television-related stories
Is It OK For Kids Under 2 To Watch TV?
Babies, Toddlers, That's Entertainment
How much is too much when it comes to watching TV? Credit: jupiterimages
Whether they let their kids watch as much TV as they like, or don't allow them to see a screen until middle school, TV is a topic parents are passionate about, particularly when it comes to babies and toddlers.
Just how much TV are children under the age of 2 watching? The answer is a lot.
A story on PBS.org reports 74 percent of all infants and toddlers have watched TV before the age of 2, citing Children and Electronic Media, a study conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation. Kaiser also found that more than four in 10 -- or 43 percent -- of children under the age of 2 watch TV every day and nearly one in five -- 18 percent -- watch videos or DVDs every day, according to PBS.
How bad is all of this pre-preschool screen gazing? The answer is unclear. PBS's Web site says studies on the effects of television viewing have focused mainly on preschoolers, while those of "infants and toddlers have received limited attention." Still, PBS does point out that the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) urges parents "to avoid television viewing for children under the age of 2 years."
Baby Einstein Co-Founder Goes to Court Over TV Studies
Babies, Toddlers, Kids 5-7, Development, In The News, Education, Extreme Childhood
Baby Einstein DVDs are displayed at a Borders book store. Credit: Justin Sullivan, Getty Images
Damning research from the University of Washington that linked television viewing by young children to attention problems and delayed language development motivated co-founder William Clark to petition the courts for access to the study's raw data and methodology, The New York Times reports.
"All we're asking for is the basis for what the university has represented to be groundbreaking research," Clark said in a statement released Jan. 11. "Given that other research studies have not shown the same outcomes, we would like the raw data and analytical methods from the Washington studies so we can audit their methodology, and perhaps duplicate the studies, to see if the outcomes are the same."
Tips for Keeping Your Sick Child Entertained at Home
The child is grumpy. Way beyond grumpy. Grumpy is a distant planet in another solar system past which she's shot in her misery-fuelled rocket ship. She refuses to eat supper. She's lethargic, moping, upset over nothing. Uh oh. She's fallen asleep on a chair long before bedtime. Quick, take her temperature. Yup. What was your first clue?
She's sick.
After establishing how sick, precisely, the child is -- a delicate task that may require seeking expert medical help: nurse hot-line, or a visit to the doctor's office -- Cabin Fever pauses to reassess the shape of the next several days. Or, heaven preserve us, weeks. We've got four children. These things tend to spread, no matter how carefully we institute family policies on hand-washing and safe tissue disposal. Take one look at the child pitifully attempting to cough into her pajama sleeve and see illustrated before you in wordless brilliance: in the battle of human versus germ, germ uses some seriously sneaky tactics.
We're staying home for the foreseeable future. It's the only real option. And therefore we're entertaining at home, too. Talk about catching cabin fever...
More and More Kids Getting Hurt - Or Killed - by Falling Televisions
Getting crushed by a falling television sounds like something you would see on a Bugs Bunny cartoon. Sadly, this a real problem that is getting worse.
A study published in the October 2009 issue of the journal Clinical Pediatrics found that there were an average of 14,700 children injured per year as a result of "furniture tip-overs" between the years 1990 and 2007. (The journal article, as well as a 2008 U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission report with similar results, were examined in a recent Associated Press story.) Of the injuries studied, almost half (47.4%) were caused by televisions, according to the published report. Even scarier is that the researchers found "a significant increase in the number and rate of these injuries" during the years covered by their data. This means that more kids are getting hurt, or even killed, by falling televisions.
Teen Athlete Claims She Was Benched for Pregnancy
Teens & Tweens, Pregnancy & Birth, Safety, In The News, Extreme Childhood, Sports
A Texas teen claims she was benched from her high school volleyball team because she is pregnant and that her coach told her teammates the big news without consulting her, according to ESPN.
Senior Mackenzie McCollum was a starting setter on the Arlington Heights High School volleyball team in Fort Worth, Texas, and according to Good Morning America, the school's athletic coordinator ordered her off the team until she could provide a note from her doctor after he found out she was pregnant.
Refund: Disney Offers Money Back for Baby Einstein Videos
Babies, Development, In The News, Media, Education, That's Entertainment, Extreme Childhood, Shopping, Alerts & Recalls
Disney is offering a refund of up to $15.99 for four "Baby Einstein" DVDs per household if the items were purchased between June 5, 2004 and Sept. 5, 2009, The New York Times reported. The move may be a response to the threat of a class-action lawsuit for unfair and deceptive marketing practices.
