Can TV be good for toddlers? I really hope so!

I was looking through the archives today and came across one of my first blog posts all about toddlers and babies watching too much tv. And while I was reading this blog entry, I looked up and saw my now 3 year old Amelia and 18 month old Nate, standing zombie like, side by side, in front of our tv. So I snapped a quick picture of my two little addicts. What you can’t see is that Amelia is wearing a Dora tshirt and Nate a Jake one. I think our family is singlehandedly keeping Disney in business!

And heres the original post

Earlier this morning, my 2-year-old Amelia was happily playing in our playroom with her little 10 month old brother Nate. Now that Nate is crawling he’s become a whole lot more interesting for Amelia and she love’s crawling around the floor with him. I love watching them together, seeing them grow closer day by day. Their bond is already so strong. Anyhow I digress, back to their game this morning. Let’s call it ‘Oh No, I have a problem!’

The basic premise is that Amelia would dramatically fall to the floor or give Nate a little shove till he tumbled and then she would pick up her Dora telephone and call Fireman Sam to come rescue them. On occasion, she obviously wanted to give Fireman Sam a break and she would shout for ‘Oh Toodles!’ Nate found the whole game highly entertaining and squealed with delight every time she dived to the floor.

Yesterday Amelia asked could she play in the garden and requested a bowl of water. It was sunny so I agreed, wondering what she had planned. She took her shoes and socks off, poured the water on patio, then jumped into her newly created puddle screaming, ‘I love puddles!’ Thank you Peppa Pig for teaching Amelia this particular trick!

So today I’ve been pondering the fact that Disney Junior and Nick Junior have a big influence on my toddlers playtime and imagination. And as all Mothers do, have wondered for the 1000th time am I doing anything wrong by letting Amelia watch TV?

A recommendation from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is that kids 2 and older watch no more than one to two hours daily. The AAP also recommends that kids under 2 watch no television at all.

Oops, one out of two ain’t bad is it? Amelia in the main only watches 1 – 2 hours per day. 1 hour in the morning and another hour before bedtime. Good Mummy. But it all goes pear-shaped after that. Nate basically is wherever Amelia and I are, so he’s watching TV whenever Amelia is. And if I’m honest, already he’s hooked…. his eyes immediately dart to the screen when he hears Hot Diggity Dog.

So what’s the damage then? I’m afraid to check. Apparently too much TV can hamper brain development. That’s not good. It’s also linked to obesity in children. That’s not much better. My children’s health and welfare is always of paramount importance to Mr H and I.

I know in an ideal world neither Amelia or Nate would watch television. But when I was pregnant with Nate, particularly in the last trimester, Disney Junior saved my life! I had chronic SPD and wobbled around on crutches, so having a 20 month old to look after on crutches was near impossible while Mr H was in work. As Mary Poppins and Nanny Mc Phee were both busy I called upon the main man himself for help. Yes, you guessed correctly, when I say the main man I mean Mickey Mouse. Legend that he is, always smiling, always singing, always dancing and for good measure always teaching his little mousketeers something new in every episode. Never mind Amelia, I learnt a lot during the Mickey Mouse hours. Oh boy!

I’ve realised that when Amelia loves a character, she wants to play along in whatever games they set her. She is immediately engaged and wants to answer all their questions. And that’s why I love Mickey Mouse, Dora the Explorer, Jake and the Neverland Pirates as they are all educational. While I love teaching Amelia her ABCD’s and 123’s, I appreciate the help I’m getting from her TV friends.

I’m liking Peppa Pig and Fireman Sam less, so far they have only planted naughty ideas in Amelia’s head. But if jumping in puddles is the worst she learns from it, well that’s not too bad. And seeing her laugh out loud while she watches the antics of Peppa and Norman is worth the odd wet socks and shoes!

So for me, upon reflection, I don’t think TV is that bad. As long as we monitor what our children watch and only allow age appropriate, educational and fun programmes. I think our children’s brain development is safe enough. As for my little rock star Nate, buddy I’m gonna have to cut down your TV! Amelia never watched any TV till she was 20 months old. I’ve been a bit negligent here. So I think one solution for me is to have Amelia’s TV time when Nate is having his morning and afternoon nap. Until Nate is nearer to 2.

Now, enough from me, it’s time for Mummy’s TV fix now. Sky Plus here I come……..

Thought’s friends? Leave a comment, I’d love to hear what you think.

