My 9 Month Old Watches TV. So What?

Here's my son, Elijah asleep in bed with the remote control clutched in hand.  Isn't he cute?

Last September NBC's Today Show ran a segment about the harmful effects of television on child brain development.  The story- inspired by the Journal of Pediatrics' finding that SpongeBob SquarePants leads to shortened attention spans in toddlers- caught my eye because I like many overworked and underpaid parents am fine with setting my child in front of the TV while I regain my sanity.  And if you still don't think that's a good enough reason to plop my kid in front of the flat screen then you try commuting 2 hours each day to work, becoming a mother, wife, and moving into a new house all within a year and then get back to me.  I'll wait. 

Don't get me wrong.  I totally understand that too much TV for toddlers, especially infants, delays language development and can lead to shortened attention spans.  In fact, a quick perusing of the American Association of Pediatrics website suggests that children learn best from structured play and too much TV can lead to later problems with behavior, mood, and learning.  Thus you might ask why on earth would I, an educated woman with a Master's degree in social work let my infant watch television?  Good question.  .

First, I don't let him watch TV all day and when he does watch, it's usually one of the "educational" PBS shows like Arthur or Caillou (regardless that the AAP says that those programs have no such value).  The difference however is that my son is a friggin genius.  He said his first words at 6 months and understood words at 7 months.  In fact my husband and I will swear to the fact that he mumbled something that sounded  like "daddy I'm wet" at about 5 months.  He now says his name clearly, points to items he wants, skipped crawling and went straight into standing at 8 months.  Look at those tree trunk legs.  They aren't there for nothing.  Elijah also knows the difference between a cat and a dog so take that, Piaget.

The best part is that Elijah learns by observing my nephews' interactions with my mother, his daycare provider.  My parents do a wonderful job of coaxing him into socializing with the 3 and 6 year old.  He watches them with great scrutiny while mimicking their voices and sounds.  When they pick up a phone to say hi, he uses his mammoth hands to lift daddy's cell phone and say the same.   Some parts babble and some parts words, he talks and we talk back to him.  Therefore, ipso facto, I think his language acquisition is just fine thankyouverymuch. 

I'm not knocking a little television for infants especially when partnered with daily interaction, play, and common sense when it comes to child rearing.  Though the AAP recommends that children under the age of 2 not watch TV at all his father, grandparents, and I know when to say when.  We won't be placing a television in his room anytime soon and we don't let him space out with the TV on all day.  Our son is meeting and in some case exceeding developmental milestones.  All is well in the kingdom.