I’m dealing with I’m going to cut right back or only have is on occasion. Just worrried it’s already effected him 😭xxx

The mental health such girl doesn’t it!!

Sucks**

Welcome to the club OP

It was very difficult for DS not to watch TV, as DD watched it in the mornings, which switched to the afternoons when she started school. He's 7 now and developing perfectly normally. Don't worry.

My 2 eldest have had at least 6 months not hours of cbeebies while I suffered with HG during subsequent pregnancies, and my youngest has at least 2 hours of cbeebies a day so I can do school run without screaming and cook dinner etc.
As far as I know I'm probably one of the strictest parents wrt screen time

Children are always glued to it. Don’t worry. As long as you limit screen time you should be fine. Oh, and as some say, comtrol what he watches. I kept my lo on cbeebies a lot longer than is suggested because the programmes were full of characters being nice to each other.

This has made me laugh because we read the research when our first was a baby; DP immediately cancelled sky ( reinstated it after 24 hours) 😂

We did put his bouncer with its back to the Tv for a while but we soon relaxed and when our second came along the TV was often on. They are 8 and 6 now, bright and achieving.

I am sure your LO will be fine OP and the fact you are worrying shows that you care greatly and are/will be a great mum.

The adverse effects come when TV is the only(main) form of interaction,socialisation and entertainment. As long as he is exposed to various environments he will be fine. And it's not necessarily the TV that causes the issues,it's the lack of other things.
Two kids might have the telly on for 8 hours. One watches it the whole time and nothing else. The other plays with carer,with toys,joins in with chores,goes outside,has a cuddle ,a story read to him,does some puzzles etc. The telly being on won't affect them both the same.

Teachers at school were recently raving about how good DS's creative writing is.

That's via he's watched a minimum of one movie every day since he was tiny.

He also does lots of other things, it's fine.

The anti screen thing needs to be taken with a pinch of salt.

I've just worked out that my 2yo has watched about 3 hours of cbeebies today. Maybe a tad more.
He's been up since 5 and only napped for 45 minutes, and fell asleep at 6pm.

We have also - played on the trampoline,
done some shopping where he "helped" find things,
"helped" with the washing,
sang nursery rhymes,
iced and ate some biscuits,
played with bubbles and ice in the garden,
Made play dough creations,
read books,
Played hide and seek (sort of!)
played with the blocks, and played with diggers and cars.
Plus 2 X school runs and sibling squabbling.
And probably some other stuff as well.
If I didn't get the odd break with a bit of tele I think I would be a gibbering wreck!
A bit of tele is fine.:)

My 3 are in their late 20's/ early 30's.
5 degrees amongst them, working in high flying careers, knew every disney song by the age of 3! Jungle book was never off the screen.
My grandson watches a lot of cbeebies (at my house, cos his parents didn't have it for some reason) he started school being able to read , count to 100, knew his colors and could name every dinosaur ever discovered!
Don't worry, you'll be grand!

Welcome to the club!

I have 4 boys, so when an older one had the tv on there was often a younger one there to watch it too. As far as I can tell it hasn't harmed their development or intelligence. As long as you are doing other things with your ds then there probably won't be any problems, make sure he has toys out too and play with him sometimes. You don't have to keep him occupied yourself 24/7, he can learn to play with things himself too, but make sure he has a variety of toys etc. to keep his attention.

As an aside, and probably stealth boasts, all my boys were generally earlier than average with most developmental milestones - walking, talking, feeding themselves etc. Only had some problems with some potty training and bits and pieces, but the oldest has aspergers and some things are down to that. They are all bright and do well in school. (Boast - ds3 was exposed to tv by a 6 yr old and a 4 yr old from day one of his life (born at home so exposed within hours), he walked at 11 months, speaking soon after, built with bricks as soon as he could pick them up and stop chewing them etc. Last year when he was in yr 6 he was top of the whole year (2 classes) and got an award.)

When ds1 was at nursery at 3 yrs old ds2 would watch Cbeebies before collecting his brother. By the time he was 2 years old he knew we had to get shoes and coats on to go and get his brother straight after Pingu finished just before 3pm. He's now a reasonably well adjusted 15 yr old doing his GCSEs this school year and expecting high grades. (And currently laughing his head off watching Mock The Week on Netflix.)

Anyway, enough boasting about my boys.

I assume you are getting help with the pnd, anxiety and ocd. If not please make sure you do. I was diagnosed with depression a few months after ds1 was born and it helps to get professional help, especially when at my lowest. Also, if you have doubts, keep posting. It is amazing how many people have the same thoughts as I have had over the years, it is useful to know I am not strange or different, and I have done many things similarly to other parents. You are not alone.

Motherhood is all about guilt, don't sweat it!

TV can be a life saver, use it, just use it wisely

Too many sticks to beat women with, bloody research

Acknowledge the guilt, then ditch it!

If your little one is strapped in a chair in front of the TV with no interaction and restricted movement and there most of the day then yes I can see it harming them if they have no reason to be strapped in all day.
What you are doing is normal - but anxiety makes you doubt everything (I suffer too). If it makes you feel better about it, sing the theme tunes together rather than nursery rhymes, point out things in the show and chat, but also remember we all need wind down time, and the TV is probably just allowing for that too.