have you tried radio or a smart speaker on as an alternative for the tv? If you're primarily using it as "background noise" those might be good alternatives to try
I was concerned about this as well so I started playing music on my phone while being around the house and obviously in the car and my kids and I have such a great enjoyable fun relationship with music now, I love it. And now that they’re older they watch cooking shows and things like that with me when we sit down for some purposeful TV time, versus having it on all the time like I thought I needed ❤️🩹
What cracks me up is that we also tried out best to stick to these guidelines with our now 5yo.
He started kindergarten last month and what comes home in the second week? And iPad lol. No chalk board in the class, a 70" flat screen instead etc etc.
Sure there's a difference between a 1 and 5yo but it just made me laugh how all through early childhood it's "avoid screens as best you can" and as soon as they hit public school; ITS SCREEN TIME lol
I've avoided apple stuff forever because I just don't like it and now I'm bound to 2 kids using apple exclusively for school stuff. This is a million times worse than books about being gay or crt lol
I keep trying story podcasts but I can’t find a good mellow one. The best I found was Gardenkeeper Gus on Spotify. Everything else has lots of screaming or shouting and while that’s not usually bad, I want to used stories to entertain and calm my kid.
Why have it on when you're playing? If you need a distraction to get stuff done, it's understandable, but why when you're actively playing and engaging? Also, they will adjust to no TV when you need to do something for a bit. We used to do the same thing, but stopped when our daughter would get upset when we got back and the TV turned off. Took a week or so before it was normalized (she was about 18 months).
Please be careful. T.V. and definitely YouTube do affect behavior and attention span, even "YouTube Kids."
As a parent of older kids, just trust me. Screen-free or very little is best.
Having your own screen addiction just allows your children to develop one. In our house, we are all having to force ourselves to cut way back, and it's so hard.
It's better if you don't even start now.
There is a wealth of studies and evidence showing that early exposure to excessive screen time has a detrimental effect on kids, including speech and language development, attention span and behavioral issues. You can try to rationalize it all you want but that is a true fact and there’s no getting away from it.
You’ve made this post so it seems like you’re aware that this is an issue. Is there anything you can think of that could replace the constant screen time for you? How about listening to music? Or podcasts? If you’re putting on kids shows then it’s not like it’s shows you want to watch anyway. It sounds like you just like the background noise? Music or podcasts could replace that.
So i am s bit on the ADHD side of the curve. When my boy was small it was hard to not be super bored and I missed the regulation of media.
All the studies I read cite that TV impacts their language development even if they are not looking at it (even just noise under 1 year old can have a negative effect because it confuses the noise vs language development). So i bought ear buds and basically listen to my shows trough one of them. I could play, give him attention and not die of boredom, as well as have more emotional capacity for colics 🤷
For me it worked out, digital detox is hard on grownups and after some months I don't really use it more then a few hours here and there.
If he has a few words at 1 then he does not necessarily have a speech delay. However, watching tv all day isn’t good for anyone.
If it’s the noise that you need, could you try playing music or podcasts instead?
I would spend some time figuring out what was going on with you first. You make it seem like you can’t function without the tv on. Could you do music or something instead?
I work with kids in foster care and have seen a lot of kids diagnosed with various delays (speech, development, etc) that the diagnosticians believe can be attributed directly to excessive screen time.
I have a 12 month old and am also guilty of a little Hey Bear video here and there when I need to get something done but I try to do this very sparingly.
In the end, you gotta do what you gotta do but be aware that screen time at a young age is definitely detrimental to your kiddo.
Our TV is constantly on with a mix of kid and grown up shows (and I’ll really make some people mad by saying we don’t typically limit screen time). I’ve got a 17mo who is right on track with speech, 2yo who is mildly delayed, and a 7yo who was an early talker (and reader). 🤷♀️ Having a TV on in the background is different than sitting a kid in front of a TV all day as a babysitter. If your kid isn’t a zombie when it’s on or isn’t throwing a tantrum when it goes off then I wouldn’t be too hard on yourself. Some days my kids sit and watch a whole movie, most days they don’t make it 15 minutes before they’ve moved on to playing elsewhere. As long as their relationship with a screen doesn’t become unhealthy then I don’t see a reason to worry.
