What Are Good Cartoons and Movies for Babys Through There First Year?

Hi Sunshine,

We got all the Baby Einstein DVDs. They are great and the baby is looking at something interesting and educational. Anything on Noggin or Sprout on TV is good too - they are aimed at young children and there are no bad commercials. Disney Playhouse is probably good too. I know lots of people say no tv for babies but there are times that tv or videos will be a life saver for you and there are good things out there for the baby to watch. You can watch together and explain things to the baby (even if they don't understand what you're saying they will eventually) and if you are stressed and need a break, a good video will really help.

Congratulations and good luck!

As a teacher, I beg you, don't let them watch TV till at least 2. Or if you have to, 20min a week. Regardless of what the content is, the light movement on the tv make eye development for reading and tracking difficult. Affects the way the brain adjusts...

No TV. Its not healthy for them, After age two limit it to 30 min a day. Play classical music instead.

you know, a lot of people have very different opinions on this subject.
they say that if you let your kid watch tv as a baby it delays speech. im not proud of it but i let my kids watch too much tv when they were younger. my daughter could speak in full, unbroken, sentences by the time she was 18 months old and was correcting my grammar at 2 years of age! so i dont think that "study" is very accurate!
i also know of a child prodigy who at 2 years old was solving college math problems. when his father asked him how he knew this math, because they didnt ever sit and do math with him (he was only two years old), he told them he learned it from sesame street! his mind was so well programmed for the math that watching them count and such on sesame street that his little brain was so stimulated that he could just put it all together.

i believe that watching tv all day can be harmful for a childs physical development, but watching one or two shows can be very good for them.

now i only let my kids watch PBS in the morning, sesame street martha speaks and curious george. then the tv is off for the rest of the day (unless its movie night) and we go outside to play until lunch. sometimes i do flash cards with them, but their attention span is like 3 minutes. but letting them watch tv in the morning is good for all of us because i can get an hour of work in or sleep a little longer and that helps them so much because then im not too tired to play with them later in the day.

i have a 16 month old a 4 yr old and a 7 yr old, everyone i meet tells me how smart and well developed they are and i think that having a good medium of all the activities during the day really helps them developmentally.

limit electronics time, this includes even baby toys that are electronic, to a certain amount per day. read to them for that same amount and play with them physically for that same amount.

example: watch tv or play with electronic toy for 30 minutes, read for 30 minutes and play outside for 30 minutes.

p.s. my hubby was 18 when we got married, and i will tell you; they are babies until they hit 25!!! and my hubby just turned 26. up until last year he couldnt even make himself food without me. he would go out to eat when i was gone or just not eat for a long time!! it gets tiring when you have kids, and since we are pregnant with our 4th he has been a lot more helpful and grownup and i love it!
hang in there, even when things get harder they will always get better!

Hi Sunshine,
This will ultimately be your decision, but I think it best not to have your child watch television so young. They are so fascinated just by the world around them. I always encourage letting young kids be entertained with what is around them vs. watching television. Afterwards, when your baby is a little older, you can never go wrong with Sesame Street.
Congratulations on your soon to be born baby. Rest up. You'll need the energy.

You do not "need" to show them TV shows/DVD's at this age.
They are easily stimulated even by a butterfly flying outside or the leaves blowing in the wind.
AND they learn by these things too.... naturally. But we as adults have the TV on whenever...so they know what it is.

But I know there are baby DVD's and which are very popular and said to be educational.

It's up to you, and how you raise your child.
You may be so busy and your baby, especially under 1 years old... may not even like to "watch" a TV show, until they are older. Babies this young do not "watch" shows like we do... their eyesight develops differently and their attention spans too...

Good luck,
Susan

It is my understanding that the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends zero screen time for kids under 2. This includes television as well as computers. Their brain develops better with one-on-one human interaction... not what a tv can offer. We've done our best to follow this recommendation... not always easy, but who said it was supposed to be easy? :-) Congratulations on your soon-to-be newbie!

