As always, I love getting emails asking why I do some of things I do with my parenting style; well if they are nice. I had a whole slew of emails after my 7 month post about Kennedy being TV free, well about 95%. 
I for one loved surfing blogs while pregnant & reading about different parenting styles, & do now!
I love learning about new things, & somethings I hadn't thought about doing.
So I am going to tackle my reasoning for no TV til 2 years old. 
I tried to do as much research as I could for you all.
{disclaimer, in no shape or form am I writing this to offend anyone that does let their child watch tv.}
I actually came to the conclusion in my second year of college 
{I was going for early childhood development}
& we did a whole chapter on children & TV
{American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no television viewing for children under age 2}
& I saw  pictures of a childs brain that ha watched tv til 2 & one that hadn't
I was shocked! 
There was so much that hadn't been developed!
It was alot of sensory & cognitive development was just not there.
Litterly Black holes where the other brain was so developed.

Next was my niece at 9 months she wouldn't play, she had no interest she would just sit in front of the television
no playing outside, no blocks, or books; just TV & she let you know it

At first when Kennedy was a newborn til 3 months it was actually a challenge to keep her from TV she would litterly turn her neck to watch TV when she was laying away from it on her boppy.
Now, she really isn't phased by it, which I think is from the lack of seeing it.
I have put her in front of it a couple of time in last several weeks while I was getting ready for sessions
she won't watch it, but will occasionally look up when there is a loud noise.

Now does this mean I have to give up my gross in the closet Teen Mom addiction, no.
I just turn Kennedy away from it, our TV is above the fireplace so it isn't hard.
Our alternative for her to TV is music, music is always playing in our house.



Facts:

  • "TV exposure in infants has been associated with increased risk of obesity, attention problems, and decreased sleep quality," researcher Michael Rich, MD, MPH, director of the Center on Media and Child Health, says in the news release. "Parents need to understand that infants and toddlers do not learn or benefit in any way from viewing TV at an early age."
  • The good news is, infants and toddlers don’t need television to distract them. Humans raised children for 50,000 years before television sets and you can do it too. Your children can learn to entertain themselves or play with your supervision. 

    "When one-year olds are playing with a toy, they can explore it, poke at it, drop it," says Yale University Television Researcher Dorothy Singer. "They’re learning about space, about sound, and they’re developing sense of competence. Watching a TV show just doesn’t provide the same sensory experience." 
  • TV exposure in babies younger than 2 doesn't do any good, Schmidt and Christakis agree. But does that mean a few minutes in front of the tube will sentence a baby to remedial classes for the rest of his life? "What I tell parents is 'Ask yourself why you're having your baby watch TV,' " says Christakis. "If you absolutely need a break to take a shower or make dinner, then the risks are quite low. But if you are doing it because you think it's actually good for your child's brain, then you need to rethink that, because there is no evidence of benefit and certainly a risk of harm at high viewing levels."
            If you want to stimulate your baby's brain, he says, try simply playing with him. In a recent study, Christakis showed that basic activities like playing with blocks with an 18-month-old can improve his language skills six months later.
  • The researchers studied 329 children, aged 2 months to 48 months, and found that for each additional hour of television exposure, there was a decrease of 770 words (7 percent) heard from an adult by the children. The study also found that the more hours spent watching television, the fewer vocalizations infants made when adults talked to them.





What I am really getting to is, Do I think puting you baby in front of the TV here & there is bad for them NO. Or that a little do-do-dora is going to harm your baby's development, NO.
 What I am saying is in todays world our number one babysitter is the television, & we are leaving the TV up to what we should be doing. Don't forget about old-fashion books, toys, or just their hands & feet!

I hope this was informative & no offense was taken!


Infants & Television Information: