how much tv does your baby watch?

[missytequila]

I have taken to putting my 4 month old baby in front of the tv watching cbeebies,etc in the morning when I need to do a few chores...sometimes in the afternoon too. At the same time I feel a bit guilty and am worried about creating a bad habit... how much do you let your babies watch tv??

My dd (2.3 years) now watches too much for my liking - an hour a day of Teletubbies or In the Night Garden. But I'm 8 months pregnant and I'm knackered, and I know she'll be watching at least that when the baby's born

She started watching tv at 18 months (half an hour a day). From around 12 months onwards I used to show her a couple of 5 min clips of songs on You Tube. Before that we never had tv on while she was awake at all.

At 4 months she was in her bouncy chair, her sling, pram, on a blanket on the floor looking at toys/pictures or her mobile (the Tiny Love mobile is AMAZING). She loved watching me have a shower lying on her changing mat and I used to sing to her and wave the towel at her .

TBH I would really try not to use the tv for as long as possible, I don't think it can be good for them, but I'm not judging - not all babies are as content to amuse themselves as mine was at that age, and I understand the need for a 10 min break!

I don't purposely put my 7mth DS in front of tv, but when I'm having a bit if time relaxing myself and watching it then he will be in the room with me on his playmat or playing with his toys. Also when feeding him it's on.
He doesn't 'watch' it exactly but if an upbeat song or loud tune comes on he will look at it and stare and giggle away ( like the 'we buy any car' advert)

i don't think it does any harm tbh as long as it's not used as entertainment for them instead of doing it yourself.

I put my DD (now 2) in front of CBeebies for around 10 minutes at a time for her tummy time from around 3 months. It definitely helped her strengthen her neck.

But if you want to leave her to do chores, couldn't you sit her in a swing or on a rug on the floor or on a playmat so she can be more active or watch you as you go about your business? Mine loved watching me or if I was in another room she loved interacting with the toys on her playmat.

I only had tv on if I was breastfeeding (and she was facing me and feeding for ages and ages. Then it would come off. When she was mobile it was kept off until she was asleep. Sometimes I had Radio 4 on low level in the background, sometimes music.

When she got to 18 months and I was back at work 3 days a week my husband would have on something like Big Barn Farm or Something Special (lasts about 20 minutes) so he could shower, to calm her down if she was having a booby strop.

I, however, don't like to put it on but I compromise on this as my husband does such a wonderful job with her (playgroups every morning, picnics, activity in the afternoons, such as zoo, park or aquarium - he's basically out all day, and reads to her in between and talks to her all the time in the sling even at 20 months) that I ease up on this and don't fret about it too much. Her speech is like that of a 3 year old so I don't think it's held her back, but I don't like the passivity of it.

I have sometimes found that if she's having a strop (I've been cutting down b/feeds) or she's a little tired of playing with her toys/me reading and well, I've turned it on for five minutes it's changed the tempo and her mood. But then I turn it off again, or she asks for it to be switched off.