How To Watch TV With Your Kids
The American Academy of Pediatrics says that children under two should not watch any TV. Thanks for the extra mom guilt, AAP.
This recommendation was clearly not written by a single mom who needed to cook dinner, and considered it the lesser of two evils to plop her toddler in front of Bob the Builder so he would stay put and not get under her feet and have boiling water tipped on his head.
I don’t know if there’s an AAP recommendation against dropping boiling water on your kid, and whether it was considered when they drafted the TV recommendation, but they should have.
I’m not in favor of unrestricted TV watching, or having it burbling in the background all the time. Just about the only time my son watches television is ten minutes every other day when I’m cooking, or when I had a horrendous cold and ear infection and couldn’t move without the room spinning.
I just think it’s a bit draconian to say no TV ever. Sitting until their eyes go square and their brain starts dribbling out of their ear = bad. A couple of minutes of child-friendly TV = not bad.
Especially if you watch it with them, and talk about the show, ask them questions, and talk about what the message of the show was – most kids programs have one, like sharing or helping. If your kid starts picking up stuff he dropped because someone in Clifford the Big Red Dog did, that’s great, and it doesn’t matter where he got the idea.
I think my job as a parent is to set an example of healthy TV watching – turn it on for a particular show, watch that show, turn it off, go do something else. And I hope that will stick with him, and he won’t be a couch potato when he grows up.
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singlemom says...
I have to say I completely disagree with you. As a single mom, I have had no problem raising my kid with zero tv ever. Not even while I cook dinner.
If for some reason your toddler is compelled to get underfoot when hot water is involved, the solution is simple. Just wear him. That way he gets the attention from you he so obviously needs but stays out of harms way.
And out of curiosity, how the heck do you feed yourself and a toddler with only ten minutes of cooking every other day? Can you share these magical recipes?
stephanie booth says...
I totally agree. Television is an inevitable part of our culture. Sure, you can say no to it in your home, but your child is eventually going to be exposed to it — at friends’ or relatives’ houses, or even at school. So why not teach your child how to be media-literate? And show them how TV can be educational? There really are good shows out there which can provide some value, and as parents, it’s our responsibility to search them out.
brit says...
I spend my toddler’s every waking hour devoted to him. Except when he NEEDS to be out of harm’s way. He probably watches even less TV than what I said. Most of the time he can entertain himself with something else. Some other days he wants to be in the kitchen and putting him front of the TV for the couple of moments I have something hot on the stove (rather than baking/microwaving/something cold, which is what I do most days) is better than him tripping me up with a pot of boiling water.
WEAR a squirming, grasping toddler while boiling broccoli? That sounds incredibly dangerous.
Science-mom says...
The TV is a convenient distraction – even a babysitter – when it’s always there. Take it away and you’ll find other – better distractions. I and my twins survived the first 3 years without TV. We had one but we banished it to the den/office away from our kids’ daily routine. We also survived the first 3 years with no major accidents in the kitchen or in the house. There are lots of safety devices designed specifically to keep kids from harm. We had railings separating the living area from the kitchen. They can see Mommy boiling spaghetti but they never got near enough to be in danger. My principle is if there’s a will, there’s a way. Keeping your child away from the TV is possible. You just have to have the will to do it. Here’s a related post: http://blogs.babiesonline.com/2008/05/06/on-tv-and-children/
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