If you have been following my blog for a long time, you might remember during my pregnancy that I wrote a post questioning if we would watch TV in our household after our baby was born. I didn't want to expose Gwen to the constantly degrading quality of television that is being broadcast. I seem, however, to have changed my tune in the last couple of months. No - I don't want her to watch questionable television, but I no longer have a problem with her watching television.
Gwen is horrendously difficult to entertain. I have had several people tell me that she requires much more attention and entertainment than most babies. She is unhappy playing by herself unless you are watching her play by herself. Usually she won't play by herself at all. So it created problems in the mornings when I would have to do things like take Simba out so he could pee. While I will usually put Gwen before Simba, I think it is cruel to refuse him the chance to pee. Here's how our mornings would go. Gwen would wake up entirely too early. I would get up and change her diaper. I would take her with me and set her on the floor of the bathroom to play while I peed. Then we would go downstairs. I would put her in the middle of the living room surrounded by dozens of toys. I would take Simba outside. Gwen would hold onto the child gate that blocks her from the foyer, screaming at the top of her lungs for the entire duration of Simba's potty break. Gwen would be emotionally destroyed for the rest of the morning.
This repeated daily until a new friend told us about the show Yo Gabba Gabba. Frankly, I have a love-hate relationship with Yo Gabba Gabba. It looks like the writers take a hit of acid (do you take acid in hits? I don't really know drug lingo) before each writing session. But I love it for it's magical ability to entertain Gwen. I now place her in the living room in the morning and turn on an episode of Yo Gabba Gabba. As soon as the music starts, she is mesmerized. I take Simba out without incident, and we all have a much happier morning.
I have tried showing Gwen other kids' TV shows, and they apparently all pale in comparison to Yo Gabba Gabba (of course, I think anything would pale in comparison to Yo Gabba Gabba). I don't know what magical combination they have created in this show, but it keeps her happy so it keeps me happy.
I was talking to several moms at a play date on Thursday. They all willingly use their TVs as babysitters, albeit in small quantities. One mom said, "I know the AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics) recommends against kids watching any TV, but that's not really realistic for us." Most of these moms would put their babies in front of the TV for one episode in order to be able to cook dinner during a normal melt down time of day. It was their saving grace during a usually volatile time. And this got me thinking that TV isn't necessarily a bad thing.
I'm not under the delusion that Gwen will watch these TV shows and be smarter for it. I have seen the articles about how babies who watch Baby Einstein DVDs are behind their peers who watch no TV. I don't expect her to learn from TV. I expect her to be entertained so I can get a few things done without a baby holding onto my pant leg and crying. Because let's face it - constant learning all day long is not everything. I think that Gwen and I both will be better served with her taking 23 minutes hanging out with DJ Lance Rock (the host of Yo Gabba Gabba) so I can prepare a meal that will fill our bellies with healthy food rather than processed junk than we would be if I spent that time sitting with her and her shape sorter naming colors and shapes.
So I'm going to stop putting so much pressure on myself to try to teach her all the time. Sometimes we will be tired, and then it is okay to rest even in front of the TV. And sometimes it is okay to just play and be entertained with no ulterior educational motive.
Gwen is horrendously difficult to entertain. I have had several people tell me that she requires much more attention and entertainment than most babies. She is unhappy playing by herself unless you are watching her play by herself. Usually she won't play by herself at all. So it created problems in the mornings when I would have to do things like take Simba out so he could pee. While I will usually put Gwen before Simba, I think it is cruel to refuse him the chance to pee. Here's how our mornings would go. Gwen would wake up entirely too early. I would get up and change her diaper. I would take her with me and set her on the floor of the bathroom to play while I peed. Then we would go downstairs. I would put her in the middle of the living room surrounded by dozens of toys. I would take Simba outside. Gwen would hold onto the child gate that blocks her from the foyer, screaming at the top of her lungs for the entire duration of Simba's potty break. Gwen would be emotionally destroyed for the rest of the morning.
This repeated daily until a new friend told us about the show Yo Gabba Gabba. Frankly, I have a love-hate relationship with Yo Gabba Gabba. It looks like the writers take a hit of acid (do you take acid in hits? I don't really know drug lingo) before each writing session. But I love it for it's magical ability to entertain Gwen. I now place her in the living room in the morning and turn on an episode of Yo Gabba Gabba. As soon as the music starts, she is mesmerized. I take Simba out without incident, and we all have a much happier morning.
I have tried showing Gwen other kids' TV shows, and they apparently all pale in comparison to Yo Gabba Gabba (of course, I think anything would pale in comparison to Yo Gabba Gabba). I don't know what magical combination they have created in this show, but it keeps her happy so it keeps me happy.
I was talking to several moms at a play date on Thursday. They all willingly use their TVs as babysitters, albeit in small quantities. One mom said, "I know the AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics) recommends against kids watching any TV, but that's not really realistic for us." Most of these moms would put their babies in front of the TV for one episode in order to be able to cook dinner during a normal melt down time of day. It was their saving grace during a usually volatile time. And this got me thinking that TV isn't necessarily a bad thing.
I'm not under the delusion that Gwen will watch these TV shows and be smarter for it. I have seen the articles about how babies who watch Baby Einstein DVDs are behind their peers who watch no TV. I don't expect her to learn from TV. I expect her to be entertained so I can get a few things done without a baby holding onto my pant leg and crying. Because let's face it - constant learning all day long is not everything. I think that Gwen and I both will be better served with her taking 23 minutes hanging out with DJ Lance Rock (the host of Yo Gabba Gabba) so I can prepare a meal that will fill our bellies with healthy food rather than processed junk than we would be if I spent that time sitting with her and her shape sorter naming colors and shapes.
So I'm going to stop putting so much pressure on myself to try to teach her all the time. Sometimes we will be tired, and then it is okay to rest even in front of the TV. And sometimes it is okay to just play and be entertained with no ulterior educational motive.
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