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0 Comments

  1. It sounds like Amelia and Cillian are on the same wavelength…. I had to make a muddy puddle in the garden yesterday for him to ‘jump up and down’ in!
    For my part the TV gives me time to make the dinner in peace and drink the odd cup of tea without it going cold… and team Umizoomi are teaching Cillian all sorts while I do so……………

    ….and Cora is already dancing to the theme tunes of cartoons at 13 months!

    But I’m not too worried about it because they’d both much rather play a game/ make (or eat in Cora’s case) a jigsaw/ run outside etc if the TV was turned off. And we do plenty of that too. So all things in moderation I say!

    • Caitriona you are so right, moderation and we can’t go wrong. Like your two, Amelia would much prefer to be outside rather than watching tv, so it’s not too dire a situation!
      I think really it’s more about what they watch isn’t it?

  2. Like everything in life, Cam, all in moderation!
    And as my Mammy used to say, a little of what
    you like is good for you!! A lot comes down to
    what they watch, and it’s suitability for them and
    for the standards you set for them. I was horrified the other day when Sean said ‘aw man, that sucks!’ when he was told it was too late for treats!!!! Thanks Ben for watching the Simpsons with the lil ‘uns!!! Have to say I was shocked when we got a note from Seans play school to ask that the kids are ‘limited’ to a half an hour TV BEFORE they go to play school!!! It wouldn’t dawn on me to have TV on at 8am on a school morning! Different strokes as they say!!! As for me I’m off for my nightly Grey’s Anatomy fix! X

  3. I’m totally guilty of allowing 23 month old Louis to watch TV since he was tiny 🙁 Very Bad Mummy! However, he’s not planted in front of it in his pram (except for nap time or Mummy’s shower time!) It’s generally background noise and really only grabs his attention for a couple of minutes at a time. Disney Junior is generally his only source of TV, unless he’s having a lie-on with Daddy, in which case it’s Roary the Racing Car or maybe Chuggington. I will admit to allowing him to have an in-car DVD player which, as a self-employed Mum who spends one full day per week doing deliveries with Monsieur Louis in tow, is an absolute LIFE SAVER! This DVD player is pre-loaded with Mickey Mouse, Thomas the Tank Engine and the afore-mentioned Roary. I don’t think the programmes he’s exposed to are a bad influence and are generally educational and nearly all have a moral to their story! I also spend a lot of time on the floor with him, playing with his “tars” (i.e. cars), his “choo-choo” (trains) and colouring, reading or doing puzzles. I think, on reflection, his playtime/tv time are reasonably well balanced! We need to give ourselves a break here…it’s not all bad, and is fine as long as it’s balanced with interactive and creative play with real people! All things in moderation as the saying goes 😉

    • Jenny I have to get a car DVD. Especially with all the drives we do up and down to Dublin. That’s a kindness for Louis though! Good mummy I say!

      • The DVD player we have takes a USB stick, so it’s continuous play…no stopping on the side of the road to change the disc! It’s a God-send for Wednesdays and the trips to and from Bray. I’d highly recommend it, especially for the frequent long journies 🙂

  4. I think TV is great altogether as long as they are watching age appropriate programmes I think it does help their imagination and learning but there is more than 2 hours a day watched here. Fair play now Carmel on that one!

  5. I think yes, once the programmes are monitored, in moderation and of course age appropriate. It is a good learning tool, except when Paddy says ‘Hi guys’ Remember Eva a few years ago explaining ‘Epiphany’ and where did she learn it from, The Simpsons. I think it is harder when there is only one child in the house, and there is no one around to play with especially on a wet day. I was very proud of Paddy the other day, he came rushing in from school with his Daddy at 6.00 asking for his favourite programme to be turned on. I asked him what he wanted on, and screamed at me Luke, Luke who I asked and answered me if I had 10 heads, Luke Kelly. We had taped a programme some time ago all about Luke Kelly, so every night now before bedtime, Seamus and Paddy sit for about half an hour and watch this documentary. So TV is good….. along with good parenting……

    • God id forgotten about epiphany! That was so funny wasn’t it? And yes you are 100% right, it is a learning tool when used correctly. Little Einsteins I love. Classical music, art and life lessons all taught to toddlers in 20 minutes, with the best theme tune ever ….blast off!
      Paddy and Luke Kelly, that is so cute. Boys and their Daddy’s.

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