Should TV be banned for under 3′s?
Yet another study to twist in the knife of a busy mums already over crowded mind. What is with this new study telling mums and dads that screen time for the under three’s should be non existent? Oh that screen time includes the IPad too!
Let me tell you a story and then you can decide if ALL parents should be made to feel guilty. At under two years old Erin was diagnosed with hip dysplasia (DDH) and was then casted from belly to ankles for best part of six months, she also had speech and language difficulties. As our speech and language therapist said at the time how can a child with limited (umm no mobility) experience the world and have the words to use. Erin was at home with me, nursery was not an option at this point and her health and safety needs meant we were at home alot. At our first speech therapy session I was asked how much TV do we watch. Surprisingly (maybe) at this point, the answer was not much, she has a 12 and 8 year old siblings, she was never going to win control of the remote. However I was told that maybe watching Mr Tumble would be good for her, he teaches makaton you see. Makaton is a sign language for children and adults with learning needs. Makaton wasn’t new to me after working in a childrens hospice with children with profound learning disabilities and this made sense. It did not stop us having eye contact or interacting but it gave Erin something else to look at rather than me! Erin also signed to me many a time, this signing has since been replaced by words. However it gave us a way to communicate when we needed it most.
Once bound in spica the TV became Erin’s companion. It supported her through countless times in hospital, her consultant laughing at the new use of a spica bar! Erin had discovered for herself the bar held her DVD player perfectly.
Yet this new study would have me believe I was damaging my daughter rather than giving her a different perspective.
Moving to the Ipad which was my Christmas present – this has opened up even more opportunities for Erin. She can open apps and select learning games to play. She enjoys the counting apps and the creative colouring apps. Is this wrong? A child that can count to twenty with ease but also recognise the written version due to these pre school apps.
Erin is now back at nursery, is living life in the fast lane once again. This means her screen time is significantly less. We are now swimming again and filling our days swinging high in the park swings and playing at soft play. But this doesn’t mean our screen time was a distraction, a babysitting service or a time filler. It gave Erin some opportunities and kept us both sane at a challenging time.
Popping on Cbeebies when I’m trying to organise dinner for a family of five is not a crime. Parents shouldn’t feel that this is an all or nothing service. The morals of the programmes are good. It teaches our children the norms and values of their society. It is a worthwhile resource amongst a plethora of skills and tricks we have to hand.
Screen time, like everything else as a parent is your choice. But please do not condemn all with the same brush. Like everything else TV and screen time has its good aswell as its bad.
Tags: banning TV, Cbeebies, TV
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Comments (7)
Jen Walshaw
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As with everything else in life. Moderation is the key for me
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Karen F
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Amen. The people who say no tv are the ones that don’t have kids, or must have nannies to entertain them all day. It’s not a crime at all… We watch around 2 hours of tv a day. About 4 half hour episodes. Not that she is staring at the tv, but it’s on. It is impossible to entertain a toddler all day, let alone one bound in a cast. I hate the guilt people put on us parents… I pray every day that all these researchers will focus more on helping doctors diagnose medical problems such as DDH instead of condemning parents for enjoying a tv show with their kids.
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geekmummy
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I find it wrong that really active screen time (computer/iPad) is considered to have the same effect on kids as passive screen time (watching TV). For me there’s a world of difference! the iPad is a fantastic educational resource. I have never heard someone say “reading too many books can damage your children”, but something that stimulates the brain as much as reading a book counts as screen time and is “wrong”? What about Kindles? Are they screen time too?
Whilst we restrict our kids’ TV viewing to no more than about 2 hours per day, they have free access to the iPad whenever they want it. And we’ve discovered a very interesting thing. They don’t spend hours glued to it, they just pick it up and put it down as they would any other toy. Some days they want to play a lot, then they’ll go a few days without picking it up at all. Our kids are growing up in a digital world, I strongly believe they’ll do better if they have access to this stuff.
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Kate
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Completely agree. I let my boys watch tv (just 3 and 18mths) but the majority of the time I am in the room watching it with them and discussing what they are watching. It never ceases to amaze me what they learn from certain programmes. Spud will come out with things he can only have learnt from tv and it has definitely broadened his mind. As long as they aren’t just in front of the tv all day with no other stimulation from parents, then I can’t see a problem and I definitely use it to keep them occupied and quiet whilst I prepare food so they’d starve otherwise
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MummyBarrow
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well said. I hate these studies that do nothing but pee off hard working parents.
My children have learnt so much from the TV they have watched, including news and are currently all sitting watching Stand Up to Cancer and getting some perspective on life. And realising that their internet connection going down for five minutes is no biggie in the grand scheme of things.
They don’t have TVs in their rooms but that is only because we have Sky and no TV aerial.
As you say, it is all about choice. And balance.
PS your daughter is gorgeous.
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Crystal Jigsaw
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I just ignore those who say too much tv. What do they know? TV can be educational as well as a lot of fun. We have so many options these days. I’ve always let Amy watch tv, ever since she was a baby – she was obsessed with Postman Pat when she was 3 and it was lovely. We spent many an hour in front of the tv, sitting together watching lovely kids programs. No one tells me how much tv is too much for my child. No one.
CJ x
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Laura Briggs
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Hear, hear, I think these studies are designed to add to parental guilt and are probably carried out by people who don’t even have children!!
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