What To Know About Toddler TV
If the amount of time spent by toddlers watching TV is not monitored, they can get addicted to it because they love and enjoy TV. According to experts, toddlers over two should only watch about an hour or two of TV on any given day. They also say that a child should not watch any TV if they are below two. The main reason is because their brains are not mature enough to handle the fast moving pictures on the TV and this can cause their brain to go into autopilot. This is not followed by most parents who have turned the TV into a babysitter because it makes the child happy and gives them a chance to work.
This makes the average time toddlers spend watching TV to about four or five hours every day. Parents should teach their children when they are still young not to watch too much TV as opposed to weaning them when they are already used to the system.
It is important for parents to use TV time to educate their toddlers and not just watch whatever is airing on TV. Whatever they watch should be educational and toddlers should learn from it. It is important to exercise discipline and to switch off the TV as soon as the program the toddler was watching is over. To make the transition easier, a parent should warn the child about three minutes before the program ends so that they understand that the TV is about to be turned off. Parents should also have a pre-defined routine when TV will be watched and when it should be off. Programs can be recorded for later because sometimes the programs that a parent wants their toddler to watch air at a time that is not scheduled for watching TV.
The programs being watched should be slow-paced and calm so that the toddler can actually understand what they are watching. Toddlers should not watch any form of violence because they learn from what they watch and they will behave in the same way. Adult themed movies and scary ones are also not good material for children. Toddler TV should comprise of programs that require a toddler to move around or dance and should also prompt the child to repeat words or count numbers. It is also important to watch TV with the toddler so that they understand that the parent cares about what they are watching and that they want to be a part of it.