So about a week ago I noticed as I sat Audrey up on my knee she was staring intently at the television. I quickly changed the channel from reality tv to a colorful cartoon [more baby appropriate] and was amazed that she was indeed interested in watching television. Im not too sure if this is a bad or good thing. She's only 2 months. I dont want to get her hooked on TV. I grew up playing outside and loved my active childhood. The youth today grow up on tv and video games. Im very much against that for numerous, personal beliefs. I know babies are fascinated with color, and shes able to see distant objects now. I know her new found fascination with tv is innocent fun, but im just being an overprotective mom. Has anyone else had this problem before? Im gonna do some research and update this post later with my findings.
UPDATE!
Okay, so I was reading up on Discovery Health's website and found some interesting facts on babies and tv. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) says that children under 2 years old should not watch any television. There are better ways to spend your baby's "alert time" [time spent awake and not sleeping] such as having baby talk, tummy time, reading them books, etc. These times are crucial in a baby's development and letting them watch tv takes away from that interaction. "Physical and social interaction allows babies to pick up subtle cues that also help language development." Watching tv at a very early age has been linked to obesity, aggression and ADHD. And there is also a correlation between watching tv and difficulty reading. With all of this said, I completely agree that I could be doing better, more productive things with Audrey during her times awake that can help her development. Sitting your baby in front of the television is just an excuse to keep them occupied so you can have free hands to get things done, and trust me i was thinking this in the back of my mind too. Not such a great idea after all. So the verdict is out. NO TV until she is 17 months. And if you want to read more from Discovery Health on this topic click here
