Before I became pregnant, my plan was not to allow Gavin to watch TV until he was at least two years old because of the recommendations that TV is not interactive and delay the development of a child due to the lack of interactivity.  Unfortunately, I have been unable to stick to my ideal and have had to come to a compromise with TV viewing.

I try to keep Gavin’s viewing time down to a minimum, but I’ve realised that crossing the line makes it hard to stay close to it.  One of the dangers of TV is the tendency to use it as a baby sitter which then significantly increases the viewing time of a child.  Although I’ve come to accept Gavin watching the TV, what disturbs me is the manner in which he watches it.  When his favourite TV program is on, it is as if he can’t hear anyone talking to him.  You can be right next to him and he will completely ignore you.  When you stand in front of him, he’ll move until he can see the TV again.

The hubby once joked, “Look at the way your son watches the idiot box like an idiot.”

Humour aside, there was a lot of truth to the statement because Gavin was completely mesmerised by the TV.  And since I can’t eliminate the TV altogether (too many people in the household will be required to quit watching TV in order to achieve this), I’ve decided to take measures to reduce the “idiot” effect of the TV by doing the following:

1. Take Gavin out of the house whenever possible so he can have a more interactive environment rather than the TV.
2. Avoid turning on the TV for as long as possible because when Gavin isn’t watching, sometimes he’ll find other things more amusing.
3. Bring out lots of toys for him to play when the TV is on because he’ll divide his attention between the toys and the TV - which I think is effectively less time with the TV.
4. Watch TV with Gavin and create interaction myself by answering the questions that Mickey or Darby ask. (Mickey Mouse Club House and My Friends Tigger and Pooh try to make their programs more interactive by asking questions at strategic points of the program for children to answer, e.g. How many ducks can you see?)
5. Sometimes when we watch his favourite show “Thomas and Friends“, I’ll turn the volume off (Gavin doesn’t seem to mind if the volume is off) and read the subtitles to him so it becomes a little like reading an interactive story book.  (One of the great things about “Thomas and Friends” is that it plays with a narrator’s voice over so the subtitles read like a story book.)  I’ve noticed that when I “read” Thomas to him, he directs part of his attention to me.
6. Watch programs with music, signing and dancing (like Signing Time) so we can sing, sign and dance along to it.

Read more on the subject of TV viewing for infants and toddlers.

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