How much tv is too much for a 15 month old

[Cupcakemummy85]

My dd is nearly 15 months and has been ill this week so I've let her watch her absolute favourite peppa pig. It's been on pretty much non stop. I do try and play with her but obviously being ill she isn't really in the mood to play. She does do her own thing for a bit and then watches it. I used to watch tv as a child and it didn't do anything to me but I worry as my mother in law beloved children should be outside playing and won't let my dd watch any tv what so ever in her house. How much does everyone else's children watch. My dd is a bit of a nightmare ill, won't eat much, complains all the time, standard for a child so tv does keep her happy.

(Sorry, OP, the tidy house comment wasn't directed at you, but it seems to be a common reason for plonking kids in front of a screen - to get housework done. Our priorities have got to change.)

None of my children watched any at that age, ill or not.

You sound exhausted though, is there anyone that can pop round to be with her whilst you. Nap for a couple of hours?

OK, so what about if the TV is on and the baby is playing? How does that fit in with all the rules / guidelines? My DS will happily play by himself, always has done but the TV is almost always on.

Bit ott mrsbaglady

I have a 5 and a 3 year old. They watch tv when they get back from school/ nursery while they have a drink & snack. Also at the weekend in the mornings as there's little else I'm prepared to do at 6am.

When I was pg with dc2, dc1 watched a lot of CBeebies (he was under 20 months too). I honestly don't see it has done him any harm, he isn't particularly interested in tv now, he would much rather do other things. And neither of my children have managed to sit through an entire film yet- even at school my ds opted to go and do colouring rather than watch the Xmas DVD.

mrsbaglady you're brave!

lpp I honestly don't see it has done him any harm, he isn't particularly interested in tv now, he would much rather do other things.

But if as the research suggests watching TV under 2 is stopping them making connections in their brain, then your observations aren't relevant.

FFGM switch it off- at best it's a distraction. He needs to concentrate and to hear what you're saying, see how your mouth moves when you make certain sounds etc.

Thanks, Lambethlil . It just pisses me off the way TV for tiny kids is becoming constantly normalised.

"Oh, we have the TV on but s/he's not really watching it"
"They only watch DVDs/CBeebies/Baby Fucking Voltaire, no ads or anything!" - ah, well that's ok then.
"S/he's learning SO much from it ? can count to ten in Spanish!" Yup, a genius of rote learning there ...

Read the evidence, people. I put my 2-year-old in front of the TV now and then for completely selfish reasons, but I don't fucking delude myself that it's not rotting a few of his little brain cells in the process.

I'm hiding behind mrsbaglady
She's right you know.

www.wired.com/wiredscience/2011/10/infant-tv-guidelines/ (entitled "It's Official: To Protect Baby's Brain, turn off TV")

communities.washingtontimes.com/neighborhood/parenting-first-time-through/2012/jun/8/no_television_for_babies_tv_bad/

www.telegraph.co.uk/science/6188698/Background-television-bad-for-your-child.html

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2054950/Passive-TV-watching-harm-babies-speech.html

www.literacytrust.org.uk/assets/0000/2623/News_stories_about_TV.pdf (loads of links embedded here).

Shitloads of them. Just google "tv baby brain" or something similar.

Why risk it? Honestly, you're entrusted with a tiny baby's precious developing brain, it relies entirely on you to do the best thing for it, and many people are happy to lay waste to it with flashy scene changes, quick edits, garish colours, etc, etc. It means their brain starts to wire itself up differently to a child who is not subjected to screens, and has serious, serious implications for their future mental health.

She's right you know, that mrsbaglady if you're going to do it, be honest about the fact it's not for their benefit, it's for your own.

And as anyone who's been here can testify, i think spending time talking and caring and engaging with for your toddler is much more important than bloody housework.

With mrsbaglady all the way here.

