My girl is 4 months old now, and she’ll be 6 months around Christmas. I’m making a bucket list of fun activities to introduce her to for each season, like decorating the Christmas tree in winter! One idea was watching a Christmas movie with her. I’m also planning an Under the Sea-themed first birthday party for her this summer (yes, already planning LOL) and thought I might show her The Little Mermaid.
She loves picture books and tries to watch the news when my family has it on, so I think she’ll enjoy movies when she’s older. I want to treat her, especially on her first birthday.
I’m a pretty chill parent, but I’m cautious about screen time. My plan was no screen time until she’s 2 years old. Is one or two movies okay as a treat, or should I wait? I’ll probably do the Christmas movie next year, but is one year too young for a movie? I don’t want to confuse her little brain.
Edit: I know she won’t have the attention span to watch it like an older kid would; it would likely be playing while she looked over occasionally.
Edit 2: Got it, everything in moderation. It sounds like it’s recommended to protect face-to-face interaction time with her. Thanks for the insight, everyone!
I’ve stated it several times, but the screen time rhetoric has been taken far out of context.
The point is not that your child will never watch television or see a screen. It is not to substitute screen time with parenting and human engagement.
Your baby will be just fine if you watch a few Christmas movies. They’ll be fine even if they only take one each day. I rely on Ms. Rachel to get through each day. Dancing fruit? Absolutely.
THANK YOU! I feel like I’ve been going insane with people saying babies can’t see a screen until they’re 2. That’s just unrealistic for our family. We like watching TV, including sports and movies.
There’s a huge difference between having the TV on sometimes and making your kid an iPad kid. We’ll allow our kid to watch TV, which has been around since the 60s, but they will absolutely not be an iPad kid. I feel good about that balance.
Yes. The television is in a fixed position, unmovable, and positioned in a central family area. The entire family may watch TV together and talk about what’s on screen. iPads are too portable, and I believe that once a child understands they can take the screen with them wherever, they will not want to be without it. They are solitary and not typically utilized in community settings.
Yes, exactly. And, from what I gather, while behavioral difficulties might occur with television, they are much more common with tablets and phones, for the reasons you mentioned. And if they become overly hooked to the TV and throw a tantrum, you can always go cold turkey for a period to help them balance their emotions around it. Watching TV as a family can be extremely enjoyable and bonding if done correctly.
Exactly this. Furthermore, television is a more sociable tool. The iPad is the reverse. The child will be alone on the iPad, watching endless short-form stuff, which is unhealthy for focus and also addictive. You have no control over what your child watches, despite the fact that many parents believe they do. Watching a movie or show on television demands greater concentration, and the child does not have much of a choice in switching from one subject to another.
Very much in agreement! The algorithms are terrible, and you never know what they’ll be subjected to.
Sesame Street, Ms Rachel, Mr Rogers, nature documentaries, and age-appropriate movies are all excellent examples of instructive and uplifting television programming for children. I don’t mind my kids viewing TV at a young age as long as it’s age appropriate, limited, and interacting with the rest of the family. I still wouldn’t set my kid in front of the TV all day, unless we were all sick or something. It seems exaggerated to declare no TV ever when it is such an integral part of most people’s life.
My husband and I usually watch a couple of episodes of a show (and occasionally a movie) after dinner most nights. It was fine while our baby could sleep through anything—I’d nurse her, and she’d sleep in my arms while we watched.
Now, nearing 7 months old, she’s wide awake during that time and often watches with us. I’ll sit on the floor with her and play, but sometimes the TV is more interesting to her, and she just stares at it. I’ve been feeling really guilty about this and wondering if it’s something we should try harder to avoid. What do you think?
I connect with her throughout the day, even contact naps. It’s good not to feel terrible about taking a break. I also interact with her as we watch, usually by holding her or a toy for her.
I don’t see anything wrong with this. When my baby takes his last bottle before bed, we watch an episode of Suits together lol. It’s perfectly good as long as you engage with your infant and they don’t spend hours staring at the television.