Why our baby does not watch TV

Some may be wondering why we have never let Abby watch TV. During one of Abby's first few doctor appointments we were given a paper that said television viewing was bad for the brain development of children under two years of age. Today I decided to do a little research into why this is so.

According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, "Children six and under spend an average of two hours a day using screen media (1:58), about the same amount of time they spend playing outside (2:01), and well over the amount they spend reading or being read to (39 minutes)." This being said, the American Academy of Pediatrics suggests "children under 2 years not watch television and children over 2 years watch 2 hours or less per day."

In a study published in the April 2004 issue of Pediatrics claimed, "hours of television viewed per day at both ages 1 and 3 was associated with attentional problems at age 7." I was told by a friend that this "reprogramming" of the brain is caused by the fast images flashing across the screen. Eisla Sebastian agrees, when she says that the overstimulation of the brain "has to do with the fast-paced images flashing constantly across the screen, which interfere with the brain's development."

This is just a quick overview of what I found. To read more, click on any of the links within the text, or do a search of your own, there is plenty of information out there.