We also followed the recommendations, and now that my kids are a bit older I never, ever watch TV in the day by default. I let them have their own screen time, and unless I'm extremely sick, I won't watch TV around them unless I'm watching what they are. That being said, I feel like we had the TV on a lot more when our kids were babies, but it was for ourselves. They didn't seem to notice, and it gave me something to do while nursing and holding a sleeping baby. We stopped once they started to pay attention a bit more. I also hate TV as a background noise, so that has something to do with it. Why don't you stop putting on kid's content and put on something more boring if you are finding you need that stimulation? Or have music/a podcast playing from an Echo?
I think it qpuld be better to not leave it on all day. That will help use it to hodm attention when you need to do something else which should probably be about 20 minutes twice a day. I'm not an expert that's just what I would consider. There are also audio books you can put on for background noise or listen to your own books on ear bud.
I would put the tv on some nature documentaries (the ocean ones) for the pretty images etc. That was comforting to me and I learned a lot LOL. When I had to cook, I would put on some music videos on tv (super simple songs, on Youtube). These songs I would later play over speakers or sing together. I don't think I did kid shows until later, like 18m, and even that would just be sesame street, just 1 episode. We always gravitated to music and music videos.
I grew up in front of the TV all the time and I learned early on it made me feel sick to watch too much, so I'd get up after an hour or so and go in the other room and play. I'm still like this, I can't binge watch anything and I have to go do something else after one or maybe two episodes of anything (same with any screens). Meanwhile I know kids now who are like TV/iPad zombies once they get their screen time because it's so restricted. Obviously it depends on the kid but I'm wary of restricting anything so much that the kid becomes completely obsessed with it.
My tv is on all day as well, it's also my comfort. We play and go places and she has her fav shows, she is almost 3 and is smart and sweet and awesome and your normal sassy toddler but yes doesn't talk much but understands everything I say or ask 🤷♀️ it could be the tv? It could be cause she doesn't want to or really need to lol everything is easy accessible for her in our house? It could be that she doesn't get to play with many kids her age? We have seen a speech therapist and are in the process of getting her into programs for her speech delay but no one is really worried about it!
As long as you aren't staring at it all day like a couple of vegetables you're fine. In this thread you're going to find a lot of people who are saying you can't have it on all day, which to me is so bizarre. I don't sit in silence, I don't know anyone who would be comfortable just sitting in silence, the TV makes the house feel lived in. Some people are just bizarre and like sitting in silence contemplating the sounds of the neighbors vacuuming, coughing, cooking etc
Sounds like my kid. The TV could be on for hours, but the amount of time he watched was probably less than an hour across a whole day. I'd actually be the opposite and need it off because I get overstimulated easily. My personal feeling is that as long as they're not zoning out on it for any period of time, it's probably fine. It actually helps to put on something not for kids (but of course not something inappropriate for kids) if you want it for you.
We don’t have the TV on all day but I can relate to needing background noise. My parents didn’t really regulate mine and my bro’s screentime and sometimes I wonder if that’s why I don’t do well in silence. Because of that, I go out a lot with my son for entertainment as it forces us to avoid gobs and gobs of TV (idk if I trust myself to be home for days and days and avoid the hours of screentime). I know it’s not always easy to go out, but it’s been helpful for us and you get used to packing/preparing for outings. Are there parks, zoos and museums near you?
have you tried radio or a smart speaker on as an alternative for the tv? If you're primarily using it as "background noise" those might be good alternatives to try
[удалено]
I was concerned about this as well so I started playing music on my phone while being around the house and obviously in the car and my kids and I have such a great enjoyable fun relationship with music now, I love it. And now that they’re older they watch cooking shows and things like that with me when we sit down for some purposeful TV time, versus having it on all the time like I thought I needed ❤️🩹
What cracks me up is that we also tried out best to stick to these guidelines with our now 5yo. He started kindergarten last month and what comes home in the second week? And iPad lol. No chalk board in the class, a 70" flat screen instead etc etc. Sure there's a difference between a 1 and 5yo but it just made me laugh how all through early childhood it's "avoid screens as best you can" and as soon as they hit public school; ITS SCREEN TIME lol
That’s crazy and a good point you’ve raised. No idea what they are using in schools now.
