Smart babies not watching TV and videos

March 6, 10:20 AMParenting ExaminerKaren Deerwester

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Television viewing will not make your baby smarter, according to a longitudinal study of 872 children at a multi-site group in Massachusetts as reported by Pediatrics March 2009.  This isn't a shocking discovery.  The American Pediatrics Association has researched the effect of TV watching for decades.  Consider correlations between TV and attention disorders or on sleep problems.  The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood filed a complaint with FTC to restrict misleading advertising for "educational videos" back in 2006.  This new research does, however add to a growing body of recommendations for hands-on, heart-in experiences for early learners.

The conclusion of the Massachusetts study is:

Television viewing in infancy does not seem to be associated with language or visual motor skills at 3 years of age.

So, what are the essential alternatives to TV and video watching?  Early childhood and brain research is clear.

• Relationships - talking, listening, touching, laughing, and hanging out with people who love you and notice you is essential to children growing in mind and body. 
• Play - open-ended time alone and with others gives children time to think, feel, explore and yes, even relax in order to sleep restfully.
• Time - learning cannot be hothoused.  Children need time in each developmental stage to build deep roots and strong foundations for higher levels of thinking and interacting in the world.

Here's the TV Challenge:

1. Use TV honestly.  It's a "playpen" for the brain - TV holds your child's attention while you check a few adult-chores of your daily to-do list (a shower or a short sanity-saving phone-a-friend).  Your mom used a playpen to confine your child with no illusions that it accomplished anything besides safety and sanity - that's a good enough reason.
2. Be an informed consumer of kids and parenting resources.   Take back your power and your child's childhood but let go of guilt and fear.  Does your child need you to buy stuff or experiences to be smarter, to be a better person?  Think about it before you buy.
3. No TV in children's bedrooms.  Music, daydreaming, or talking to stuffed animals is so much better for your child.  Help your child function in and around "quiet".  Quiet time teaches self-control, resilience, and sensory integration while sensory overload unsettles and distracts mind-and-body.

 Is this a ban on TV?  I don't think so, any more than healthy eating is a ban on all sweets.  Birthday cake and cookies-and-milk are staples of childhood (to me).  TV is a shared cultural experience.  Kids love TV and movie characters as if they were best friends.  Elmo and Dora make great birthday "guests" and are a lively part of many preschoolers playground play.  We just need to clear about the real benefits and disadvantages of TV viewing.