Screentime for 12 weeks old

[Butterscotchbaby]

At the moment he watches a hey bear sensory video on you tube each day - he loves it, follows the screen im guessing more the light rather than the actual images - my question is am i doing him harm? Will it cause lasting damage? He also sits in his bouncer chair and plays with the dangling toys but also the tv in on in the room and he will look at that too!

absolutely this. Or put some baby music on? Screens at 12 weeks, ffs...

No offence but this is bollocks.
I remember reading about this when my child was around 12 months and it causing such anxiety.
My child is now in top sets and a well rounded energetic secondary school child.
Just as long as your child is not watching TV all the time and you include lots of different activities and outdoor time they will be fine!
So much info out there which makes mother lives harder. Enjoy your baby 🙂

My babies would no doubt have watched tv if it was on in the background but I never let them watch it purposely.

I don’t know if it would harm them…:all the recommendations are not until 2. I used to let them watch tv from about 18 months I think so I could get a chance to have a shower etc, but not for long. I found that too much tv led to pretty bad, overstimulated behaviour.

Unless when you had newborns you sat in silence during the endless feeds and cuddles!

A baby isn't facing a screen when you're feeding him/her.

It’s not the job of doctors or researchers to make mothers’ lives easier. Congratulations on your very bright child but it’s completely irrelevant.

TV is no more beneficial to a one year old than a 12 week old. It’s just not necessary and it’s not a binary choice between being a martyr to your child and parking them in front of a screen. It’s possible to be a relaxed parent and chat to your baby while doing housework, stick some music on, let them look out of the window or just have a chill in their bouncer.

Just to add I’ve never know a baby to need tv!

I just cannot understand why you'd start with screens so young. You have 100% control right now and it's just entirely unnecessary.

My DD chatted with the lampshade on my bedroom ceiling at this age and she seemed to find that perfectly entertaining.

She was allowing her baby to look briefly at a YouTube video once a day.
My child watched 1-2 BBC iplay programmes when she was a year old!
Lock us up and throw away the keys.

That was for Anne

My SIL started trying to get her baby to watch a screen at 7 days old to build a routine and habit 😂 This child now older has no attention span and has to keep moving from one thing to another.

Totally pointless at that age. Think of all the generations of kids who have survived without screen time as a baby... 🙄

Your dc will have about 8 million times the screen time they need as they grow up. Please don't rush it.

Put some music on or toys in front of him instead

Ridiculous. Place his seat in front of the patio door and let him look in the garden or the washing machine. Screen time for 12 week olds, dear god.

It is really quite weird to be introducing screens this early.

There is no need for a 12 week old to have screens at all.

They are just as happy observing at the world around them, and much better IMO

I used heybear today while waiting for a bottle to cool, baby is 20 weeks and toys, cuddles etc weren't cutting it 🤷‍♀️. Saved the crying and kept her happy for a bit. Do what you need to

Let him watch you put the laundry on the airer. He will find it much more fascinating than screen time. DD sits in her bouncer watching me wash up, cook and fold washing. She loves watching me wafting socks about, she's 13 weeks.

I think that the World Health Organisation suggest no screen under 2 years. I can't imagine why a 12 week old needs to be watching any screens

Mine loved the washing machine less annoying for adults.

You would be doing your child a great disservice to continue this habit. Ass has been said, the WHO does not recommend screen time at all for children under 2 years.

You would be better off giving your child a running commentary of what you are doing chores wise.

Also some of the replies are horrible here. Let's not forget this is a new mum just asking a question. She doesn't need the judgemental, rude responses telling her she's terrible for even contemplating using a screen. There's a way to give your opinion without being nasty.

This 👏

I don't know why everyone is so worried, with my current toddler her brother wanted to watch peppa pig and little baby bum things and she used to join him. She's incredibly bright, engaged, sociable, has a wicked sense of humour. I consider it's probably dead time for them developmentally, but as long as they are getting lots of stimulation otherwise I think it's easy to worry too much!

This.

I agree, some of these replies are nasty.

Also, some babies are clearly a lot more unsettled than others and are not content just staring at a curtain (?), and sometimes you just need a break. My baby is not fond of her bouncer and will sit in it for a really limited time, when she was younger she was colicky and would cry whenever she was put down...anywhere. At that time, an occasional Hey Bear allowed me to eat a quick dinner minus her screaming.