Too much TV??

We've all read the articles. TV before the age of 2 is a no-no (or at least suggested to be kept at a minimum). Supposedly it makes their brain work differently...or something like that. Here are some articles about the negative impacts of TV:


ScienceDaily - Toddlers & TV


MSNBC - TV may hurt Toddlers' attention spans


And of course BabyCenter in all their wiseness - TV Watching guidelines


Okay enough with all the negativity right! I mean after all, I watched plenty of TV growing up and I'm a normal behaving person! On the other hand, I talk too fast and my brain processes way too much information at certain times (usually after a glass or two of wine). Are those negative behaviors or signs of a shortened attention span? Probably. Is it because of TV...I doubt it.


Back to the reason for this post. I used to be secretly proud that my son (now 3) was never really interested in watching TV. He would much rather play with his trucks and toys than watch anymore Mickey Mouse or Handy Manny (I have a secret latin crush on Manny by the way).


I was able to turn the TV off shortly after 8 am and could watch whatever I wanted without it being dedicated to Disney or Nickelodeon. Now, let me clarify, I do not judge a mom for using TV as a babysitter! Whatever works! I had plenty of times when I wish I could just entertain him with a movie or cartoon so I could get something done.


And then....about 2 months ago...little man got sick. For about two weeks he battled a nasty cold and earache. It was heartbreaking to see him so tired and hear him tell me he was tired and cold. He watched a lot of movies. Well a lot of one movie really, Nemo. I love Nemo. It's an adorable and visually pretty movie! And we watched it...over and over and over. And continued to watch it, over and over and over for another couple of weeks past the illness. And then, fortunately, he changed gears. A different movie. The "Birdie Movie" as calls it, UP to us mere mortals. Another absolutely adorable movie that I really enjoy. Yet, after about 14 days, 3x a day, anything can get redundant. Then it became the "elephant movie" (Horton hears a Who). And most recently, it's the "dinosaur movie" (Land before Time episodes) This is the one the makes my brain bleed! The songs and the voices of those little dinosaurs....aaaggghhh! So yesterday I worked really hard to move him on to....BAMBI!! And I succeeded!

As soon as the movie is over....he lets me know he wants to watch it again. Sometimes he just lays on the couch and watches it, sometimes he plays with it on in the background (we can't turn it off). My questions is....what is this doing to his brain! Should I be concerned? Will he ever want to just play without the TV again! (We've tried cutting it off...I mean it's too the point where I have to go to my room to watch my shows if we are trying to get him calmed down before bed) He throws a fit! I know, I know. I shouldn't give in...but with a 5 month old...I prefer to keep the fits to a minimum.


So what do you think! Any advice on cutting the TV down? Or teaching him that he has to share the TV with mommy and daddy! How much TV does your kid watch in a day?

Toddler Tuesday - Potty Training

For about 6 months now, we have been working with the little man to get him to use the potty. We bought the cute, noisemaking training seat, (the noise is supposed to be his reward for using it....it makes me want to throw it out the window), and the even more cute little boy undies with his favorite characters on them, Cars, Toy Story and Thomas the Train. We've tried using treats, reminding him every half hour and letting him run around naked. He did a great job, at home only and usually only when he is naked. Then he got sick. He was sick for a couple of weeks and we just hadn't gotten back to it, until yesterday.

I know he's ready. He is all too aware of when he has to do #1 and #2, in fact he often tells us about it as it's going on...a sure sign. So we started working on it again. And this time I focused on wearing the undies and pants and teaching him how to take them off and more importantly, put them back on by himself. He did GREAT yesterday! No mishaps! Today...so far, only one. The other little nuance we have to work on, how to use the potty properly.

He does not use his cute little potty anymore, he wants to use the big one. Thats fine. However, his preference is to stand on the seat and squat over the toilet. Apparently he feels more secure that way. I'm not a fan of the little footprints left behind, as well as am nervous one of these days he's going to fall right in. He did already have an instance at Grammy's, where she did find him with one foot in the bowl...oops!

When asking for advice, many use a sticker chart. I'll have to put my creative side to work and make one. But more importantly, how do I get him to work on it while at daycare? I don't want to be a burden on my provider, she has enough to worry about. I also don't want to send him in undies thinking he'll do it on his own...cleaning that up would be no fun for the provider either (nor sanitary for the rest of the kiddos). So how do we make it a 7 day a week focus? Do we just go all in...or just wait until he does it all by himself (and keep working on it at home)?

There is just under one month until his 3rd birthday. What a birthday present that would be for Mommy!