I swore I wouldnt

[AnimalHouse]

We still don't watch a lot of TV compared to other people, but I have nothing against turning on some Tranformers, if it means this pregnant, exhausted mama gets 30 mins of peace!

[stephbrown13]

Originally Posted by Computermama Yup. Much as the electronic babysitter is maligned, sometimes you do what you gotta do to get through the day, the hour or even the minute. I was a much better parent before I had kids, I tell ya.

Absolutely! With DS1 we were TV free until right before DS2 was born (DS1 was 18mo) Then I figured it's less "damaging" to use the TV as an occasional babysitter then for me to be grumpy or short with him/them because I am trying to get something done and they are underfoot or whining at me. We all have a better day if the kids have a little TV time especially during the witching hour when I'm trying to get dinner done.

[knodceo]

Not sure why there is so much guilt when doing this...it's like is taboo...

An hour a day is not going to harm them...just like playing alone for few minutes...

[luvsviola]

Originally Posted by dancermommy1 But by gosh sometimes you just neeeeeed to park your toddler in front of a video so dinner becomes possible!!!!!

You gotta do what you gotta do. DD2 gets parked in the PNP in front of Sesame Street so I can shower every Saturday/vacation morning. DS has quiet time watching a movie most afternoons. It is the only way to keep him still.

[Kiliki]

Originally Posted by knodceo Not sure why there is so much guilt when doing this...it's like is taboo... An hour a day is not going to harm them...just like playing alone for few minutes...

I agree with you but.....I think some mamas might be feeling guilty b/c others are very anti-TV, EVER, esp at young ages, ie, before 2 y/o, and so it makes some people wonder if they are being a "bad" parent letting their kid watch TV when sick or when trying to get something done...

I do prefer not to have the TV on if I can help it. If I can, I hand my kids a piece of fruit and then I shove them outside to play.

But sometimes it's raining, or I don't feel like bathing 2 kids that day, or I already bathed them and don't feel like doing it again... and then they get a healthy dose of TV time.

I actually forgot we have cable now until reading this thread! (we haven't had it for yrs but recently had to upgrade our internet svc and the cable was free) I now totally plan on plugging my kids in to some Nick Jr when they wake up from naps!

For a month or two, my kids watched Dino Dan for an hour EVERY evening. LOL

[badmisterkitty]

I think there are much more harmful things out there that will wreck my kids in the end. I tried to limit TV with my first. Didn't want to fry her brain or whatever it is TV does to kids. Then #2 came along. She's 2 years old now and knows every lyric to every Fresh Beat Band song. There's little hope for #3.

I think the line where TV becomes unhealthy is probably obvious to most parents.

[Arabesque]

Sadly, turning on the tv doesn't typically distract my kids from clinging to me while I make dinner. I still try though

[dancermommy1]

The funny thing is, I bet I watched 3 hours of tv on saturday mornings and at least an hour every evening when i was a kid, and i am totally fine---very active, fit, well educated, well read, and love to do all things non-tv. but for some reason i'm totally a guilt maven when it comes to letting my own ds watch tv. ha!!

But, i will say---Letter Factory is amazing. DS has watched it every couple of days for the last two weeks and is already able to recognize most letters and tell me what their "sound" is.... something he wasn't even CLOSE to doing before this.

[hokoonchi]

I think it's taboo b/c of the parents who park their kids in front of the TV allllll day with a soda and a Happy Meal. This prompted all the studies and the moral outrage and all the anti-TV sentiment. And I get that. Plenty of people use it as an all day babysitter and not just an hour or three a day.

Like OP said, I was in front of the TV a ton as a kid. So was DH. He's a physicist. I'm a writer and an English teacher. We also read every night before we hit the hay. We are doing passably well as adults. And we still love our TV shows.

So I felt guilty about giving the kid TV time. No more guilt, I say. He's learning letters from Super Why and breeds of dinosaurs from Dinosaur Train.

I think that if you balance TV with books, art, and outside time, a little tube time won't hurt.

I know some moms who shudder at the sight of a remote. I'm just not that perfect. My kid loves me anyway. And he may just grow up to be a productive member of society.

[Alaga]

Originally Posted by dancermommy1 But, i will say---Letter Factory is amazing. DS has watched it every couple of days for the last two weeks and is already able to recognize most letters and tell me what their "sound" is.... something he wasn't even CLOSE to doing before this.

My DD loves the W rap, lol. She goes around singing it. She also does the Tarzan noise for O. It'll be interesting when she's in school to see if she makes the noises when reading!

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