That has stopped now. It’s rough, and I’m sure my daughter will lose a few ounces in the process, but it’s all for the better.

thank you.

I am agreed with most of what everyone has stated on the no TV rule. We’ve witnessed that stare… it’s funny, but scary! The Hubby will never give up the TV, so as long as Liam isn’t actually watching it and playing with his toys instead… that is fine with me.

I could turn the tv off more, but I’m far from going cold turkey.

I will comment on the vaccine issue (as that is my usual platform!) that people need to do more research and *get it out of your heads* that mercury is the only problem, and that autism is/was the only thing that people feared. Do you know what other ingredients are in vaccines??? Do you realize that there are other damages vaccines can do?

Of course, we’re all trying to do the best parenting possible, reading up on “the latest” to protect our kids without putting them in a bubble. The more we are informed, the better, then a good decision can be made from that.

As for the shower thing, Gray still does the shower in the sling with me. Not sure Sam would be up for that! Be sure to keep us posted on what you end up doing!

As to showering, is it possible to grab a quick shower before your husband leaves for work? That’s what I do. At least I’m clean for the day, then.

I’ll buy that TV might have the potential to push some borderline individuals over onto a more extreme manifestation… but the main thing we need to remember about autistics is that their brains function and process differently than neurological “normals.” What damage TV does to them cannot necessarily be a one for one correlation with the brain of a “normal.”

That said, I am never in a big hurry to indoctrinate my kids into TV land; we don’t have cable etc… but I do let my kids watch morning PBS as I get the day rolling, the occasional video and frankly? What damage may be occuring to their little noggins is offset by the fact that I have enough sanity to let them live yet another day. They can sue me when they turn 18.

i found the article interesting, but i’m also not worried about the autism connection, personally. i avoid tv w/ bb because i think it stunts imagination. and i don’t like seeing kids zone out like that. vacant stare. checked out. scares me.

for my shower bb has a “rest.” he sits in his room or in his crib and listens to music and reads book. it’s what we do instead of tv. he loves to listen to stories on CD. he could listen to the Frog and Toad collection all day. he’s occupied and happy, but also his imagination is engaged. and he’s not being talked down to, either.

And you know, they DO learn from television. It might not be the best teacher, but some of the programs you mentioned are meant to teach young children. Teletubbies, though, THM?! Ick…how can you stand them!?

My daughter watched one video a day of her choice. That’s all, just 30 minutes. And she’s gifted — nowhere near Autistic. Now, she watches one movie on “early dismissal” school days (tues and thurs) and one on Sat and Sun.

My son watches one Baby Einstein every 3-4 days. He could care less about the TV.

They were just different kids. If Sam enjoys TV, I say let him. Just use moderation and good judgement. If you can, sit with him and interact during the program. I will tell you, the HUGE downer about this is when they get older, and they learn to ask questions, they will continue to “interact” through movies. Including those you want to see!!

Good luck!

First there is the issue of confounding variables…Cable TV is a marker of an affluent society. Numerous conditions are higher in countries that have access to cable TV. Diabetes, asthma…the list goes on. Is TV the cause of these conditions also? Probably not.

The argument that the Amish do not watch TV and have low rates of autism falls apart also. Several diseases aren’t as prevalent in the Amish population. Many of these conditions have a genetic component. Autism is one of these. In a population with a relatively stable genetic base, it’s not surprising that the rates are low.

I’m not saying that it’s not plausible that there could be a link. But you have to be cautious - the vaccination and autism link sounded plausible when it was first proposed. Since then it has pretty much been discredited (though some groups still adamantly believe it). This is sad - mercury has been removed from childhood vaccines, yet people still fear having their child vaccinated.

I guess the key is “everything in moderation.” I don’t think letting your son watch Elmo for 15 minutes while you take a shower is going to be harmful. Sitting him in front of the boob tube for 4-5 hours a day might be. Likewise, it won’t hurt him to have a few M&M’s once in a while. Yet, if you feed him a huge bag every day, his weight may go up and with it his risk for childhood type 2 diabetes.

This probably doesn’t apply to the under 2 crowd, but my husband recently got me to read: Everything Bad Is Good for You by Steve Johnson. He provides some convincing arguments for how TV and technology may actually have benefits.

That being said, my family doesn’t watch TV much either. It’s not a rule (we know that banning something makes it more attractive). We moved the TV out of the main living area and everyone lost interest. We didn’t even have cable when the boys were young.