Old Wives Tale? - Orwigsburg,PA

let's flip this one! Why is the babysitter allowing him to do this? Why isn't she teaching him NOT to touch off-limit items?

AND why is the tv on? That's the biggest concern as far as I'm concerned!

As a daycare provider, I KNOW that the tv does not need to be on!

Not a problem for his eyes, but a big problem for his development. If I was paying a babysitter to take care of my baby and she let him watch tv, I would get a new babysitter. Tomorrow. This would be a biggy for me.

it's an old wives tale.
Contrary to the popular myth, sitting too close to a TV will not damage your eyes but it may cause eyestrain. Children can focus at close distance without eyestrain better than adults. Therefore children often develop the habit of holding reading materials close to their eyes or sitting right in front of the television. There is no evidence that this damages the eyes either in children or adults. With children, this habit usually diminishes as they grow older.

Answered by: Lee Duffner, MD

http://www.geteyesmart.org/eyesmart/ask/questions/q090413...

He is prob standing that closely because he can see the individual colors in the pixels and it's neat looking.

It can strain his eyes and make them tired, but does not cause damage of any kind.

I think because it does make our eyes more tired, people assumed it hurt them long term.

No, it doesn't damage their eyes. It does damage their brains, or at least slow their normal development. Read the AAP current recommendations - they are for zero screen time prior to age 2.

Ive heard it over and over that it is a wives tale.

I wouldn't let him do it for hours on end, but a moment here or there is probably not going to hurt. It's no worse than staring at a computer screen from 18 inches away... oops.

The bigger issue for me would be letting a 10 month old actually WATCH tv. I'd rather he be up there pressing buttons, than chilling on the couch catching the show.

HTH
T.

In one case I know of, the TV fell off a stand and broke a 2 yr olds leg - and this was at day care. My co-worker had to take his child to the hospital for x-rays and a cast and they never went back to that day care again.
I wouldn't not be letting any baby/toddler play with buttons on the TV or a remote. It might be time for a new sitter.

.

i just read an article that said it is an old wives tale. it said that reading in the dark and watching tv too closely do not make your eyes bad.

i wouldn't let him do it all the time but my son does the same thing and i just let him go.

I don't think it is an old wives tale. As soon as I started working in front of the computer all day (which is basically like sitting too close to the TV IMO) I needed glasses.

I think the issue of eye damage caused by screens is valid. We see this with the increased number of eyeglass and contact wearers from excessive computer use. A few seconds here or there would likely not cause long term damage, but if this is a habit, in my opinion it should be addressed immediately.

I don' know I heard that the reason more children are near sighted now then in the past is because they spend more time inside. When kids were outside all the time their eyes were always looking far away...... I would hate to be paying someone for letting my son watch tv when he's to young to watch any tv

I vote: No Biggy.

Just make sure he's not parked by a tv all day!

You need to get your child's vision checked.... standing close to a tv is a big sign that they can't see right. That was how we realized both my brother and my child needed glasses (my daughter was 2 yo).

We've been told by 2 eye doctors (we switched to Costco after a change in insurance) that its an old wives' tale, along with reading in the dark. As long as its properly secured to the wall/stand, I wouldn't worry yet. My son did that for a while, then went on to other things. He'll still stand close when the other surroundings are too loud (kitchen, dogs, etc). Good luck!