I feel guilty that I tend to leave the TV on a LOT during the day...sometimes I leave it on an actual channel, and other times I put it on a Comcast-type music station. I get lonely, and I like having the sound of other adult voices (sad). Problem is, my LO's (13 weeks) will occasionally turn to look at the picture, especially if I am feeding them or holding them at the right angle. I always try to distract them or turn it off when this happens. Is this horrible? What do other SAHM's do?
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I thought I would but I turned it on maybe 1-2 times in 4 months!
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I do this on my days off. I put on hulu on the tv and can watch 5-7 episodes of tv while DH is at work. LO is 9 weeks and I've seen her "Watching" the tv so now I try to position her away from it when she's not eating.
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I do. Usually toward the late afternoon I'll turn on one of my shows while he plays.
In the morning I turn on his music channel, he loves it. (12 mos)
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I watched all the old house episodes when my twins were first born. I was nursing 24/7 so I just sat on the couch nursing and watching tv. As the kids got a little older I it wasn't on as much. I am a "tv as background noise" kind of girl so I had to work t leaving the tv off and playing music instead
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I only watch TV while I'm eating lunch, when LO is napping. That's about it, I'm not a big TV person.
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I do. The news and HGTV are on a lot...but I haven't been home that much anymore so maybe once a week or once every two weeks.
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@Mrs. Train: Exactly! I'm not really watching it, but the background noise is kind of nice. I think I will focus on keeping it tuned to a radio station or music channel a lot more
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Very occasionally. I usually forget to turn it on. My family has been here this week so I've had it on more and he is like a magnet, just totally attracted to it! So once they leave it'll be off again. Sometimes I think it is a generational thing. I am so wired that I never think to turn on the Tv unless I want to watch something specific....! Our family thinks we're weird. My inlaws always want to put on the TV when they come over too?
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i have the tv on most of the day. i occasionally feel really guilty about it but we don't spend all day in front of the tv, it's just background noise a lot of the day.
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I hate to be a buzzkill but some recent research has shown that TV on as background noise can negatively affect their development. I wish it wasn't the case because I loooove TV but I've been keeping it off while LO's awake and just sticking to music. Sometimes I'll put Pandora on through the TV while LO's doing tummy time because he's so enthralled by it (even just a static screen or screensaver-type thing), he'll stay on his stomach for much longer. I've told myself that the benefit of tummy time cancels out the detriment of TV but I have nothing to base that on!
http://children.webmd.com/news/20120419/background-tv-may-harm-young-kids-development
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I don't. My LO is 13 weeks as well and has a laser beam stare for the tv. He's like a moth to a flame! I also prefer not having background noise so I remember to talk to him during the day.
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Mostly for background noise, but lately I have been addicted to Parenthood on Netflix so I have been actually watching.
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Yep, netflix is almost always on in the background just for the noise. I've seen all three seasons of community a zillion times now!
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I was so paranoid about this at first. Now I don't really sweat it. I do try to be cognisant about the content and pace of what I'm watching though. My understanding is that the overstimulating stuff is the least desireable....think spongebob.... and violence, bad language, etc....I avoid all that. But most news/shows/sports I watch are pretty slow paced and are not much different from a scene the kids might see in real life. I actually find myself turning them around more for flashing lights or scary scenes in commercials than shows, tbh.
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I catch up on show on hulu cause dh takes over the tv at night. I only have a few shows I watch through the week, so I don't have the tv on all day.
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@hummusgirl: Nice article. I especially love this snippet:
According to the study, those children who got the least amount of exposure to background TV were those who did not have a TV in their room. "We think parents leave the TV on while the child is sleeping," he says.
TV's in the child's room...and this study was done on children between 8 months and 8 years. Nice.
ETA: I don't know what I would do if I was a SAHM. I love TV. When we're home with M, we turn on the TV but we have a computer hooked up to it so we have Pandora playing out through it. There is nothing moving on the screen, just a shot of what is currently playing. I know when she goes down for the night, the first thing I do is turn on the TV....I'm not sure I could go all day w/o it on if I was home alone with her all day long!!
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When he's asleep..
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I have it on all day. Sports news, news news or HGTV. Mostly background noise, everything on HGTV daytime is a repeat (hint #1 you watch HGTV too much) and I don't sweat it if LO stares here and there.
Pre-baby I was so anti-TV, wanted to get rid of it on the main floor, blah blah, now I just want it for something for me while feeding her, laying on floor with her, etc. When she is older I am now not opposed to short stints of age appropriate watching if it lets me cook dinner or something. We know our kids are going to be active, busy kids, that bit of TV isn't going to kill 'em.
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Pandora on my tv all day. Once in a while I'll watch something if I'm really tired, but mostly we watch tv after she goes to bed.
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Not as much as I thought I would...I kind of never really think to do it, and I don't like LO watching it/listening to it most of the day. However, around 545, when we're waiting for DH to come home, I will sometimes put on HGTV or a movie. At that point I need some down time!
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I have Pandora on the TV pretty frequently, but I usually don't watch TV during the day. If I do, it's while she's sleeping.