According to the Times, a letter from the lawyers threatening the suit states that: "The Walt Disney Company's entire Baby Einstein marketing regime is based on express and implied claims that their videos are educational and beneficial for early childhood development." The letter also states that the claims are "false because research shows that television viewing is potentially harmful for very young children."
Kids Addicted to TV - How Bad?
Kids 5-7, Kids 8-11, Sleep, Bedtime, Opinions
Having a hard time prying the kids away from the TV? Credit: Getty Images
"But from the minute they come in the door after camp, they start asking: 'Is it seven? Is it seven now?' They might as well be watching for four hours a day because even when they're not watching, they're spending all their energy pining for TV. Is this normal?"
To find out, I called my friend and Mommy Advisor Rosanne Tobey, director of Calm and Sense Therapy, a counseling service.
"I don't think this mom is doing anything bad here, per se," Tobey said. "Letting them watch a little bit of TV is a choice, but what I would recommend is, if they're going to watch it, put the TV time where it works best for the mom."
Meaning what exactly?
"Meaning: Let them watch it when they first walk in the door," explained Tobey.
Here are Tobey's other tips for keeping kids' TV-related whining in check:
Be clear about the deal up front. Tell the kids that you're changing the TV rules and explain clearly what the game plan will be going forward. Turn off the TV while telling them the rules so they hear you.
Set consequences for deal-breaking. "If the kids whine when you turn off the TV," Tobey said, "give them a warning, then say, 'If you fight me on this, no TV tomorrow.' And you have to follow through on that." Tobey concedes that "tomorrow" would, in this case, be an extremely long day.
No TV right before bed. It's been well-documented that watching TV too close to bedtime can interfere with sleep -- keeping this rule consistent will make it easier to enforce.
Bottom line: How bad is it if the kids pine and whine for TV time? Letting them watch an hour a day is not bad, Tobey said, especially if a mom is not giving into whining but rather setting limits and sticking to them. Even better, make that hour a mom-convenient time that offers a chance to get things done, or just regroup.
Have you had a less-than-perfect parenting moment and you're wondering, "How bad"? Send it to Sabrina at PrincessLPink9@aol.com. She'll try to answer as many as she can.
Sabrina Weill is the founder of the pink and princess-y gift site: PrincessLovesPink. Many of the Mommy Advisors in this column are the writer's personal or professional friends.
Can Watching TV Delay Your Child's Language Development?
Newborns, Babies, Toddlers, Development, Media, That's Entertainment
Should young children watch television? Photo: jupiterimages
Scientists at the Seattle Children's Hospital Research Institute sought to determine a reason for language delays by recording everything 329 children heard and said on random days every month for two years. The study found that adults speak 75 percent fewer words per hour when a TV is playing as compared to when the TV is turned off. Children vocalize an average of 25 to 50 percent less when a TV plays, with the length and frequency of vocalization diminished, as well as their "conversational" exchanges with parents.
Parents were likely distracted by the sounds and images playing on TV and spent less time interacting with their children, researchers concluded. Experts have long said that parent interaction is essential to a child's language development.
"This builds a pretty strong argument that television delays language development," lead study researcher Dimitri Christakis, M.D., who also directs the Center for Child Health, Behavior and Development at the hospital, said to the Cleveland Plain Dealer. "And the effects of learning words is not just about language development but also cognitive development."
Prior to this study, parents have been apt to bend the American Academy of Pediatrics' (AAP) rule of no TV for children before the age of two because experts could not offer a reason for how TV effected language development. Programs, such as Sesame Street, and videos, such as Baby Einstein, appeared to have educational benefit for infants and young toddlers.
But the hospital's study shows that any TV exposure decreases verbalization in children and therefore might ultimately effect, "the architecture of the mind," said Dr. Christakis, who is a member of the AAP and helps form the organization's television-watching recommendations. Based on these findings, he said, parents should follow AAP guidelines, which includes limiting older children to one hour a day of television-viewing.
Study Finds Television Noise Delays Development
Newborns, Babies, Toddlers, Development
Study connects delayed brain development to television. Image: sxc.hu
The study looked at over 300 children aged two months to four years old. The children were fitted with business-card sized sound recorders that captured everything they said and heard during continuous 12 to 16 hour periods. These recordings took place on random days for up to two years and were interrupted only for naps, baths, nighttime sleep and car rides. Special software was used to process the recordings and analyze the sounds children were exposed to as well as the sounds they made.
