Babies and TV

[Bellyrub1980]

What is the general consensus regarding TV and bavies?

My baby is 4 months and up until recently didn't take a lot of notice if the TV was on. I'm not sure about you but maternity leave is a lonely, boring place with a new born and having Sky+ pretty much got me through the first few months (along with medication for post natal depression).

We do go out most days, swimming lessons, baby cafes, walks in the park and around town, time spent with other children of friends and family etc. However, when I'm at home I'm just in the habit of having the TV on in the background and I quite often realise that my baby is staring right at it.

The hardest times are the mornings (when I'm waking up slowly) and in the evenings when her dad comes home. During the day im either out or will have music on or will play her audio fairy tails or nursery rhyme cd.

Should we ban TV during her waking hours?

Is the radio okay?

Just to add, I do actively position her so she can't see the television. But is it okay to have it on in the background?

I did. I agree, my mat leave was lonely and boring and l wouldn't have coped without my sky+ also!

What's the point of positioning her so she can't see? Surely the flashing lights and movement keeps her entertained?

Personally I don't like having background noise, be it TV or radio as I think it inhibits language development, but DH thinks I'm a loon.

We've used the tv since both dc were babies because, as you say the house is too quiet, lonely and boring without it. I really can't say that it has inhibited their language development; in fact I'd say the opposite. Ds in particular seems to have learned quite a lot from the programmes he watches (Fireman Sam, Peppa Pig, Wallykazam etc) and incorporates the words, language and storylines into his own imaginative play. Dd is beginning to do the same.

I have TV on a bit in the morning while I prepare Breakfast for DS (and get my coffee!) he watches Thomas and Mr Men, then off during the day, but that was only when he began craning his head to see it from any angle (no more box sets for me!) at about 5 months. Before that he barely looked at it. Now he gets a little burst of In the Night Garden if I'm really trying to string out time until DH gets in to put him to bed! I just got sick of him not paying enough attention to me. Although he's entranced by Baby TV at Grandmas house, he howls with laughter at it. I don't think an hour or so a day is a problem but I want his attention on other things mainly.

It will be fine. At four months I was watching hours of tv a day (and so was ds by extension) bf and letting him nap on me. I would have been bored rigid without the tv (I was quite bored with it). Even now he's 15 months i don't get too het up about a bit of Peppa or Bing Bunny. I'm pregnant again and I've been told he'll watch loads when the baby comes. A friend did stop watching Dexter when her LO was around 5 months though!

It doesn't inhibit language development (any more than being somewhere busy with strangers talking would) if you are actively conversing with your partner and the baby as much as possible. (Background in literacy, social behaviour and speech in young people).
Music is positively beneficial.

Guidelines are generally to prevent the tv "bringing up baby". If you have struggled with PND, extremely rigid/cautious thinking can lead to PNA.
Under your circumstances I would actually do seek a pragmatic stance that keeps your sanity and relaxation in mind whilst broadly following guidelines.
ie don't park baby staring at the tv but don't hide it or stress if it's on in the background.

...TV is a tool. It's been with us since the 50s.

In this time we have learned to use it for "good" as adults and in education ... but there's still a slight knee jerk middle class thing which can leave kids with no good habits (time limits, volume, what is educational or appropriate vs what is crap).
The key thing is to MODEL good media behaviour ... online, with tv and radio. They're going to live with tv and screen time. It isn't just "bad" ... but it's important to form good habits young.

I have the tv on for background noise all day, my dd watched it sometimes as a baby as she got older she'd find other things to do as well. I couldn't have coped with out it and my dd started learning to count thanks to Mickey mouse clubhouse.

It's fine. The studies are nonsense - if she was a second baby would you really expect your older children to stop watching TV ever around her?

I watch TV. I tried not to in the beginning and nearly sent myself loopy! Sure the fact my 21 month old can say 'Disney' and 'CBeebies' already is probably not the best, but she's learnt other things too. In the night garden is part of her bedtime routine, she watches that while o clear up the dinner things, then I pop in her pyjamas, do her teeth etc. And when the shows end on Cbeebies because the tv has 'gone to bed' we read stories, brush her teeth etc. We love movie night too, where we make snacks/popcorn and watch a fave like Brave or Frozen together I know! Better to be watching TV together, than online ignoring her... And sometimes we need some down time/head space and the TV needs to babysit for half an hour!

Thank you so much for these replies. You've made me feel so much better!

My mum confirmed that, with older siblings, the telly was on constantly when I was a baby. That made me feel a bit better too.

Thank you again!