Hellobee Boards

I think Mrs. Jacks has a blog post about it. I feel like she has a blog post for many topics.

I'm interested in this, too. I remember the post but I didn't have time to read it and now I can't find it. If someone can post the link that would be great. Thanks!

@Mrs. Jacks: @mrsjazz: found it!

http://www.hellobee.com/2012/04/25/responsible-media-viewing/

My 3 y.o. never cared much for TV; but my 3-month-old is always looking at the TV when he sees it. He'll even turn his head. I hope he doesn't become a couch potato. I do have the TV off in the mornings so I can do some activities with my 3 y.o.; but I have to admit that I'm such a TV junkie so it's on a lot. I'll have to read Mrs. Jack's post about media viewing! Thanks for posting the link!

I would avoid baby Einstein....read some research how in a 10 second clip, there were 4 or 5 scene changes...very hard for the brain to process. Babies should be interacting with real life objects, people, that is how the brain learns best.

There's an article in Nurture Shock about how the Baby Einstein DVD's actually hinder language development instead of helping. Because the baby hears the words but doesn't see a face saying them they get confused.

I've read enough articles and stories about tv watching leading to attention disorders that I just prefer to play it safe and go for none at all under 2 years.

@Honeybee: Yeah, so weird how they are so different, huh? Although, my 3 y.o. has no problem asking to play with the iPad. At least that's more or less educational since I loaded a bunch of educational apps on there for him. Still, can't imagine it being good for his eyes. He forgets to blink sometimes and then his eyes gets watery. I limit that to just once a day and sometimes I hide it so he forgets to ask for it.

@erwoo: Totally weird! DD sometimes asks to watch Blues Clues on "Daddy's Nook," but she also knows how to unlock my phone and watch videos on YouTube, so I have to make sure it's always put away, out of her reach!

I've been reading the book 'Brain Rules for Baby' and it has a good section on this too. The book seems to emphasize that until age 2 the important thing is social interaction with your baby....involving facial expressions and lots of talking to them. So before age 2, tv is least desirable. From ages 2-5, the effect of tv/tech is questionable, and after 5, it can definitely be beneficial in the right forms...like slower paced programs with maximum interaction potential. The author also describes the research that the baby einstein videos are not actually helpful.

I don't think we'll be able to completely eliminate TV from our house for the first 2 years, but we plan to minimize it.

I highly recommend the documentary "Consuming Kids: The Commercialization of Childhood." You can watch it online here:

http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/consuming-kids/