If you’re not aware, the current guideline by the American Academy of Pediatrics says, “No TV for kids under 2 years old.” Many parents don’t know this – especially since there are movies, TV shows…even whole channels of programming aimed specifically at kiddos 2 and younger. Some parents I’ve talked to thought it was okay as long as it was “educational” TV. These parents tended to mean shows like Disney’s Baby Einstein, whose videos by the way, have been recalled because of the research findings on infants and screen time. Other parents have said they thought it was okay since their kids seemed to enjoy it so much. This explains the research findings that despite the “guidelines,” the majority of 1 years olds watch at least 1 hour of TV each day.
I know all about this research, which is why I very deliberately didn’t register or buy any “kid” DVDs when Ian was born. Somewhere in one of my many Target trips during that first year, though, I ran across a Wiggles DVD on sale. I’m a big fan of The Wiggles for young kids, so I bought it with the intention of saving it. Then Ian turned a year old and one day, out of curiosity (and probably a bit out of fatigue) I popped it in the DVD player to see what his reaction would be. He loved it. He seemed mesmerized and sat still for longer than I’d ever seen him. It was glorious in so many ways. My mind quickly wandered to all that I could accomplish in 30 minutes of time…dinner, dishes, catching up on emails or grading, and dare I admit – Facebook? Then better judgment came in and I put the DVD up, vowing to not take it out again until after 2.
But eventually stress hit and so I suggested…yep, The Wiggles. As a researcher, I know the data. As a therapist who works with families, I know that if the “rules” are causing stress to the family, its often time to be flexible. I was very comfortable knowing that for this brief time, Ian was joining the rest of America’s babies with his hour of TV a day. The problem was, the major stress passed and the DVD still stayed out. By this time, my husband and I knew all the songs and motions ourselves…we would tease each other when one of us would break out into one of them accidentally in a store. But as I watched Ian gazing at the screen one evening while I was making dinner, I reminded myself of the reasons why the guideline is what it is. I took the DVD out and put it in the top of a closet so that it wasn’t just so darn easy to grab and begin playing.
Here are some of the reasons why the guideline is there:
- That locked in look you see where your toddler is staring at the screen? That’s his brain shifting to auto-pilot in a sense, and for a brain developing as rapidly as a toddler’s is, that’s just never a good thing.
- There’s evidence that the level of stimulation kiddos get from programming that actually holds their attention gets them used to that level of stimulation all the time – which has been associated later in childhood with diagnoses of ADHD.
- Toddlers learn through interaction, which they don’t really get from a TV. While older children can learn from TV, there’s very little evidence that says toddlers do the same, but there’s quite a bit that says TV exposure may actually lower things like their vocabularies and later school performance. (This is the big reason for the Baby Einstein recall).
- Any time a toddler is watching TV they’re not doing something else – and we want them doing other things like looking at books and moving.
Is occasional TV going to completely ruin your child? No. If you resort to popping in a video on your long road trip to hold your toddler out for the last leg of the journey, you’re not a bad parent. But its just not a good idea on a regular basis, especially if you’re using it more like an electronic pacifier. If you can’t get rid of the screen time, limit it to 15 minutes at once (which is about the maximum time you’ll have before getting that glazed look) and interact with your child while you watch the program with them.
If you’re looking for replacement activities that will get you a few minutes of downtime, try CDs with music, books, or craft supplies instead. Especially if they’re “special” items that only get taken out when you need these moments, they’ll entertain a toddler for quite some time. I managed to find a great CD and giant flip chart combo that has songs with the lyrics written out on the pages of the flip chart. Add some of your own dance moves as you’re folding laundry or drying your hair and you’re sure to be more entertaining than someone on the TV screen dancing around!
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