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Original poster

Television

40 replies

pablopatito · 15/07/2005 09:30

After spending the first 2 and a half months of our newborns life spending hours sitting over him with various toys going 'goo goo, what this? oh, look at this etc etc', I've now found that he's just as happy to watch the Simpsons instead.

This has obvious advantages like (a) I can watch the Simpsons (b) I can sit on the sofa (c) I can have a hot drink (d) I can eat with two handsetc etc.

Is this bad for him? I figure at this age they just need noise and lights and it doesn't really make any difference whether that's your own voice & real toys, or Homer Simpson and cartoons.

(I don't think he specifically like the Simpsons, he seemed fascinated by BBC's breakfast program this morning).

Should I feel guilty?

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lilaclotus · 15/07/2005 09:37

i think for a newborn it is a fun colourful thing to look at.

on subject of the simpsons, dd loves it. she's 4. i keep being told off by my sil because she thinks its inappropriate for a child her age. whereas we think she is developing a good sense of humour in tune with her parents'.

Lakota · 15/07/2005 09:55

I felt a bit guilty about this too (my ds is 4 months) but I figure as long as I'm not leaving him slack-jawed and wet nappied for hours whilst I loll about in the other room drinking gin, it's fine. Sometimes you just need to keep them entertained while you grab a coffee, lunch or just a 5 minutes where you aren't giving a running commentary about the merits of a squeaky tiger!

Lakota · 15/07/2005 09:56

DS also likes the news - guess it's a big face to look at...

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GetMakosiorVanessaorOrlaithOut · 15/07/2005 09:56

Don't feel guilty. Ds1 loved MTV

HappyDaddy · 15/07/2005 10:35

Blimey my dd (13months) has CBeebies on all day. She doesn't just sit and stare at it, she's off all round her little play area doing her thing and talking to me all day. If she was sitting docile and not seeming to develop I'd be worried but the health visitors say that her social skills are extremely well developed.

Twiglett · 15/07/2005 10:35

gawd ..leave him alone and sit on the couch while you can

Flamesparrow · 15/07/2005 10:37

DD developed a Boo addcition by the time she was 8 weeks (one that's stuck and she still loves Boo now at 2).

Enid · 15/07/2005 10:39

ahem...

I do not think it is a good idea to keep the telly on all day around small children. You could risk their speech and language development as although they seem fine they really cant concentrate as much when its on (I know, I know, thousands of posts to follow on the lines of 'my child had the tv on all day in every room and now makes a fortune from public speaking').

I think it is fine in small doses, but they need a good mixture of stuff.

I don't even let my 5.5 year old watch the Simpsons personally but mainly as it is on too late.

Willow2 · 15/07/2005 10:39

I watched Buffy the Vampire whilst breastfeeding. Never occurred to me that I might be turning my son in to a mutant killing ninja.

Enid · 15/07/2005 10:40

cannot understand these posts - 'I leave the telly on all day but its OK as my child doesnt watch it anyway'?????

why not turn it off then???

Enid · 15/07/2005 10:40

but Buffy is different Willow. No normal rules apply.

Flamesparrow · 15/07/2005 10:40

Lol - me too!

She's still partial to a bit of Buffy now... and I think I watched too much when I was pregnant - the buffy theme tune would settle her when she cried!!

Willow2 · 15/07/2005 10:43

His karate moves are coming on a treat. Unfortunately, there is a bit of the Kato (spelling? Peter Seller's sidekick in the Pink Panther films) about him (not inspired by watching said films, always found them deadly boring)- I need only bend over to pick up a discarded sock and I have a small person hanging off my back, yelling "Hi-yaa"

Flamesparrow · 15/07/2005 10:44

I was a bit concerned when DD got to 9 months and would lunge at my neck going "Grrrrr", but she seems to have got over that. She seems to have more Vamp tendencies than slayer...

HappyDaddy · 15/07/2005 10:50

I didn't say she didn't watch it, I said she doesn't just sit in front of it all day.

Each to their own jamtit.

lunavix · 15/07/2005 10:50

Oh gosh watching Buffy while simultaneously entertaining newborn ds was what kept me going in a new miserable town!!

Flame - we seem to get more in common by the day

Enid - Simpsons is on too late? 6pm??

I personally have had to limit ds's tv. He would happily stare at it open mouthed and unblinking from when he woke up till he went to bed. He is just obsessed. Typical man! At first I thought it was great, then I realised even if I talked to him or offered toys his eyes would never leave the screen. Not really the point of parenting.

Now he has Noddy on in the morning (and whatever's on before that if he's up early I do NOT function before 7.30!) and sometimes he may have tweenies or similar on while I cook dinner, else he stands at the stair gate whining for food! But I am also a CM and I don't want the kids watching the tv, so it was going to happen anyways.

DH insists on the tv being on from 6 -7 though (simpsons and hollyoaks) which ds is obviously around for, he will just sit and watch it but I'm trying to drum into dh the importance of playing..

Enid · 15/07/2005 10:50

what she's watching but doing something else at the same time??

Enid · 15/07/2005 10:51

Your dh watches HollyOaks?

I feel older by the day.

HappyDaddy · 15/07/2005 10:51

She listens mostly, dances to all the songs. Waves goodbye to the characters.

Enid · 15/07/2005 10:53

hmmm, still don't like it.

Music and story tapes better IMO. But I am a no-tv evangalist atm so probably best not to take me too seriously

HappyDaddy · 15/07/2005 10:56

To be honest, I am keepin an eye on her. I have started to turn it off or down more so that she can listen to her musical toys more.

Maybe I'm just a bloke so think that TV is an essential part of life!

Enid · 15/07/2005 10:57

When we had a telly I had to nag my poor old dh about this too

Original poster

pablopatito · 15/07/2005 11:48

Enid, when you say "music and story tapes are better" and "You could risk their speech and language development" are you answering my specific post which regards watching TV when you're two and half months old?

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Listmaker · 15/07/2005 13:58

My dds love telly as much as the next kid but I'm with Enid on this one - I limit it and we have 'telly off time' after an hour or two. dd1 would sit there staring at it unblinking for ever. dd2 does always tend to be drawing or writing while it's on. I am not anti-tv and it can be a godsend and they need to unwind after school etc but I don't think it should be on as background and if they start playing while it's on I definitely turn it off. They need some time to play and just be bored to stimulate their imaginations etc.

QueenOfQuotes · 15/07/2005 14:07

"cannot understand these posts - 'I leave the telly on all day but its OK as my child doesnt watch it anyway'?????

why not turn it off then???"

Enid - I guess you didn't bother to read the responses (on last weeks TV thread) with more than one person exaplining why they like the TV on.........

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