Baby and TV watching

TV and computers: effects on a child's life

You are the head of your household. Having control over the amount of time your child is exposed to television programs is the least you can do for the development of his/her brain.

You can be certain that the surrounding environment influences the child from the very beginning of his life. If you expose her too much to the TV, you are teaching the baby about its importance. And the stimulus from this appliance will have its neurological consequences on the child's future performance.

Here are some essential rules:

1. Before age 3, do not use your TV when your baby is around;

2. After age 3, use it only for games to develop attention or musical and reading capabilities;

3. Exchange the TV for reading games, body/movement games, or drawing, among other activities;

4. Check if the babysitter is following your rules on non-exposure to TV;

5. If the child is in school, find out their guidelines and planning for such in-class exposure;

6. If your child starts watching TV, watch with him/her and comment what you see;

7. If you know that he watches TV at a friend's house, comment the program and do not stimulate the subject. Comment without enthusiasm

Remember that the non-exposure to early childhood provides for a lot of extra time involving problem-solving, motivation for physical activites, and a chance to develop creativity and imagination, in other words, healthy recreation.

Television captures the brain's attention without engaging reasoning.

Every information is delivered far too quickly without the chance to reflect, reply, reason, nor create something new. Your child's brain is developing; it does not need this.

Eliane Leao, PhD

2010 Baby and TV watching