The researchers found that for each hour of audible television, there was a significant drop in the amount and duration of child vocalizations as well as a drop in conversational interactions with an adult. By "significant" they mean that, on average, every hour of television exposure was associated with a decrease of 770 words the child heard from an adult. And it's not that the children were just tuning out -- the adults were speaking 500 to 1,000 fewer words per hour of audible television.
Weekend Fun and Games
Fun & Activities, That's Entertainment
Just in case your long weekend isn't already booked up, here is a look at what's new in kids' entertainment as adapted from reviews and ratings by Common Sense Media. To read the reviews in full, click on the links.
At the Movies
When the lights go off the battle is on in "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian." Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson are joined by Amy Adams as Amelia Earhart in this fun followup to "Night at the Museum." Fast paced with plenty of action and peril, the film's message is one of being true to yourself and following your dreams to happiness. Rated PG, OK for Ages 7+
On DVD
Who doesn't love a movie with talking animals? In the straight-to-DVD "Dr. Dolittle: Million Dollar Mutts", Maya Dolittle has inherited her father's ability to speak to animals and now must decide how best to use her gift. It's not all about wisecracking animals -- the film conveys a positive message about the importance of education and standing up for oneself. Rated PG, OK for Kids 5+TV
Superhero storybook characters save the day in PBS Kids' educational and entertaining "Super WHY!" Viewers help Red, Littlest Pig, Princess Pea and Whyatt Beanstalk solve problems in Storybrook Village through interactive reading, word games, and spelling challenges. Each story has a moral and, of course, a happy ending. Rated TV-Y, OK for Kids 3+
Books
Not just a story, "Fancy Nancy: Explorer Extraordinaire" by Jane O'Connor takes readers on a learning adventure as Fancy Nancy and her friend Bree organize a nature club. Through the girls' exploration, information about insects, birds and plants is shared as well as recipes, drawings, and maps. OK for Kids 5+Music
Singer/songwriter Jewel has turned her attention to children's music on her latest record, "Lullaby." With traditional lullabies and some sweet original love songs, the music is soothing and peaceful and bed-time appropriate for little ones. OK for Ages 2+
Web
"Bathroom Wall" is Facebook application that is about a pleasing as it sounds. Users anonymously post comments about other users on a virtual bathroom wall. As you can imagine, innocent secret-telling can quickly devolve into nastiness. How bad is it? At one point, Facebook threatened to shut it down over the trash talk. Might appeal to Kids 13+, but it is hardly appropriate for anyone.
Games
Part of the Art Style series, "Pictobits" is a downloadable DSi puzzle game that starts out pretty simple but levels up to greater difficulty rather quickly. Colorful puzzle pieces float down from the top of the screen and must be shifted to create cubes or squares. Experts can earn virtual coins that unlock even tougher levels. Rated E, OK for Kids 8+ 
TV Lunch, Every Day - How Bad?
So how bad is eating in front of the TV? Photo courtesy stockexpert.com.
"We never watch TV at dinner, and she does sit at the table for her meals, but I have to admit that the TV is on often at lunchtime. Ack! Embarrassing. How bad?"
To find out, I called Mommy Advisor Christine Palumbo, R.D., a nutritionist in private practice in a Chicago suburb who is an adjunct faculty member at Benedictine University.
"It's always tempting to use the television as a babysitter," she started. A tape is rolling in my mind of all the times I swore I'd never do that, and then, the times I have. "What mom hasn't done that numerous times?" (Whew). "It's so convenient and especially with the layout of the house that's described. "But I would limit the eating with the TV on, for two reasons..."
Burger King Ad Inappropriate for Kids?
The ad is actually pushing a new Sponge Bob kid's meal, but some parents aren't buying it. "It was funny at first, but it is a little graphic for kids," says Kassandra Jackson, a mom in Boise, Idaho.
I've watched it several times now and the only thing I can find to complain about is the fact that the King is rapping about squares when the shapes are actually rectangles. Other than that, I think I am too confused to be offended.
Dangerous Toys
The New Easy Bake Oven
New, and unfortunately not-so-improved, the oven caused 77 burns, 16 of them second or third-degree, and one that resulted in a partial finger amputation.
CPSC
Aquadots
When you add water to these little plastic balls, the coating produces effects similar to GHB -- the date rape drug. Pleasant. Thankfully they were recalled.