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@hummusgirl: So yeah. That's pretty much what I was afraid of! Do you think music counts as background noise? I mean, music is good, right? Everything in moderation, I'm sure.
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@twoofeverything: @hummusgirl I've read about that research and wondered the same thing about music. If I'm not singing along so he can see my lips move it could be less than ideal? Oy. Probably over thinking it.
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@scg00387: LOL overthinking it is right. I think I'm going to stick to music during their playtime and turn it off when they're either waking up/getting drowsy. I only ever actually watch tv when they're napping simultaneously, so...yeah. That will continue to be rare!
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In 5 months, I've probably had the TV on 3 times during the day. DS never nursed well in front of the TV. I would love to watch Jeopardy, but that only happened once.
In the evening when DH is home, we have the TV on. DS cranes his neck to see it.
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@twoofeverything: @scg00387: @hummusgirl: how much tv were you all allowed to watch as kids?
I actually watched a bit- at least one show a day. And my little sister is even worse... I'm not questioning the validity of those articles, but when they say it affects their development- how and what type of long term affect is it? Dyslexia? ADD? Etc... I guess it's hard to "believe" those articles when we all know so many kids "raised on tv" who are pretty healthy.I DO agree that no tv is best and healthiest... I'm just trying to figure out a good balance I guess. It's winter and I get soooooo bored doing nothing but sitting in the house playing with my 12 mos old all day.
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@Mrs. Pen: I watched Sesame Street every day, so at least an hour. As I got older, I was allowed to watch select shows on Nickelodeon, etc. So...maybe 90 minutes? I wasn't allowed to watch "junk," and everything I watched was at least moderately interactive. That makes a huge difference, I think.
My goal is to have no tv until they are 2, but I know that may be hard/impossible at some point. After that, I think I'll stick to the same parameters as I had when I was a kid. Plus, I'll watch tv WITH them as much as possible...yay for Big Bird and Elmo! -
My DH is a real tv guy so in order to keep Lo's exposure minimal I don't usually have it on during the day.
I figure that any tv she does watch towards the end of the day at least helps me out by keeping her entertained in that tricky hour just before bedtime
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usually its off, we only have netflix so i dont put it on til night. but sometimes when im tired and hes not sleeping i wll put it on and hold him , but its rare. sometimes he sees the tv when otehr people are holding him and hanging out in the living room. rarely if i am watching tv with him there, i usally face him the other way so he cant see it. (helps a little maybe?!?) or if hes eating a bottle, hes def not focused on tv at all!
i do believe limiting tv is for the best BUT soemtimes i question the validity of a study there are just to many variables (really in a lot of studies, nopt just ones that pertain to tv) to be 100 % accurate. i take everything with a grain of salt.
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@Mrs. Pen: I totally get where you're coming from! I didn't watch much as a kid which translated into not watching much as an adult. But the same argument could be applied to eating all processed foods etc - It's just trying to prioritize and find moderation. I have two nieces who never watch tv and one who has watched a lot since way before two and they're all whip smart and gifted. A bigger part of tv to me is I want to stay in the habit of not watching bc I think it will make me a better parent more than anything. But I don't think that tv is bad parenting!
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I can't imagine I wouldn't, I basically turn the TV on as soon as I get home. I can't stand when the house is quiet.
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I have to say I have the TV on as background noise quite a bit. Sometimes my LO will look at it but most of the time she is more interested in her toys or playing with me. I live in NJ so it is currently cold and rainy/ snowy during the winter months so there are somedays we don't get out. Not having the TV on would make me stir crazy. We read lots of books and do lots of activities so I have no fears about her language development (as noted in the article). Being a mom is hard enough without a million and one studies to make you fearful you are doing everything wrong!
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I don't watch when LO is up, only during her nap time and after she goes to bed.
Sometimes she'll ask for "melmo" and I usually just say no, mainly because I don't like her watching tv yet (she's only 19 months, and when I do turn it on she watches for 2 minutes at the most and then walks away. She doesn't have the attention span to actually watch the show. It takes longer to find the show on demand then she spends watching it.
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@twoofeverything: I don't think music counts as "bad" background noise. I think the problem with TV is the lights, sounds and fast transitions that can make a kid become accustomed/addicted to excessive stimulation. Everything in moderation, for sure. I try to make sure LO has a bit of everything throughout the day - some silence, some playing by himself, some of me singing and reading, some music. If anything I'm doing is going to screw him up big time, at least it's only for short bursts!
@Mrs. Pen: I probably watched a half hour of TV (Sesame Street or Mr. Rogers) when I was little. You're totally right about people turning out just fine, and that's the problem with these studies - they're certainly not a guarantee that you will have problems just because some study shows that statistically you'd have a greater chance. Everyone's different. I do know that ADHD runs in my family and I have problems with attention sometimes...and I want my LO to be better than me! Easy for me to say though - I'm only a SAHM for another month and then it'll be the nanny's problem to entertain LO for hours on end with no TV!
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I DVR all my shows and watch them while LO is sleeping. If he wakes up in the middle of a show I'm really into, then I'll snuggle him or give him his bottle while I finish the show. I also let him watch about 20 minutes of Sesame Street a few times a week. He's 10 months.
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