BabyFirst TV
Not a day goes by when I don’t feel some degree of guilt about my use of TV and computer time for my three-year-old. I’m glad I’m not the only one. Dawn Olsen of Blogcritics.org reviews BabyFirst TV, a subscription channel for babies and toddlers up to three-years-old. She makes TV sound almost wholesome and necessary ;) :
One attribute of TV (and popular culture in general) I ascribe to wholeheartedly is that it can provide important cultural touch points that kids can share with their peers. Access to these tools of socialization is a benefit many parents and naysayers often forget.
In my (not so) humble opinion, children learn a lot from age-appropriate TV programming. I wouldn’t rely on TV to teach my son everything, but it is certainly a valuable adjunct to the activities he does at school and family life in general. I don’t believe in living ascetically without popular TV or music “poisoning” our minds. Careful selection is key here for maximum enjoyment and benefit.
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13 opinions for BabyFirst TV
Babylune » Nice to Know
May 18, 2006 at 5:41 am
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Kellys
May 18, 2006 at 5:59 am
I always said that if I was blessed to have a child, I wouldn’t let the TV babysit. I would play and teach them all day long and then they would be super smart by the time they were in kindergarten. WELL…. The Disney channel is my friend and I love watching KM dance with the Doodlebops. Ever seen the old Cosby Show episode where Denise said she wouldn’t let Sonya’s twins watch TV when she babysat them? By the time Sonya and Elvin got home, the house was destroyed at least once and the kids were in front of the TV with an exhausted Denise and stepdaughter. That’s me:)
Hsien-Hsien Lei
May 18, 2006 at 6:06 am
Kelly: You got it, sister! It is really adorable when they mimic the shows. hehe And you must have watched a decent amount of TV to remember the Cosby Show in so much detail! lol
Kellys
May 18, 2006 at 7:02 am
Way more than I care to admit. I was grounded alot :( I also can braid my hair in any direction. Care to play?
Hsien-Hsien Lei
May 18, 2006 at 7:07 am
Kelly: I watched a lot of TV because my mom was at work. :D But I have to admit that I didn’t watch it so much as just had it on while I did other things.
So what were you grounded for??? You sound like a fun girl to play with even if we might get in trouble. hahaa
Kellys
May 18, 2006 at 7:12 am
My parents were weird. I got 1 week for unloading the dishwasher too loud and 2 wks with no car for not keeping it clean and locking the doors when I got out. Don’t get me wrong. I also got grounded for talking back and being disrespectful. I was the typical teenager - school, job, friends, play.
Hsien-Hsien Lei
May 18, 2006 at 7:15 am
Kelly: Yikes! I can’t remember how exactly my sister and I were punished. Maybe we were the self-flagellating types. :P
Hsien's Padawan Blogger
May 18, 2006 at 9:33 am
Hear hear for TV!
I have very fond memories of Conjunction Junction from Sesame Street in the late 70s/early 80s. heh.
And I’m sure my mom appreciated all of us watching Flintstones after school instead of bugging her in the kitchen while she put dinner together.
Deb L
May 18, 2006 at 9:35 am
yeeps! LOL, forgot to change my name in the input box.
Mom
May 18, 2006 at 11:55 am
My son never really gets up and participates during the videos. We even had an Elmo exercise video and he just sat like a sack of potatoes and watched. I don’t want him sitting around too much during the day but running and playing. That’s one reason I limit his TV pretty strictly. He does reinact some of the stories later with his toys which I think is a good side effect.
Kellys
May 18, 2006 at 1:08 pm
I totally agree with not wanting them to sit and stare for hours. KM plays while the TV is on. But we also get outside for a while every day.
Andrea in the UK
May 18, 2006 at 10:07 pm
The TV didn’t interest my little one until about one and half - then she noticed miffy, tubbies and charlie and lola - cbeebies is just fab for having no adverts. Little one would still rather play or go out but she pays attention if there’s singing and dancing to be had!!
Hsien-Hsien Lei
May 19, 2006 at 2:44 am
Deb: I prefer your pseudonym…. ;) You know they have the complete Conjunction Junction on DVD now, right?
Mom: It’s so interesting how kids react differently to different stimuli. That’s the key to parenting, really, is to adjust the situation depending on each of our kids’ needs. Mine wouldn’t last more than 5 minutes without jumping around. Not sure if he can handle the movie theater yet!
Andrea: LOVE Cbeebies (even if I can’t spell it half the time).
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