Today is Isaiah's four-month birthday. He's getting a couple teeth in. He's sleeping through the night usually. He weighed 15.5 pounds last week. And he has rolled over a few times.
Jesse and I are going to try to give him no television until he turns two years old. As a result, we got a DVR for the first time. We do have a few shows that we want to watch, but we'll have to watch them on his schedule now (when he's asleep or something). The DVR lets us record what we want and watch them anytime. And even if we let him watch TV, there are several shows that would still be inappropriate. Two and a Half Men, House, Bones, How I Met Your Mother.
The upgrade also means we get all of those music stations, so last night we played some light classical during dinner. And there's a toddler music station that we might try.
It's nice being able to rationalize getting a DVR by saying it's for the kid's benefit.
Getting physical
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Training sessions have been going really well these past few weeks. I
swim, lift, and run on my own (or with the masters swim team) during the
week, and o...
12 years ago
6 comments:
I think you have a good idea there. Your mother used to say little pictures have big ears. Sometime we forget that we have children around that hear and see and can be frightened by what we take for granite. So keep up the good work. Happy 4th month birthday Isaiah. You are growing up big and strong and we love you.
Happy Birthday Isaiah. It sounds like you are thriving. Your parents are looking out for your best interests. They seem to have clear limits in mind for you. Of course, I know a librarian in Ellsworth who does not own a tv and her children never watch the tube. That is an extreme example of setting limits. However, not being able to watch television has not hurt the children. They get their homework done on time. Anyway, Grandpa and I are glad that you have such loving parents, Isaiah. We wish we could see you and your cousin Jacob more often. We love you and your Mommy and Daddy. We hope cutting teeth will not hurt too much. Enjoy the lovely music your parents play for you. Thanks Thomas for the informative post.
Thanks for the update, Thomas, and happy four-month birthday to Isaiah.
I like your no-TV idea, and I'll be interested to find out if you and Jesse discover that you watch less (or more) television with the DVR. It seems like it could go either way, although since you're also trying to limit Isaiah's watching right now, my guess is that you two will be frugal with your viewing and spend quality time together and with Isaiah, instead of recording random shows to watch while your spouse cares for Isaiah (or while he's sleeping).
Enjoy your new technology, and enjoy spending time as a family. :)
What smart parents.... creating a TV free zone for Isaiah. Good for you!! ellen
This is an article related to children watching television, another study conducted with infants to 3 year olds found that television did not increase their cognition. You and Jesse seem to be on the right path, plus he will miss all those lame commercials.
Kids who watch more than two hours of TV a day may be setting themselves up for attention problems in adolescence, according to a new study. The research suggests that short attention spans and reduced concentration may be because of too much time spent in front of the box and that in comparison, real life can seen far too boring.
The new study, published in the current issue of Pediatrics, involved a long-term study of more than 1,000 children. It recorded the time they spent watching TV between the ages of 5 and 11 years and then looked at reported attention problems between the ages of 13 and 15. Watching a lot of TV resulted in a 40% increase in attention problems among both boys and girls even after accounting for socioeconomic status, early attention problems and early cognitive abilities.
“Those kids who watched more than two hours, and particularly those who watched more than three hours of television per day during childhood, had above-average symptoms of attention problems in adolescence,” says study co-author Carl Erik Landhuis, from the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand. He adds that short attention span, poor concentration and being easily distracted were reported by parents, teachers and the participants themselves.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that under-2s watch no TV at all and that kids over 2 should watch a maximum of two hours
As yet, no study has proven that TV actually causes attention problems – it may be that parents whose kids suffer from them just tend to rely more on the TV to keep them occupied. But one explanation of the link could be that the rapid images might overstimulate the brain of a young child as it develops so that real life, by contrast, seems dreary and unexciting. “Hence, children who watch a lot of television may become less tolerant of slower-paced and more mundane tasks, such as school work,” says Landhuis. Watching TV also takes children away from other activities that sharpen concentration skills, such as reading, sport and playing games.
“Although teachers and parents have been concerned that TV may be shortening the attention span of children, this is the first time that watching it has been linked to attention problems in adolescence,” say another of the report’s co-authors, Dr Bob Hancox. “This latest study adds to the growing body of evidence that suggests parents should take steps to limit the amount of TV their children watch.”
Fiddler, thanks for all the pertinent information. I was not aware that tv had such a negative effect on children under two. I think too much media exposure has a negative effect on adults also; especially talk radio. We can encourage adults to be attentive and involved, or we can teach adults to be rude and aggressive. The town hall health plan meetings this summer proved that. I guess adults are just really tall children. Take everything with a grain of salt, children.
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