Aquadots
Lead paint
Speaking of things you shouldn't put in your mouth, how about any toy from China? Hundreds have been recalled thanks to the high levels of lead in the paint used to coat these toys
sensoryedge.com
Magnetic toys
Particularly magnets that are small enough to swallow. When positive and negative magnets are floating around your digestive tract, they're drawn to one another, which can do some serious, life-threatening damage.
amazon.com
Snack time Cabbage Patch
This little doll was so hungry, it had a habit of chewing little kids' fingers, hair, and whatever else was unfortunate enough to get stuck in its mouth. It was quickly recalled.
strawberrybonkers.com
Mini-hammock
According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission: "the mini-hammock can twist around a child's neck as he/she is getting into or out of the mini-hammock, resulting in strangulation and death." All 3 million were recalled.
CPSC
Lawn Darts
These have been banned for years in the US, as they had a tendency to wind up stuck in kids, not the ground.
gardengames.co.uk
Johnny Reb Cannon
This bad boy fired plastic cannon balls up to 35 feet. Even a pellet gun would be less dangerous -- at least you can aim a gun.
Johnny Reb Cannon
Atomic Energy Lab
Good thing this atomic energy set only came with "very low-level" radioactive sources, because that's not dangerous. Oh wait -- yes, yes it is.
americanmemorabilia.com
Water Yo-Yo Balls
Speaking of getting strangled to death, these yo-yo balls came under scrutiny after the stringy cord got wrapped around children's necks. They've been banned in Illinois, but have yet to be recalled by the CPSC.
sz-wholesale.com
Jon and Kate Set The Record Straight
In real life, if a couple is having marital problems, they might seek help from a counselor. Or friends. Or just take some time to talk. But in the world of reality TV, they call their publicist.Jon and Kate Gosselin want people to know that things are fine at home. Well, mostly fine. In an interview with Ladies' Home Journal, Jon says that he now spends his "whole life counting to eight." PopEater gives us some other highlights: Kate does most of the talking, telling us that their TV show "is the realest reality show there is. You get the good, the bad and the ugly," and she wouldn't go back to the way things were before they were on the air. She says that the family thinks of the show as "our family job, one that lets us stay home together."
Kate Gosselin of Jon and Kate Plus 8
Do you ever wonder what life would be like if you had one more child? How about two more? How about SIX more?
Four years ago, Jon and Kate Gosselin went from being parents of two to parents of eight, and their lives have never been the same.
Getty Images
Today we all have a window into that life on TLC's Jon and Kate Plus 8. And of course, part of peeking into someone else's life is hypothesizing how we might do things differently or better, because it's always easy to imagine what you would do in someone else's shoes.
What is harder to imagine is what it would really be like to walk in those other shoes -- what's it like to wake up every morning and be Kate Gosselin? ParentDish had a chance to ask her just that recently.
TLC.Discovery.com
In a normal week, the Gosselins have a television crew in their house about half the time, which is a lot, if you think about it. And while they will occasionally opt out of filming specific moments with their kids, the Gosselins have no editorial control over the show -- what you see is what you get, packaged by a team of folks at Discovery and TLC. But, Kate says, this is reality TV, and it accurately reflects life at the Gosselin house; nothing is pre-planned or made up. "We don't have time to memorize scripts," she jokes.
I believe that.
"We set out to show the truth," Kate says, "I couldn't watch it if it weren't true." What you see, in every televised moment, is precisely what is happening -- no stage directions or do-overs. This is life at the Gosselin house.
Getty Images
Kate Gosselin has gotten quite a bit of flak, both from the media and from viewers, for the way she treats her husband; the two are often shown bickering during the show. Kate says the criticisms don't bother her; she doesn't Google herself or make a practice of reading about herself on or off line. "Everyone has an opinion," she says, "and I'm only paying attention to my own." But she does admit that the way the show is edited affects how people see her family and her marriage. "If Jon and I have three spats over a two day period, they're going to edit it to make it look like those happened in the 22 minute period." The show is just a small slice of her family's life, after all.
TLC.Discovery.com
Kate is clearly focused not on what goes on outside her family but on her children. Her goal, she says, is to treat each child like an only child -- a hard thing to do when you're the mom of eight. "I hold myself to a very high standard," she says. At the same time, though, she's not trying to be perfect, or even to appear perfect to viewers of the show. She's just living her life.
And yes, she's living it with television cameras in her house, but it's still her real life. Kate says that while the experience of being on television has changed her life, it hasn't changed who she is. She says the same about having eight children -- "It's hard to live through what we have lived through and not change. We are the same -- it's how people treat us" that is different.
