In not letting 9mo ds watch children's TV?

[ScoobyC]

I have never put children's TV on for ds, and I haven't bought any Baby Einstein dvds etc and I am suddenly worrying that I am in some way depriving him as I have just realised that (some) other babies do watch TV.
So, this may be a ridiculous question (it really is amazing what you can worry about when you have a child), but does anyone have any thoughts on whether it is good for a baby's development to watch kids TV?
As background, this hasn't been a particularly thought out decision or anything, it's just that ds has never been a baby who sits, he is very active and so he wouldn't just sit and watch TV. For purely selfish reasons, if the tv is on it has adult programs on as I don't want to watch kids tv until I absolutely have to!

FWIW Aitch, I think I agree that baby einstein is the lesser of many evils. I found it completely bizarre, but it had dd2 captivated while it was on.

I certainly didn't get it to give her an 'early start' or anything like that. It was just because it was the only thing that she would watch at that age. I was very PND at the time and the half hour it gave me was very welcome, bordering on sanity-saving.

I think if having the TV on helps a mum to cope when she otherwise couldn't, then it could be a good thing.

just interested - those of you who are anti-television, how do you feel about the cinema?

I haven't read the whole thread, but my view is that a little TV isn't going to do any harm.

Certainly TV being on ALL DAY is detrimental IMHO, simply because it is very distracting, and a child who is used to having TV there in the background is likely to find difficulty in concentrating on anything else. Learning to concentrate is, I believe a very important early skill. So TV in this house must be switched off unless we are actually watching a programme.

DS used to watch Teletubbies every weekday morning, from about 3 months old. He wouild sit in his carry-chair (later his playpen) and watch contendely while I got showered and dressed for the day. He was happy, I got 15 mins to myself, it helped maintain some sanity in the house. I don't think it did him any harm. Similarly around teatime programs like Postman Pat or Andy Pandy kept ds occupied while I cooked

When he was a toddler we would often sit together to watch some of the early years schools programs put out by the BBC (such as Watch and NumberTime). These were entertaining and informative, and gave us something to talk about.

I really DONT approve of adults daytime TV being on while little children are around. My mother was VERY miffed that I wouldn't (and still won't) let her watch Neighbours at lunchtime when she comes to stay with us. I think the themes and subjects in it are unsuitable, and small children take in more than many people expect.

Now ds is 7, and of course he watches a bit more. When he comes home school he can be quite tired, and as long as the programmes are suitable, I don't mind. I try to steer him away from cartoons, and he enjoys the stuff shown on UK Documentary such as Planet Earth or Life in the Freezer perfectly well, which educate him too.

kids dont watch tv all ay though do they?

A few hours mounts up though

i dislike tv and my babies will not watch it till 3 - ds3 would not - like the op- watch it but sheesh they quickly learn

he watched tv for the first time (properly) after birth of my dc5 and now 13 months on its already a nightmare - he quotes snape and pirates of carribean and witters about verucca salt

dc5 just trashes the house and like now just explores - i am quite laid back - but i dont and will never agree with tv for kids
they just dont need it and imo their brains can be broadened at this incredibly formative stage

while i can EASILY restrict it - i do

I don't think you're depriving him. I don't think he's missing out on anything. I don't understand what you think is on tv that could be so good for a 9 month old's development.

i've got to say, though, that as much as i like baby einstein i do think that the value gained from watchign them would be negligible were it not for the fact that i'm there too. so when i see an elephant on BE, i might say, 'they sent me an elephant but it was toooooo big, so i sent him back' while dd swings her arm about and makes the relevant noises. it's the fact that her world cross refers from tv to book to games to toys etc that i think is valuable. and that's harder to control with cbeebies when you don't know the content. although i am very, very partial to somethign special... mr tumble... mister tuuuuu-uuumble...

I think Something Special is one of the best chldrens programmes on the box.

There's a huge difference between watching TV at an age when you can tell the difference between an advert and a programme, drag your eyes from the screen to do something else, watch something without feeling compelled to repeat the catchphrase enough times to drive your parents spare, or watching when you're too young to manage any of those thinngs...Small children do not NEED TV and if they get too used to it, ordinary life will start to look a little dull. I would say use it if you need some peace, but know that it's for your sanity not their development.

Aitch my dh also makes a good percentage of his living on telly so I'm obviously not going to campaign for complete abstinance.

its also kind of relaxing and enjoyable though, isn't it?

not everything for kids has to be Educational

I only watch the news and Desperate Housewives. Honest.

F&Z, No I do not regard CBeebies as a work of art. However, there are an awful lot of childrens books that I do not regard as works of art either, and lots that certainly are pure marketing.

My point is that it's ridiculous to generalise and say that all telly is bad and all books are good.

This conversation just goes round in circles.
You cant wrap your kids up in cotton wool, they need to live in the real world where not everything is balanced and pure. So what if they watch a bit of television, they need some escapism. If you think tv is bad then dont watch it, but dont make out that those who do have a television are idle and neglectful of their children. Also im getting really hacked off with people implying that children who watch tv are somehow unable to function properly and that their development is hindered in some way.
That sort of comment is really offensive.

not sure about unreasonable, but impractical surely, not to take advantage of the best babysitter that nature intended?

There seems to be this general assumption that all TV consists of ITV gameshow crap. It's not true. There is plenty of decent, entertaining and educational programmes on the television.

Powder is right. This sanctimonious attitude is ridiculous.

scoobyC its up to you if you want your kids to watch t.v. or not i don't think it's a bad thing i don't think it's a good thing it's just part of most peoples lives BUT having adult daytime t.v. on all day is just as bad as if not worse. As a childminder i tend not to have t.v. on while i'm working but depending age of kids might put a dvd on & i find often parents say they don't like kids to watch t.v. BUT their kids seem to know a lot of characters & theme tunes!!!!

Also what is the point of someone writing a book about the dangers of television? Is the author really concerned about your children or about their bank balance.

Anyone can research a subject and then write about it, they dont have to give a damn about the subject matter if they know it will make them a lot of money.

Yes, obviously, anyone who writes a book about the dangers of TV is just doing it to benefit themselves.

However, people who make TV programmes obviously do it out of the goodness of their hearts.

If you had bothered to read my earlier messages you would see that i agree that television is a money making machine, but I feel it is hypocritical to condemn television producers for 'selling you stuff' and then buying a book that basically has the message 'tv is bad for you'
If you already think tv is bad, why buy a book. Do you need the reassurance? Do you need the approval of some stranger? Or do you feel the need to justify your choices?
Television therefore has had the desired effect because you are already infuenced by it whehter you like it or not.
Now get off your high horse

Powder28 you say 'children need some escapism', but the OP was talking about a 9 month old- Surely a baby needs to understand how things fit together in their immediate environment rather than abstract pictures on a screen?

havent read whole thread but last post before mine quotes 'children need escapism' .I read somewhere that small children have to work hard to understand fast moving tv images - its not relaxing for them the way it might be for an adult...

I was addressing the topic in general because it seems scooby opened a huge can of worms.
I have to say that when my eldest was 9 months he did not pay much attention to the tv and i thought he never would, but now he is 2 and he loves cbeebies and has learned a lot from it.
It seems that people have very extreme views and if you mention that you think tv can be a good thing you get a whole flood of comments that are just completely hostile as if youve committed some crime.
As parents we can only do our best and for someone to imply that we are irresponsible makes it very hard to express ourselves for fear of being rejected on a site that claims to be a support network for parents by parents.