The one thing we have watched a lot of is the Signing Time videos, like you. Our 20 month old son has a speech delay and hearing loss, and we’ve been trying to learn sign language as a family, so we can teach him to communicate with us, and we can communicate with him. These DVD’s have a been a real lifesaver. We can finally figure out that he wants milk without a screaming fit.

I’m sure theres all sorts of statistics about how much I should or shouldn’t let him watch, but in this case, I think the learning factor, and the time together (rarely we do leave him alone to watch while we quickly throw dinner in the oven, or start the dishwasher, but we come right back) and the communication outweighs the risks.

Thanks for your post!

also, re: the AAP recommendations on no TV until two, I researched the studies behind that at the time, and the real issue was non-age appropriate television and videos, and doing it for HOURS a day…they found some signs that babies that watched more than 2 hours of non-age appropriate TV a day (usually with older siblings) had some language delays…but there was NO issue with toddler appropriate shows or videos, or with less than two hours a day…they just opted for the more restrictive guideline because they were afraid parents would not read the fine print…

I do watch with them mostly, and their show choices are limited — right now it’s Sesame Street, Dora, or Super Why. They are TiVo’ed so they are available on demand. I like all these shows because the kids will interact with them, even the toddler. I do my best to keep them engaged; I figure it’s the slack-jawed vegetative watching that’s more detrimental. As soon as they turn into potatoes the TV gets shut off.

Content and medium were the reasons (and time). The content speaks for itself, even when it’s not bad, it’s still not good. Most of it is about marketing to children under the guise of ‘entertainment’ or ‘education’. Not sure which is worse. The people creating the programs are interested in a financial return, they aren’t interested in what is good for children.

Little kids need to play and explore, not watch someone else do it on tv. They don’t need to be ‘educated’ either, that’s why they play and explore, to learn about their world. That is education.

The medium of tv is not helpful either. Ever see a small child that wasn’t watching tv sit and stare for a long period of time at one thing? Me either. Sure, they might watch the tiger in the zoo but if the tiger is sleepng they move on after a few moments, if the tiger is moving they may watch but it is a completely different experience than watching a tiger on tv. Physically and emotionally.

Do we understand the physical effects of watching tv/computer on the developing child?

I could go on and on but I think we’ve become so accustomed to the presence of tv/computers/dvds everywhere that we don’t really notice it anymore, and obviously most people don’t think it’s a problem for anyone, despite studies and books written to the contrary.

My wife and I canceled the cable over a year ago and it was the best thing we could have ever done. I wish more people would try it. Break from the mold and give up the TV. You may be surprised how well you adapt without it.

Besides being an enormous waste of time, I found that all that’s good and worth watching on television could fit in a thimble and still roll around in it like a B.B. in a bathtub.

Just my two cents,
- The Pilgrim

There is also no processed sugar in my apartment… we only eat natural sugary whole foods (grapes, coconut juice, etc).

This is my first and only family, my first and only wife and child. I am not a military man, but I believe a STRICT household is the way to go, so that the household has STRUCTURE.

My daughter is 13 months old now… very sharp, beautiful, SLENDER, ACTIVE, and rambunctious. I intend to keep it that way. When she is old enough to move out of my apartment, she can stuff her face with sugar and rot her mind with TV all she wants… that won’t be my business.

But while she’s under my roof, I believe it is my fatherly obligation to give her the best life possible. And that includes keeping her body safe from trans-fats, excess calories, and other bad foods. My obligations also include protecting her growing brain from BET, MTV, VH1, and other TV junk.

If more people approached child rearing this way, I bet we’d have fewer obese, TV-zombie children in society.

Take care bye bye now.

When the boys were very little, Brook would turn on english soccer for them while he made dinner (4 month mark) and I went to the gym. I stopped going to the gym when the boys were 5 months. No correlation.

I watched the Today show in the early weeks while I was on maternity leave. It was my only connection to ‘the real world’ during the winter.

When they had the stomach flu and were laying on the couch being miserable, I turned on one of those Baby Einstein videos. They were entranced.

Currently, we use television as a diversion tactic while we clip their finger and toe nails.

Reid was sick two weeks ago and it was just him and I at home for 2 1/2 days while I sent Finn to daycare. I tried to find some kid-friendly shows, but couldn’t. I did, however, find Sesame Street which has totally changed since I was a kid. Reid was a magnet to the television and, in his ill state, got up off the couch and went up to the tv. It IS very educational, but man-o-man there is a LOT going on and they change topics/scenes every 5 seconds (or so it seems). He did learn the word ‘potato’ from that one episode, however.