106
votes
Should I encourage/persuade my 3 year old to watch kids TV shows that she finds scary or upsetting?
I find great importance in fostering a child's sense of personal control. Her nos are no and her yesses are yes - unless there is potential for physical or psychological harm.
I'd suggest taking ...
- 3,743
47
votes
How can I baby-proof my 75" TV?
I'd be more concerned with a 75" TV falling on my infant and hurting him! A 75" television can weigh up to 100 pounds - that's a lot of weight to be falling on a 24 pound infant.
There are ...
- 61.8k
37
votes
Should I encourage/persuade my 3 year old to watch kids TV shows that she finds scary or upsetting?
There were movies that scared me as a child long after they should have because I watched them a little sooner than I was ready and carried a negative association around them. So even when I was old ...
- 379
29
votes
Why do kids pick up on violence in cartoons/movies?
Kids, just like adults, want to "be cool", to have fun and to have something they can share with their friends. TV, video games, pro wrestling, whatever. And the parts they want to talk about/...
- 13.3k
22
votes
Should I encourage/persuade my 3 year old to watch kids TV shows that she finds scary or upsetting?
If a child is forced to deal with situations that are beyond his or her ability to understand, process, respond to, or control—specifically, situations that are accompanied by strong negative feelings,...
- 1,972
21
votes
Accepted
Should I encourage/persuade my 3 year old to watch kids TV shows that she finds scary or upsetting?
First of all, let me assure you that I understand your worry. I have been in your situation three years ago and it can be very alarming when your child finds "Ben and Holly" too scary ("The bird stole ...
- 491
16
votes
Why do kids pick up on violence in cartoons/movies?
Violence and play fighting is an innate aspect of human behaviour.
You can observe animals play fighting as well.
Domestically, you can observe cats and dogs play fight, more commonly as juveniles....
- 530
16
votes
Amount of screen time appropriate for a baby?
The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests that no amount of screen time is appropriate for a child of that age.
From their report on Children and media:
For children younger than 18 months, avoid ...
- 61.8k
13
votes
Accepted
Is there any scientific evidence for TV being intrinsically harmful to children, or is it the loss of what TV replaces that is harmful?
Great question. There are several different reasons one might want to limit TV time for kids, and understanding those reasons can help support informed decisions about when --- and how --- to let kids ...
- 2,447
13
votes
Is it usual for a child to cry while watching cartoons?
It is certainly not unusual. Have you never watched a movie or show and shed a tear? Did Bambi's mother dying (sorry for the spoiler!) not bring a tear to your eye? Developing empathy is an ...
- 61.8k
9
votes
Accepted
How to explain the "brutal" ways of wildlife and nature to a kid and when?
I'm going to draw an analogy from Monsters, Inc. The monsters in the movie scare kids in order to make power for their city. One such monster, Sulley, is the best scarer around. He never has any ...
- 13.3k
9
votes
5 year old loved wildlife documentary but was very upset by dead animals
Or, perhaps you might think that at 5 he is old enough to start learning about the "struggle for survival" in the real world? My instinct is that he's too small, but I'd be interested to hear if ...
- 69.8k
8
votes
Why do kids pick up on violence in cartoons/movies?
Why is kids picking up on 'inappropriate behavior' appropriate?
"The social group basically polices itself and enforces the rules of social dominance, the social mores of the troupe, and monkeys who ...
- 315
8
votes
Accepted
My 7 month old son is intensely attracted to screens
In my experience, this is very typical. Screens that are on (TV, laptop) are very attractive to babies. If there's some kind of contingent feedback --- such as hitting keys on the keyboard and having ...
- 2,447
8
votes
Accepted
What is a better approach than "mum with the carrot, dad with the stick"?
Both parents should be involved in the discipline of their children. Sit down with your wife and discuss what you think are appropriate punishments for certain actions. Explain these things to your ...
- 96
8
votes
Is there a way to "immunize" or "desensitivize" children against TV and YouTube?
Unfortunately, I don't think there is a way to desensitize the kids to the TV. It's designed to be constantly changing and interesting, with something new and exciting to offer with each glance its ...
- 1,693
7
votes
How to explain the "brutal" ways of wildlife and nature to a kid and when?
The biggest issue here is most likely not the "animals eat each other", which is very abstract, but rather the watching NatGeo, which intentionally tries to make you feel a relation with the animals ...
- 8,355
7
votes
What order should my child watch Baby Einstein?
Like any of these sorts of products there is no evidence that they are effective - and like many 'educational' toys they exist to make parents feel good rather than for the benefit of children.
The ...
- 5,102
7
votes
Is it usual for a child to cry while watching cartoons?
At one point in my childhood (age 9 or so) I would cry at any remotely sad film, including Tom and Jerry.
Joe's point about unreality is valid, in that knowing it's only a story can remove the element ...
- 109
7
votes
How can I baby-proof my 75" TV?
I will not address how to protect the TV from toppling over. But to protect the TV from impact from toys (for example), screen protectors are sold which you can affix to the front of the TV. These ...
- 1,972
6
votes
Should a 18 month old be allowed to watch any videos online?
I understand your wife's fears, but I actually agree with you. Some time on TV or laptop is OK. I think that the most important aspects of such entertainment (tv, youtube, tablet, computer) is the ...
- 10k
6
votes
Accepted
Should a 18 month old be allowed to watch any videos online?
The American Association of Pediatrics is currently in the process of changing their recommendation for screen time for children. The policy currently is that screen time should be avoided before age ...
- 2,920
6
votes
How can I stop my toddler from playing with electronic appliances?
There are two options. You could buy or make a cover, and this will work for a while, in your house. It will not however sort out the same problem when you visit other places, so a much better ...
- 26.6k
6
votes
Accepted
5 year old loved wildlife documentary but was very upset by dead animals
My kid is about the same age, and while the particular video you watched does sound grim, I've had some success getting my kid to be okay with predation on nature shows by telling her "Yes, it's sad ...
- 3,930
5
votes
My 4yo son is addicted to cartoons. Do I need to forcefully control his watching habits or should I let him watch?
For the copy behaviour in general: it is normal for everyone and I am sure you are doing that as well. Humans copy the ones they admire and the ones the see as good.
Also kids run, they need to run ...
- 2,505
5
votes
Why do kids pick up on violence in cartoons/movies?
My gut feeling: three mechanisms combined.
Monkey see, monkey do
Children learn via observation. A lot. If this weren't true, we could never teach by example and have to explain in detail whatever we ...
- 18.2k
5
votes
Can a 3-month-old baby get addicted to TV?
Screen time is something to be concerned about at all ages of development for a young child. It can significantly hamper children's sleep time. "Infants exposed to screen media in evening hours have ...
- 259
5
votes
Should I encourage/persuade my 3 year old to watch kids TV shows that she finds scary or upsetting?
Oftentimes in children's shows something that seems scary and evil in the early/middle is later revealed to be something innocent and good later on.
In such cases, I find it better to encourage (...
- 380
5
votes
How can I baby-proof my 75" TV?
Swap the TV out for a projector with a roll-up screen mounted to your ceiling.
That's totally kids proof, not too expensive and gives you a larger screen diameter.
Also, you can now use the wall ...
- 187
4
votes
Why do kids pick up on violence in cartoons/movies?
I think the fundamental assumption of this question is wrong, the examples given are not violent behaviour, just physical emulation. Violence is defined as:
Behaviour involving physical force ...
- 1,251
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