I agree. Tv isn't needed at all. If I watch it for an hour myself I find myself Not concentrating
I'm not entirely sure where all the time is found for tv watching anyway?
Babies/ toddler are happy playing with a twig outside half the time, throw in a few actual toys, let them 'help', go outside and the days gone
School age kids get up, ready, and are in school all day. Home say 3.30. Most are in bed by 7.30pm which only leave max 4 hours to play, read to them/ alone, Pop to park, do homework, eat, bath, bed

DD1 is 23 months now and has never watched TV, she doesn't even know what a TV is. I don't think TV is directly harmful in moderation, it's more that it has zero benefits to the child and letting them do imaginative play or reading books together would aid their development. TV is just keeping them quiet for your own benefit, but at that age they will learn zero from watching TV.

I totally understand you need a break when you're pregnant but agree with others that you should be honest about it. I would question the advantage of TV especially for a sick child. Especially when you have fever and are weak, the noise, the lights and the sound from TV actually prevent recovery. Resting, cuddling, reading are much better.

It's really hard with a sick and miserable toddler and i am sure anything done for a very short while there are no long-term consequences, but you're asking how much TV is "normal" for a 15 month old so my answer is, really best would be zero TV. I know lots of toddlers these days watch TV but it says a lot about the sad state of this society and very little about how useful or appropriate watching TV is.

OP you say you've decided to relax about it and not worry but the fact that you post here and ask tells me you know in your heart that putting a 15 month old in front of the TV is not the best thing to do.

OP: DD's 19 months and I'm sure she watches more than the guidelines, maybe two or three little programs a day - has done for a while but like you say, she needs a clean house and food on the table and I'm on my own most of the time!. Of course there are lots of days when she doesn't watch TV at all, but sometimes CBeebies can be a godsend when you just have to do stuff! Anyway, she's a really advanced talker saying 4-5 word sentences already and she's even picked up a little bit of Spanish from Dora the Explorer . I wouldn't be too hard on yourself.

Have you read any of the links above, BabydollsMum? The fact that your DD has picked up some Spanish from Dora is really not remotely impressive in any way, and I don't understand why people use this kind of thing as justification for letting kids watch. Children can pick up bits and pieces of other languages at that age with no effort whatsoever. The sounds just sink in there.

This is another good book which explains my point of view.

The evidence has been there for decades; parents just choose to ignore it.

www.amazon.co.uk/Plug-Drug-Television-Computers-Family/dp/0142001082/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1348846022&sr=8-1

I get stuff done without recourse to the TV and so do lots of people. It is a bit of a thin excuse.

Right, ZuleikaD. And it suggests that 60 or 80 years ago, people must've had filthy houses and were unable to ever get the dinner cooked ...

Oh my god I litreally got bored reading all this! Lol I wish I hadn't written anything. I honestly think you are all being way over the top! No tv at all? Really? We are obviously a completely different generation! My daughter is happy and loved, that's the main thing! And as for a clean house is not important, when ur child picks up a nasty bug cause ur house isn't clean then I would reconsider ur statement!

Oh and babydollsmum, I think it's great ur daughter has learnt Spanish. As someone that speaks Spanish and English I think it's really great!! Its great u r all super mums and can do it all but some of us make the choice to let our children b children and let them enjoy things like tv and not force them to play play play with mummy all the time. Get a life and stop judging people!!

I don't think anyone is forcing a child to play. Playing is simply what children do

Jeez, she has not "learnt Spanish", she is repeating a few sounds which appear in sequence. It is no different from learning a rhyme with "nonsense" words such as "Hickory Dickory Dock". What the heck do those words mean? To a young child, they're just sounds too.

You "litreally got bored" reading it all? Why was that? Aren't you concerned with what is actually best for your child?

And what does an inane platitude such as "some of us make the choice to let our children b children" actually MEAN?! What are my children then - iguanas? Is staring glassy-eyed, open-mouthed at a screen compulsory then, for children to be considered children?

And I'm not judging, I'm asking you to look at the EVIDENCE!