In-laws letting Baby watch tv

[Gwjb2024]

I have a 14wk old. I try not to have the TV on around him as I’m worried how it will impact his brain development while he’s so little. That’s not to say he’ll never be aloud to watch TV. I’m very much looking forward to snuggly movie nights when he’s older but for now I don’t like him looking at it. We’re currently at the in-laws - who are well aware of my stance- and they keep putting him in front of the tv. We were playing in the lounge and he was sat watching so I turned the tv off - no one was watching it. MIL stated ‘ you just need to accept that the tv will be on when he comes to grandma and grandads’
i wasn’t sure what to say so I laughed awkwardly. Am I being ridiculous? How would you approach this or do I just accept that he might be stuck infront of it more than I would like while we’re here?

Both of mine had the tv on. Both also went to museums, parks, play dates, creative play, nursery, swimming etc etc. It's about balance. Big supporter of chucking the tv on and having 5 minutes peace and quiet x

Honestly, you're being ridiculous. My youngest baby was brought up with tv in the background as his brothers would be watching tv, he wasn't parked in front of it but it was on a lot!

He's now 24 and doing a Masters degree in advanced chemistry.

Having tv on with your baby in the room will not affect his brain development!

YANBU re tV concerns, that’s fine.
But you don’t need to never have it on- just face them away from it.

and tell your in laws that your child is not to watch TV programmes until over 2 as that’s the current guidelines- if that’s what you’re doing.

your kid doesn’t need to watch TV at their age! They are interesting in just watching the world go by!

Regular FREE childcare, perhaps ?? In which case OP is free to pay £75 a day for nursery instead

What damage do you think having the Tv on does?

Why would the Tv being on be any different to people talking or singing?

I assume this is your first baby.

It’s good for babies to get used to background noise.

Pah. Nursery in my County is £45 a day, not £75.

In op's shoes I'd absolutely rather pay for nursery than leave baby with anyone who I thought wouldn't respect our wishes.

What damage do you think putting the TV on actually does?

We're clearly not talking about forcing the kid to sit and watch it for hours on end, are we? So what's the objection?

Are the anti-screen brigade also against interactive whiteboards in schools? They are screens, after all.

The current guidelines (not in the UK) are obesity-related and trying to reduce inactivity.

Lots of people plonk their kids in front of a Tv or hand them a phone.
But it’s the lack of exercise and engagement that is the issue, not the actual Tv being on.

It being on in the background is absolutely fine.

Totally over the top and precious. Stop being ridiculous.

So ridiculous.

I find it very rude when visiting someone and they have the TV on in the room but they’re not actually watching it. Just turn the bloody thing off!

As a parent and grandparent, surely you’d be wanting to engage with the baby directly and not bung them in front of a screen at that age?

Well personally I was brought up in a home where my father came home from.work, put the tv on , and it was on until he went to bed. But he would be asleep in his armchair most of that time and only woke up when one of us switched the tv off and we had to switch it back on. So it was perpetually on in the background with no one watching it.
As a result my sister and I spent most of our time in our bedrooms because we couldn't stick the constant tv and, not really liking tv, apart from specific programmes, for the rest of out lives is about the one thing my sister and I have in common.
So every one is different. You bring your children up the way you want. OP has every right to bring her child up the way she wants. And, as already stated, she has the backing of childcare experts to vindicate her. She's certainly not " daft".

I think ur being a bit precious. I can only assume this is ur first child ? A bit of telly won’t do them any harm. I’m sure they r plenty entertained by a range of things and not strapped into a chair facing tv all day

Can he even sit at 14 weeks old?

Because if he's being sat in a bouncer that is probably potential to do more damage than watching TV

Their house, their rules. Sorry.

I love batshit pfb posts, this was me 20 years ago !

Honestly now that I have teens .. TV is no longer the bad guy. And I see so many younger kids obsessed with small screens and YouTube etc
I personally wouldn't be delighted with tv on but wouldn't stop visits because if it

It's a bit rude to turn off the tv in someone's else's house without asking even if you thought no one was watching it. At 14 weeks babies are potatoes and won't be paying any attention to it. It's not rally an issue when it's temporary

Ridiculous, all of it.

Bringing up your children without tv isn’t daft I agree, it’s personal choice. You choose not too, that’s understandable, I choose to allow it in moderation, also understandable.

Thinking that having it on for a couple of minutes in the background as a one off will affect brain development, however, is a bit daft.

You are being ridiculous and also rude to turn off a tv in someone else’s house .

You are totally reasonable. Take a look at WHO recommendations around screens for kids. In our house TV is off if it's not being intentionally watched. That's a decision we made thirty years ago. I can't imagine putting the TV on for a baby! A TV isn't going to kill a kid but they need humans not screens

You are not being unreasonable, at all, and I'm shocked at the thread response!

Check the official WHO and NHS recommendations. There is serious and growing concern about the adverse effects of screen time on multiple aspects of child development, especially in very young children. It is not only or even mostly about obesity in older children.

You need to nip this in the bud, OP. If the ILs will sit a baby in front of the TV, they'll only get worse as DC gets older. You cannot let them dictate to you how YOUR child is cared for, on this or anything else. Assert yourself as the parent and get them back in their box.

And pay for qualified, professional childcare, if you're relying on family while you work.

I love the rose coloured glasses that new parents have. No tv but snuggly movie nights 😂.

my oldest didn’t like tv. It was actually annoying as he was a terrible toddler always getting into stuff. I used to get so jealous of the playgroup mums who would put playschool on for an house while they cooked dinner. Mine was just a demon child wreaking havoc.

They're not using them for childcare. The OP was visiting with the baby and they had the tv on. Nothing was stopping the OP from turning the baby away from the telly.