9th June 2011 , Posted by Jaime Teo
TV time!
Did you know that the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that kids under 2 years old not watch ANY tv? This is because it is a critical time for brain development and electronic media can get in the way of them exploring, playing and interacting with the people around them.
It’s a good thing I didn’t know that earlier because I really made an effort to get Renee to watch TV programs. I tried different DVDs like Baby Genius DVDs, Song and Dance DVDs, Story Telling DVDs and we even subscribed to BabyTV for her! On hindsight, it’s probably a good thing that Renee doesn’t like TV programs(why did you think we were trying so hard?!). She usually gives the TV a cursory glance when it is turned on, and then moves on to other things like her books or toys or being carried for a walk. More recently, she has taken to staggering around the house and frightening us all into high alert mode cos she looks like she’s about to fall with every step.
I never thought I’d say this(and I suspect this is a line I should get used to saying), but it was actually a little bit easier carrying her around… But let’s get back to the point – parents don’t always know best =p
So for the longest time, I was very envious when I heard of babies who stare transfixed at the TV when their favourite shows are on. This means parents get some time to themselves to do stuff like answer nature’s yell call or prevent a kettle from boiling over. My envy level is right up there with the babies who sleep through the night. What are these? Urban legends?!
Then sometime last month, we (finally!!!!) discovered a show that she liked. Imagine our elation when she stopped everything she was doing and headed to the TV when she heard the music that heralds the start of an episode of…… Barney. Yes. That purple and green dinosaur. You won’t believe how quickly we called Barney our new best friend as opposed to “juvenile colour challenged stuffing because Renee would be occupied for short periods of time when it is on (Like 5-10mins at a time – we take what we can get.)
Did you know that Barney’s sidekicks are called BJ and Baby Bop? Did you also know that there are choreographed movements accompanying “Incey Wincey Spider”, as well as every other random Barney song? I learnt alot of those so that we could both put our hands up/down/to our sides when we come to the words in a song that say up/down/out accompanied by many shrieks, smiles and claps. It’s a fantastic bonding opportunity =) Although Renee only likes one episode (she doesn’t watch the other episodes –yep, we tried), but there are TWENTY SEVEN songs in that one episode! All I can say about the kids in these children programs : R-E-S-P-E-C-T!
So now, even knowing about the AAP guidelines, I don’t think I could remove TV from my her daily life. Surely one episode of Barney is not going to cause very much harm – everything in moderation, right?
There is just a little nugget of fear in my head – If she can make me enjoy singing and dancing along with accept Barney, who is to say I won’t be singing along to Teletubbies in another year? It is a scary thought.
Let’s just cross the bridge when we get to the river.
5 Comments
Chryssie
June 13th, 2011 at 3:19 am
Oh dear, my 2 month old baby is already enjoying korea, hong kong drama and baby TV. She is a “drama” queen.
Celine
June 14th, 2011 at 7:45 am
My oldest started watching Wheel of Fortune when he was 1.5yrs. He loved the number$ and alphabet game. He could watch it for hours. *Horror*
So I taped it (VCR then!) and played it whenever I needed to feed him. Was the best companion ever.
He’s all grown up now and still loves the game show today. And yes, he’s into numbers (took abacus for 5 years) and Scrabble (entered a number of competitions over the years and plays online). Yep quite the geek!
Jaime Teo
June 15th, 2011 at 1:52 am
Chryssie!! Baby is two months old already? Wow, time flies…. She watches tv dramas??? You have an urban legend!! Does she sleep through the night already too? hurhur Happy to hear from you =D
Chryssie
June 21st, 2011 at 1:52 am
Yup, you’re right. Time really flies especially with a baby around.
At this age, she is already very expressive. Wonder if she learns that from the tv dramas.
My baby still wakes up 1 -2 times in the night for feed.
Jaime Teo
June 24th, 2011 at 12:59 am
Chryssie: It’s fantastic that your girl’s expressive – I think that makes for easier communication =D My baby still wakes up 1-2 times a night and she’s 14 mths old. Some days she stays up in the middle of the night for 2 hrs…. I used to complain about it but now take it as quality time!
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