From what age your child started watching tv?

[ana7887]

Hi everyone,

I am a first time mum and my baby boy is 9 months old. When I am at home alone with him I have TV on to have smth on background.
Recently I noticed that my baby can stare at it for about 2-4 mins straight... then I googled from what age is it safe for a baby to watch tv and it's 3 years old!!! I am a bit shocked now because I occasionally put baby shark and other short cartoons for my son.. and honestly it made me feel like a horrible mother.

Now a question: from what age your child started watching cartoons. I just feel that 3 years old is not reasonable in our days...

Thanks in advance.

My son is three in three months and has only just started to sit and watch a cartoon.

TV is great if used correctly, honestly there’s no way I’d be worrying about a baby looking at the TV for a few minutes here and there if it’s child appropriate programs. I think sitting a child in front of the TV and not encouraging toys and not interacting with them is bad, obviously! But people like that are in a minority and wouldn’t be posting their worries on a forum, they wouldn’t care at all.
I always had the TV on in the background, my eldest was never bothered for more than a couple of minutes here and there until he was past 2 or 3 and didn’t sit for any length of time at all, he has always been very physical. So children like him I wouldn’t worry about at all. My second was more interested in the TV at a younger age, less physical than her brother so there were more times I would have the TV off. It’s all about adapting to your child but really I wouldn’t worry in your situation at all OP

About 20 months I think. We were moving house and I just had to have something that occupied them while I packed boxes or they would unpack whatever I packed as soon as my back was turned.

DS has just turned 1 and has only recently shown an interest, thank goodness! We watch 2 episode of Bing on the morning while he drinks his milk and I have a cup of tea and make breakfast for us.
Then it goes off generally but I’ll put little baby bum on later in the day if I have some stuff to do or need to make lunch / tea and he’s being fussy. He also likes the song from Thomas the tank engine but has no interest in the actual episode!

I sat my older son down to watch Teletubbies at about 18 months. He would watch it but get bored when the clip repeated, and was ready to stop by the time the programme ended.

By the time he was two he was seriously into the Tweenies (everything vaguely circular was greeted with "Tweeny clock! where will it stop!") followed by the Hoobs (6am....) and by the time he was 3 and a half and had a baby brother he could amuse himself all morning watching things like Maths Man and Thunderbirds.

Said baby brother started watching Milkshake at the age of 6 months . When he was 2 he watched Dr Who, going upstairs to bed when it got too scary (though at about episode 3 he started being torn between wanting to leave and wanting to continue).

They're both upstairs staring at a screen right now, though older one made biscuits and practised the accompaniment to younger one's new piece this morning. I think he's doing his Engineering work (home from A Top University). Younger isn't talking or laughing or bashing the keyboard so is probably doing A-level work - he got mostly 9s and a couple of 8s in his GCSEs.

I don't think it does psychological damage if that's what you're worried about. But I did read there has been a massive increase in short-sighted children, mainly down to screen time.

www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/health-family/lifestyle-linked-to-huge-increase-in-short-sightedness-1.3397726

I'm short-sighted anyway so it doesn't bother me but I suppose some people may prefer to try and preserve good eyesight (if that's even possible.)

My son is 2 and we started showing him stuff a few months ago. He’s genuinely not interested - would rather play with his toys/walk round the room/look at a book. I’m not pushing it so encouraging him with solo play instead and hope I get a break that way. I have never watched TV in front of him, even when he was tiny.

I had the tv on in hospital. The tv has always been on in our place so birth.
When dd was born it was the start of footy season in Aus, no way in hell was there gunna be no tv over that time till she was 3.

She started actually watching it herself at maybe 2 on a kids channel but even then she only liked a few shows and ignored the rest