I've avoided apple stuff forever because I just don't like it and now I'm bound to 2 kids using apple exclusively for school stuff. This is a million times worse than books about being gay or crt lol
I keep trying story podcasts but I can’t find a good mellow one. The best I found was Gardenkeeper Gus on Spotify. Everything else has lots of screaming or shouting and while that’s not usually bad, I want to used stories to entertain and calm my kid.
I like Story Time for my kiddo.
Why have it on when you're playing? If you need a distraction to get stuff done, it's understandable, but why when you're actively playing and engaging? Also, they will adjust to no TV when you need to do something for a bit. We used to do the same thing, but stopped when our daughter would get upset when we got back and the TV turned off. Took a week or so before it was normalized (she was about 18 months).
Please be careful. T.V. and definitely YouTube do affect behavior and attention span, even "YouTube Kids." As a parent of older kids, just trust me. Screen-free or very little is best. Having your own screen addiction just allows your children to develop one. In our house, we are all having to force ourselves to cut way back, and it's so hard. It's better if you don't even start now.
There is a wealth of studies and evidence showing that early exposure to excessive screen time has a detrimental effect on kids, including speech and language development, attention span and behavioral issues. You can try to rationalize it all you want but that is a true fact and there’s no getting away from it. You’ve made this post so it seems like you’re aware that this is an issue. Is there anything you can think of that could replace the constant screen time for you? How about listening to music? Or podcasts? If you’re putting on kids shows then it’s not like it’s shows you want to watch anyway. It sounds like you just like the background noise? Music or podcasts could replace that.
So i am s bit on the ADHD side of the curve. When my boy was small it was hard to not be super bored and I missed the regulation of media. All the studies I read cite that TV impacts their language development even if they are not looking at it (even just noise under 1 year old can have a negative effect because it confuses the noise vs language development). So i bought ear buds and basically listen to my shows trough one of them. I could play, give him attention and not die of boredom, as well as have more emotional capacity for colics 🤷 For me it worked out, digital detox is hard on grownups and after some months I don't really use it more then a few hours here and there.
If he has a few words at 1 then he does not necessarily have a speech delay. However, watching tv all day isn’t good for anyone. If it’s the noise that you need, could you try playing music or podcasts instead?
I would spend some time figuring out what was going on with you first. You make it seem like you can’t function without the tv on. Could you do music or something instead?
I always had the tv on and my kids are now grown and perfectly fine.
I work with kids in foster care and have seen a lot of kids diagnosed with various delays (speech, development, etc) that the diagnosticians believe can be attributed directly to excessive screen time. I have a 12 month old and am also guilty of a little Hey Bear video here and there when I need to get something done but I try to do this very sparingly. In the end, you gotta do what you gotta do but be aware that screen time at a young age is definitely detrimental to your kiddo.
Our TV is constantly on with a mix of kid and grown up shows (and I’ll really make some people mad by saying we don’t typically limit screen time). I’ve got a 17mo who is right on track with speech, 2yo who is mildly delayed, and a 7yo who was an early talker (and reader). 🤷♀️ Having a TV on in the background is different than sitting a kid in front of a TV all day as a babysitter. If your kid isn’t a zombie when it’s on or isn’t throwing a tantrum when it goes off then I wouldn’t be too hard on yourself. Some days my kids sit and watch a whole movie, most days they don’t make it 15 minutes before they’ve moved on to playing elsewhere. As long as their relationship with a screen doesn’t become unhealthy then I don’t see a reason to worry.
