TV Thoughts

Baby/Toddler TV watching is a controversial parenting topic.  Most every parent I meet eventually asks me about my thoughts on the subject.

Everyone seems to have a strong opinion about it.  I'm not against TV at all.  In fact, I'd say that Jimmy and I are avid TV watchers.  However, during the week, I don't watch any TV during the day and most evenings we don't turn it on until the kids go to bed.  Thank goodness for the DVR, Netflix, and the kids' 7pm bedtime! 

 

Amelia doesn't watch TV every day, but when she does, I try to limit it to just one show a day.   Amelia loves TV. She could watch hours of it, non stop, if I let her.  Per her request, she watches Sesame Street 95% of the time.

 

Here's my rationale.  I want Amelia's (and soon to be Alex's) TV watching to serve a purpose.  My goal is to use it to my full advantage.  I use TV as a tool.  Whether it is for getting her to sit still or calming her down when she is cranky, I feel there needs to be a reason she watches it. 

 

I also want to make sure that she gets something out of the shows that she watches, so educational programming is important to me.  We also let her watch You Tube videos about letters, colors, shapes, and nursery rhymes.

 

To be honest, another important reason we don't watch much TV is that it's more work and hassle to transition her out of watching TV (known in the parenting world as a trigger), so I figure, why bother with it to begin with. 

 

She watches part of a show while I fix her hair and cut her nails.  The TV is the only way I can get Amelia to sit still long enough to do those things.  Sometimes when she's super fussy (cranky nap wake ups are common), I let her watch part of a show.  It also helps when she fights her diaper changes.

 

Bribery?  Yeah, it probably is, but I don't care because it works for us. 

 

When she's sick or if we have guests, we are a lot more lenient as well.  We also have a DVD player in the van which has been useful for the two long road trips we have taken so far.  If we are out and about and she starts to get bored or cranky, we give her our phone so she can watch a video.  It especially helps when were are out to eat and she starts to get cranky or bored. 

 

I'm sure things will change as the kids get older, but this is what works for us now!