Should Parents Feel Guilty For Using TV As A Babysitter?

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• No. My child mostly uses the tv as background noise, kind of like I use to do as a kid with the radio. He's usually playing with toys and not paying any attention to what's on the tv.

• sometimes I feel bad.. but I think as long as it's not a all the time thing and just a "need to get this done" thing then it is ok to plop them in front of the tube-sitter. really I think it comes down to a personal choice that each parent needs to set their own rules and guidelines about how much tv/movies is too much.

• no!

• I watched a lot of TV growing up. Probably more than average. Ended up going to an Ivy League college and I have a good career. So I don't think that TV by itself is "evil". Like almost anything, just a matter of how you use it.

• Yeah this is a daily topic in my household. We limit TV use, but now that is creating the idea that TV is a reward. And to a child a reward is better than just about anything else.
  If we give our son unlimited access to shows that we approve of, then he wants to watch it less and values his play time more. Unfortunately I'm still unable to sell my wife on this point.
  I've seen a lot of studies come down the social network pipe that say TV is bad, TV is bad for kids under 2, an hour of TV a day is ok... Really, tho... How bad is it? My son started watching shows when he was 1 or so. He is not showing any signs at all of having been hindered in his development. In fact he's very advanced.
  I would love to hear some opinions on this for sure.
  If I had my druthers I'd let him watch it whenever he wanted (or rather whenever I need to get stuff done)...

• Not at all. They don't watch any more tv than I watched as a child. They do play video games quite a bit, but we do make them play educational ones just as much as the ones they want to play.

• One of my friends chided me once for playing a game with his kids, saying, "Can you please entertain them with something that doesn't have a screen?"

• The BBC have a couple of advert-free stations for kids which are very good and largely educational. The only TV I have an issue with is the stuff laced with adverts and product placement.

• The only thing is, what could you have been doing with the child instead of TV that might be better for his development. I have a 23 month old that's turning 2 in less then a month, and we try to limit TV time, if not out right ban it. Before she turned 1, there was no TV period. If she was up, there was no TV in the house. But around 18 months, I've relaxed that standard. Sometimes she gets to watch some educational programs like hi 5, and mickey mouse club house, blues clues. It's kind of a reward for her, if she does things right.

  I don't mind using the TV as a component of bringing up your child. There's a lot of good stuff on TV, even for kids. But it cannot be a crutch or an easy out because you are engaged in lazy parenting. Sometimes circumstances leave you with no alternatives but to use the TV, and that's fine. Every parent will run into that situation, no matter how dedicated they are. For me, it's just a matter of lets be honest with yourself about why you are letting your child watch the TV.

• when don't parents feel guilty about anything they let their child do that may not be text book. My 2yo can watch toy story from start to credits, in saying that, she can also watch a documentary about the human brain and be just as engrossed. Jayde will get up and play with toys when she feels. I'm not worried.