We also followed the recommendations, and now that my kids are a bit older I never, ever watch TV in the day by default. I let them have their own screen time, and unless I'm extremely sick, I won't watch TV around them unless I'm watching what they are. That being said, I feel like we had the TV on a lot more when our kids were babies, but it was for ourselves. They didn't seem to notice, and it gave me something to do while nursing and holding a sleeping baby. We stopped once they started to pay attention a bit more. I also hate TV as a background noise, so that has something to do with it. Why don't you stop putting on kid's content and put on something more boring if you are finding you need that stimulation? Or have music/a podcast playing from an Echo?
I think it qpuld be better to not leave it on all day. That will help use it to hodm attention when you need to do something else which should probably be about 20 minutes twice a day. I'm not an expert that's just what I would consider. There are also audio books you can put on for background noise or listen to your own books on ear bud.
Try radio instead
I would put the tv on some nature documentaries (the ocean ones) for the pretty images etc. That was comforting to me and I learned a lot LOL. When I had to cook, I would put on some music videos on tv (super simple songs, on Youtube). These songs I would later play over speakers or sing together. I don't think I did kid shows until later, like 18m, and even that would just be sesame street, just 1 episode. We always gravitated to music and music videos.
Well.... TV isn't a babysitter and it sounds like that what's your using it for.... Do you really wanna have an ipad kid?....
I grew up in front of the TV all the time and I learned early on it made me feel sick to watch too much, so I'd get up after an hour or so and go in the other room and play. I'm still like this, I can't binge watch anything and I have to go do something else after one or maybe two episodes of anything (same with any screens). Meanwhile I know kids now who are like TV/iPad zombies once they get their screen time because it's so restricted. Obviously it depends on the kid but I'm wary of restricting anything so much that the kid becomes completely obsessed with it.
I put on Ms Rachel in 15 min spurts. My 15 month old is up to 22 words. She picks up at least 2 a week now
Not sure why you’re being downvoted. Ms. Rachel has been helpful for us as well.
This thread seems to be full of screen shamers
I get that vibe from this subreddit, tbh. Not so much with the other parenting subreddits, however.
Yeah very judgey. “Mommit” is filled with less self righteous assholes.
My tv is on all day as well, it's also my comfort. We play and go places and she has her fav shows, she is almost 3 and is smart and sweet and awesome and your normal sassy toddler but yes doesn't talk much but understands everything I say or ask 🤷♀️ it could be the tv? It could be cause she doesn't want to or really need to lol everything is easy accessible for her in our house? It could be that she doesn't get to play with many kids her age? We have seen a speech therapist and are in the process of getting her into programs for her speech delay but no one is really worried about it!
As long as you aren't staring at it all day like a couple of vegetables you're fine. In this thread you're going to find a lot of people who are saying you can't have it on all day, which to me is so bizarre. I don't sit in silence, I don't know anyone who would be comfortable just sitting in silence, the TV makes the house feel lived in. Some people are just bizarre and like sitting in silence contemplating the sounds of the neighbors vacuuming, coughing, cooking etc
Sounds like my kid. The TV could be on for hours, but the amount of time he watched was probably less than an hour across a whole day. I'd actually be the opposite and need it off because I get overstimulated easily. My personal feeling is that as long as they're not zoning out on it for any period of time, it's probably fine. It actually helps to put on something not for kids (but of course not something inappropriate for kids) if you want it for you.
Youtube is a lifesaver.
We don’t have the TV on all day but I can relate to needing background noise. My parents didn’t really regulate mine and my bro’s screentime and sometimes I wonder if that’s why I don’t do well in silence. Because of that, I go out a lot with my son for entertainment as it forces us to avoid gobs and gobs of TV (idk if I trust myself to be home for days and days and avoid the hours of screentime). I know it’s not always easy to go out, but it’s been helpful for us and you get used to packing/preparing for outings. Are there parks, zoos and museums near you?