in HK where there isn't a lot of outdoor space & homes are cramped, it's nearly impossible to avoid TV altogether. one reason why i let my baby sleep early since several months old was i didn't want her to watch tv with me (i mean, watch what we watch). the only time she gets to watch the tv show that we watch is day-time on the weekends (when daddy is usually watching cooking shows or grandpa watching soccer or the news), which are both OK for her, i think. i sure don't want her to be watching CSI or House with me at night when we adults in the house relax in front of the TV. in our household, the TV is basically on ALL the time when the men in the house are back. and that's when my little one is usually already asleep.
as for little girls entertainment (she's 19mths). I only let her watch own DVDs - Dora, Elmo, Wiggles, Barney & Tumble Tots. I highly recommend Tumble tots (tumbletots.com). It's like circle time, and they sing & dance & exercise. At least one adult will be with her while she's watching TV and try to dance & do the actions that they're doing on TV. say, dance with Wiggles or Barney, etc. that said it becomes not a time when mom can do her own things, cos we'll be there to watch with her & try to make in more interactive.
plus, i try not to put her in the highchair in front of the TV. i encourage her to run around while watching. i don't want her to think that you have to sit still to watch TV (aka couch potato). but she does get to watch TV twice a day (after breakfast, we play tumble tots & let her do her exercise; then before bath time at night - Wiggles, and we dance a bit).
i think the key is try not to let them sit still in front of the TV, but that defeat the purpose of the TV babysitter. i guess if you wanna let the TV babysit your child, a 20mins/day is max.
as for little girls entertainment (she's 19mths). I only let her watch own DVDs - Dora, Elmo, Wiggles, Barney & Tumble Tots. I highly recommend Tumble tots (tumbletots.com). It's like circle time, and they sing & dance & exercise. At least one adult will be with her while she's watching TV and try to dance & do the actions that they're doing on TV. say, dance with Wiggles or Barney, etc. that said it becomes not a time when mom can do her own things, cos we'll be there to watch with her & try to make in more interactive.
plus, i try not to put her in the highchair in front of the TV. i encourage her to run around while watching. i don't want her to think that you have to sit still to watch TV (aka couch potato). but she does get to watch TV twice a day (after breakfast, we play tumble tots & let her do her exercise; then before bath time at night - Wiggles, and we dance a bit).
i think the key is try not to let them sit still in front of the TV, but that defeat the purpose of the TV babysitter. i guess if you wanna let the TV babysit your child, a 20mins/day is max.
