Does TV hurt babies?

Dear Friends,

Welcome Back! I'm the Motivated Mommy. Today we're going to be discussing television's effect on children. This is a key issue that many women have strong opinions about. However, with Disney's recent recall of little Einsteins, I felt it was a fitting topic to address.

Can TV be helpful?
Yes! If used properly, the TV can be helpful. If you put on "Classical Baby" which uses stimulating colors and carefully selected classical music.. or for that matter.. just put on the classical music channel. Then, don't allow the baby to just sit and watch it. Allow it to be background stimulation. Then, the baby gets the benefit of stimulating all the senses while engaging in play. He/she can look up and see colors and moving objects and hear the different notes, tones, and volume differences in the music, while engaging in muscle and touch play. The key is supervision. If your child starts to solely "watch" the tv.. it's your job to distract him/her away from the program and back into play. I also recommend radio instead of tv, even though it's not as visually stimulating.. it does offer less temptation.

Can TV be harmful.
ABSOLUTELY! Many people don't know this, but your child is establishing his/her attention span at this age. Most tv shows only require 5-10 min of attention between commercials. That is tragic. Music videos are equally as short. Your child is modeling his/her attention span by how long he/she has to concentrate between these things. Then, when the child gets to school and is require to focus much longer, it's nearly impossible and must re-train themselves. Many experts believer that this is why children are showing record numbers of things like ADHD. It does effect your child.
Also, there are multiple studies out there that suggest that it also effects their free thinking and ability to be creative. IN a video game or tv show, they don't have to use their imaginations. They just engage in a pre-designed world. For tots, it's no different. Instead of figuring out how to put the circle in the right hole or match colors to make a beautiful artwork.. they are watching artworks on tv. It's no wonder we're seeing a lack of creativity in the school systems.

In conclusion, how your child spends his/her time matters! TV isn't evil, but it's harms greatly out weight it's benefits. So, use it as background noise. Remember that your child needs you. As a parent, the companionship and supervision time with your child can be very bonding and rewarding for both of you!

Test phrase:

	The luck arches the closing ozone.