Baby has watched tv for 4 hours?

[humanpotato]

I'm just wondering how bad this is for my baby? So, he's 7 months and tonight I went out for a few hours to go to a psychic night my baby's grandad baby sat for me from 6pm till 10pm ... when I came home he said he's been no bother he's been wide awake watching toddler tv from 6 till 20 to 10 absolutely glued... then he fell asleep... I said well yeah he definitely won't go to sleep if he's sat in-front of the tv... he will watch it for as long as you let him... I didn't say anything other than that just cause I'm grateful that he babysat and he wouldn't have thought anything of it...

Anyway, I know this must be really bad for my baby and his brain but how bad is tv for him at his age? I do let him watch a bit of it but that's different from 4 whole hours... so now I feel really bad about it... 😔

As a one off, absolutely fine.five nights a week, not so good!

I'd be pretty annoyed with Grandad, that is a LATE bedtime for a baby that small and you'll pay for it tomorrow.

Personally I wouldn't let a child under 2 watch any at all. But as a one-off, it won't have any impact at all.

He’s babysat and done the op a favour. Choose not to ask him again if you don’t want the same thing to happen but if someone is doing you a favour don’t be annoyed at them.

I don't get this "he's done you a favour so you can't get annoyed" business - we're talking about a child here, doing a half-arsed job that has knock-on consequences isn't OK just because you're doing it for free! If I volunteered to water my neighbour's garden and then only did half of it, I'd be a dick.

People need to have better boundaries - you don't have to be grateful for shoddy shit just because it was a favour.

As a one off, not the end of the world, not a big deal, let it go.

As a one off I’d let it go - his heart sounds in the right place as presumably he didn’t really want to sit and watch cartoons for 4 hours!

As a one off its fine, did you not explain a bedtime routine and putting the baby to bed?

How does watching tv damage a babies brain?

I left my daughter for 5 days just last week while I was at Glastonbury- my mum and dad stayed with her at my house. She watched a lot of tv - my parents are just not able to do as much stuff with her as me ! They did take she out and they did bedtime how I said - but I know she spent good chunks of the day watching tv - I couldn’t care less - I was so pleased to be away at a festival having fun and I had free babysitters 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️

honestly I can’t get worked up about stuff like this

He's done you a favour. If it bothers you, don't ask again, but I'm not clear on what harm your baby has suffered here.

This is a massive overreaction on your part, I assume because the baby in question is a PFB.

If you had more children the TV would be on more often and the baby would see it frequently. It's only because you've got one that it's a problem PFB but we all worry about things like this.

Say thank you to your DDad and don't worry about it.

It’s absolutely fine.your baby was just enjoying the colours and movements on the screen-it’s not damaging his brain at all.
when your child is older then it’s best not to use the tv too much as a ‘babysitter’ .

Watching TV won't have done him any harm at all. The TV was nearly always on in our house and both DCs have grown up fine. Both talked early and fluently and excelled in their school exams. It's not nearly so immersive as hand held screens, and providing they watch appropriate programmes, with adults who interact with them and the programme, can learn a lot.

It will have no long-term effects. You may pay for it today with a tired, cranky and overstimulated baby though!

Tbh I think you do have to slightly relax screen-time restrictions when people are babysitting (though maybe not as young as 7 months!). My DC used to be a nightmare to get to bed, so I'd just ask babysitters to try and, if it didn't work, to put cartoons on rather than let DC get distressed. I've come home at 9/10pm to a 2 year old glued to the screen more than a few times and it doesn't seem to have had any long-term impact. DH and I just tended to make sure we didn't both go out the night before a nursery/work day unless my DM was looking after DC (as she could get him to sleep), so DC could sleep in the next day.

Please don't worry OP.. My DCs are all late 20s/early 30s and bought up before all the hysteria about TV watching.. (in fact I have a video of my days old baby sitting between his siblings absolutely mesmerised by Tellytubbies).. My 9 year old and I once (maybe more?) watched the extended Lord Of The Rings.. All 3! 12 hours! One rainy cold Sunday...
They are all active, working, sociable grown ups...
But... I was very very strict on age appropriate games /videos and they never had any TVs in their bedrooms...
Try not to worry...

What was he watching? The tennis? The sewing bee? He'll be gutted to miss who won!

As a one off I wouldn't be bothered, did you ask him to put him down at a certain time of anything? I always find leaving clear instructions helps when ever GP babysit

It's fine.

I agree.

He’s babysat and done the op a favour. Choose not to ask him again if you don’t want the same thing to happen but if someone is doing you a favour don’t be annoyed at them

Just because a grandparent is looking after their own grandchild doesn't mean they're above criticism and rules. GP is more likely to be upset by her not asking for babysitting anyway, so he might as well find an alternative. Some TV is fine, 4h is way too much even for a one off, at this age, YANBU

Years ago kids:
Played conkers and didn't die.
Walked to school on their own
Played in the street.
Drank water from the garden hose.
Went home after school to an empty house.
Baby sat siblings when under 14 themselves.
Rode bikes without helmets.
Lay on the parcel shelf in the back of the car.
Played on a trampoline without a net.
Received the cane in school.
Was left in the car with a bottle of pop while parents went in the pub.
Ate condensed milk butties.

So a one off 4 hours of telly!

This is the stupidest thing I've read today. But it is only early.

A mum with common sense.

Might be stupid but all true.

It's a one off. It's fine. I wouldn't mind if my relative didn't want to try and get baby to sleep for one night only. He did what was easy for him. You are going to have to get used to grandparent care that is not what you'd do and is not good for dc.

My dc are allowed tv, toys and tonnes of treats from grandparents, particularly ILs. I'm the one left with overtired, over sugared spoilt dc. Such is life. We don't see them often.