Hellobee Boards

Honestly I agree with the above commenter... you gotta do what you gotta do sometimes! We never let him watch tv while eating, since we want him to eat in the kitchen, but sometimes we let him watch a video or play a game on an old iphone we have loaded with kids stuff. We stick with 3 shows mostly: Dora, Wonder Pets, and Blues Clues. Sometimes we'll turn on Sprout and let him watch things like Caillou, Curious George, etc. We'd love for him to watch Sesame Street since Rob Sr. and I both learned how to read by age 2 by watching it, but I think he's too young for it-- he loses interest in it.

We do try to limit his TV time, which is easier now that he's in daycare for most of the day and we try to go out on weekends. He used to beg for it. But now he just asks for it time to time, and even when it's on, he goes back and forth between his toys and watching.

Honestly I think that as long as you're not using it as a babysitter all day long, it's fine. When I was a SAHM I let him watch an episode of Dora every morning in the pack and play in our room while I took a shower. Made my mornings great.

Netflix streaming is a lifesaver, btw! They have all 3 of our shows AND they just added sesame street.

Glad there are other parents "out of the closet" on this too. Our girl has loved tv since around 1 year old, and I freak out slightly every time I read the pediatricians' guidelines warning about the dangers.

But actually, I think kids need downtime just as much as adults do. She tends to prefer tv when she's just too exhausted to keep playing. And depending on what you watch, it can be a great way to introduce children to material you wouldn't necessarily have the time or resources to show them. We mostly watched Sesame Street at first, and she loves letters and numbers much more, I think, than if mom and dad had just tried to say "hey, here are these things called letters...." And as a sort-of-hippie, I love the early exposure to racial and other diversities (kids with disabilities, Downs Syndrome, etc) on Sesame Street.

Tina, I never thought of Netflix streaming -- great idea! We usually watch on our cable system's On Demand. Now when it's regular tv, she doesn't understand why we can't rewind and rewatch the parts she enjoys. Kids today....

My baby loves TV too. He watches Dora, The Backyardigans, Sesame Street and In The Night Garden. He loves music and any time music comes on the TV, he dances. He's only 8 months old!

He only gets to watch a bit each day.

I don't mind my LO watching television, and I leave it on the background for him while he plays. He isn't at the stage where he watches it just yet. I let him watch PBS and some limited shows through Netflix.

I grew up glued to the television and learned to speak both Cantonese and English. Even though I loved to be in front of the screen, I also loved to spend time outside. There are educational benefits that often get ignored. I learned so much by watching great shows like Sesame Street, Mr. Roger's Neighborhood, Reading Rainbow, and Magic School Bus.