Precious Time

During this weekend my little tomatoes were subjected to Baby Einstein.

Sara's justification to me, went like this,
"I said Roger don't tell Samara! ... I know that you don't think they should watch tv but it isn't like we let them watch four hours of television like some people. ... I think in moderation it is okay. Just twenty minutes a few times a week isn't a big deal. ... I watched it with them. ... " And so on.

If something needs that much of a confession followed by six justifying reasons from Sara and a few thrown in by Roger - do they really think it is okay?

I'm really, really upset about this. Babies have so much to learn, so many experiences to have while they are making those synaptic connections. Their rate of learning drops off significantly at six months, then stays steady until three years when it slows considerably. Why would you waste any of those precious moments on flashing pictures and good music simplified into annoying bits of noise?

People have to work, I can understand this. But your baby only has so many waking hours each week. If I'm spending the bulk of those hours with your children, shouldn't you cherish the 25 awake hours with them? Especially considering that during those 25 hours you subtract twelve for napping? That leaves 13 hours each week that these parents can spend with their TWO infants and they threw away half an hour on nothing? I'm shaping these kids five out of seven days and their input is sitting next to each other and not thinking? Setting up habits and patterns that could lead to speech delays, psychological disorders, sleep problems, irritability and obesity?!

What a waste.

I looked up some more info on the internet. If you are interested, it supports my views that watching television with babies is a waste of time, energy and brain power.
ADHD

Basics:
No child under age two should watch television at all, the Academy of American Pediatrics advised in 1998. Doctors blame TV for increasing aggression and obesity in children, now they add ADHD risk to early TV use.

Babies brains grow rapidly
Even a child playing with its own fingers has the neural patterning that comes from bending, flexing, stretching and grasping. Scientists tell us that the brain develops in completely unique ways between birth and three years. As a kiddie viddie baby sits "mesmerized", neural paths are not being created. This is crucial brain development that stops by age three.

Delayed Language skills.
The Seattle team surveyed more than 1000 families in February 2006 and found that — on parents' reports — infants between eight months and 16 months who regularly watched Baby Einstein and Brainy Baby videos knew substantially fewer words — six to eight out of 90 — than infants who did not watch them.

Less time spent interacting with others.
Researchers fear that excessive exposure to media among very young children may lead to problems of attention control, aggressive behavior and poor cognitive development.

Aggressiveness.
We know from studies of newborn rats that if you expose them to different levels of visual stimuli ... the architecture of the brain looks very different."

Watching TV can become a habit for your child. Help your child find other things to do with his time, such as the following:
• Playing
• Reading
• Activities with family, friends, or neighbors
• Learning a hobby, sport, instrument, or an art
The following people and places can provide you with more information about the proper role of TV in your child's life:
• Your pediatrician may have information about TV or can help you get it through the American Academy of
Pediatrics. Ask for the AAP brochure Understanding the Impact of Media on Children and Teens
• Public service groups publish newsletters that review programs and give tips on how to make TV a positive
experience for you and your child. Check with your pediatrician.


ADHD Link.
TV watching "rewires" an infant's brain... 
Even a child playing with its own fingers has the neural patterning that comes from bending, flexing, stretching and grasping.