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One of the hardest things about her family, Kate says, is the noise; there are days when the older girls, Cara and Mady, come home from school and their reports about what they have done are drowned out by the noise of the sextuplets. More than anything, she says, she longs for peace and quiet -- otherwise, she would not change a thing about her life.
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Kate finds the humor in her life -- recently, she partnered with P&G to help promote some of their brands, including Bounty paper towels, which she refers to as "my weapon of choice." She also laughs about the end of nap time at the Gosselin house; the sextuplets are four now and no one, Kate says, naps any more. But it's a rare night that the family gets through dinner without someone dozing off at the table. Recently, Jon said, "I think we can kiss goodbye ever having a family dinner again." A good night, Kate said, is when the kids push their plates out of the way before they fall asleep.
You have to laugh about that, and Kate Gosselin does.
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The Gosselins have a strong faith in God; they are often seen on the show wearing t-shirts with scripture on them and attending church. But despite the fact that the show doesn't highlight their faith, the Gosselins see it as an opportunity to share what they believe. Their website, The Gosselin 10, includes prayers and devotionals, and Jon and Kate travel around speaking to various churches and groups about their life and faith. The show, Kate says, has given them this opportunity to share what they believe.
Amazon.com
And for the Gosselins, being on television is about opportunity, not fame. The show has opened a variety of doors for them; Kate and Jon both work from home, which makes their life as parnents of eight more manageable. But it's not easy by any means -- there are days, Kate says, when she and Jon work until midnight.
Kate has three pieces of advice for other parents. "Every morning, before my feet hit the floor," she says, "I pray for strength, just enough to get through that day." She reminds parents that a sense of humor can get you through nearly everything -- laugh, she says, don't cry. And finally, the most important lesson of all: "Always remember that bedtime comes, every single day."
sixgosselins.com
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John and Kate Plus 8, Teen Texting, and Alyson Hannigan - Links We Love
Rumors are swirling around John and Kate Gosselin -- cheating, partying, divorce. Will the news cause the couple to call it quits on their reality series John and Kate Plus 8? -- StrollerderbyHow I Met Your Mother star Alyson Hannigan welcomed her first baby last week, a baby girl she named Satyana Denisof. -- Celebrity Baby Blog
Gisele Bundchen says of her 19-month-old stepson John Moynahan, "I want him to have a great relationship with his mom, because that's important, but I love him the same way as if he were mine. I already feel like he's my son, from the first day." LilSugar wonders how John's mom Bridget Moynahan feels about that -- defensive, or grateful that her son's step-mom adores him?
Spend just a few minutes reading the news and it's hard not to be a paranoid parent. But kids today are generally just as safe as they've always been. Check out the discussion at Momversation, then weigh in.
One dad's solution to his teen's texting problem: Ban it for good. Mom disagrees, but puts up a united front for the sake of family harmony. What do you think about his decision? -- Motherlode
Pregnant and laid-off? Don't panic ... learn more about your options and have a plan. -- Health | Poked and Prodded
The latest weapon in the war on childhood obesity: Water fountains. A German study found that kids with free access to water throughout the day were at less risk of gaining weight.
Family meetings are a great way to set the schedule for the week and make sure you get to communicate with your older kids now and then. -- The Motherhood
One mom's solution to her preemie daughter's eating issues: Turn the TV on. Parenting is often about compromise ... have you ever had to adjust your parenting values to fit your kids' needs? -- Mommy Track'd
What Happened to Saturday Morning?
Kids 5-7, Kids 8-11, Fun & Activities
I remember waking up on Saturday, pouring myself a bowl of cereal and eagerly devouring a wide range of animated goodness. But like so many things in life -- the ability to stay up past 11 p.m., remembering what you were just about to do, my hair -- Saturday Morning Cartoons are almost gone.There are still blocks of kids' shows on some of the networks' Saturday morning lineups, but many of the new series wind up on cable TV channels. A big pile of superhero cartoons -- my personal favorite, I mean, um, my son's favorite -- are found not on ABC or CBS, but on Nickelodeon (Wolverine and the X-Men, the upcoming Iron Man) and the Cartoon Network (the insanely awesome Batman: The Brave and the Bold). And Spectacular Spider-Man has moved to Disney XD (the channel formerly known as Toon Disney). All of these shows, by the way, are a lot of fun for me, I mean my kids. OK, fine -- for all of us.
So what, you say? Well, not everyone has cable. Yes, lots of people do, but it's not the entire country. (Just look at the furor over the switch from analog to digital signals.) So kids who are cable-deprived will have to deal with reruns and morning news shows.