Little Einstein DVD's!!! For sure. They get over them after a while and get back into them. I got the whole set at Costco and they have a variety of ages. My daughter is almost 4 and wants to watch the simple ones again.
Check craigslist for some too.

The on demand Free Kids Zone also has great stuff if you don't want to buy.

And don't worry about the ZERO TV for kids. My kid is a TV addict and they are constantly telling me at her school that she is way more advanced than anyone in her class. She is super smart and has already mastered the 5-6 year old Brain Quest cards.

Congrats Sunshine!
Your life will be changed forever.A few years from now,you'll not be able to imagine it,without your baby in it.I commend you,for doing your research and planning in anticipation of being a wonderful mother.As I'm quite sure you will be.A lot of mothers,will tell you,not to let your child watch TV at all.I however am a realist.If you have a TV in your home,it's inevitable.Funny you should mention (cartoons) They've gotten pretty graphic since I was a kid. If I were you,I'd take a little time, and judge for yourself, those which you believe to be a bit over the top.Even scary. A show, that my kids use to LOVE to watch,and they learned from it,was (Sesame Street.) I love any shows for kids,that's colorful,fun,and educational to boot.I'm sure some of the younger moms here can give you a few they approve of. One of the ways,to truly bond,that first year,is to talk to your baby. Read to him or her alot. Even if they don't understand what your saying,they love hearing you,and they adore that time with you.I wish you an memorable pregnancy,and an easy birth,and all the happiness in the world,with your new baby. J. M

Hi Sunshine,
I am also a teacher and I have a degree in psychology. I also have participated in conferences on brain research. What researchers know now, is that the Baby Einstein DVDs and other "brain-building" music and DVDs do NOT work. My husband is also in the business and having gon ethrough film school we know that the way TV is designed (with multiple little lights flashing constantly) is to be hypnotizing, to get people to focus. This turns OFF the brain and stops active thinking. The guideline is to have kids be TV-free for the first two years. And there's a good reason for that.

We did, however, use Baby Signing Time DVDs to teach our son about signing. He is now 11 months (we started when he was 5 months) and he uses signing regularly. But we limit his access to this as well.

Best of luck to you!
C.

The less you depend on electronic babysitters, (in the form of dvds or electronic toys) the less problems you will have with your child later, imo. You will notice TONS of product aimed at you to buy for infants through preschool and as children grow, less marketing is aimed at you. That is because corporations will prey on your innocence to the world of parenthood, your gulliability and your guilt if you can't be a stay at home mom.

Find things to entertain your baby that do not involve electricity or batteries and you will have a much easier job parenting. Babies love to go on walks through parks and see trees and birds and people. Mine loved to look at our fish aquarium. From the time mine was under a year I started going to the library checking out books and reading.

Little people learn language quickly so if you want to invest in anything, maybe ways to learn to be bilingual would be kinda useful.

Babying your husband is good as long as you get your turn being babied yourself!

Congratulations on your new baby. As some of the others said, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends zero TV or computer time before age two. My son didn't start watching TV until he was two, and then it was one Bob the Builder or some sort of vehicle video every few days. Even then, I felt that he didn't need to watch much TV. Children learn best through interacting with their parents and others and through play. Even ordinary (to us) experiences can be learning time for a baby. Bring your baby places like the supermarket or park, where you can talk to him (or her) about what you are seeing. My son had a play carpet that kept him entertained when he was an infant. I also read to him, even though he didn't understand the stories at first. He has always had a very good attention span and a great imagination, which I attribute to restricting TV time. Even now at age 10, his TV time is restricted and he must do some reading before watching TV or playing video games.

I have read the same thing about American pediatrics saying no TV at all under 2 years, even baby Einstein DVDs. At that young an age, TV and computers and DVDs have a negative effect on their brain development.
that said, I think that if an over-tired, overwhelmed, stressed out mom who can hardly manage in the moment needs a Baby Einstein DVD to give her a break and keep a challenging kid calm for a bit, that's the better choice than losing your noodle!
we can't be perfect parents but we can at least try to make the best choices possible and no or very little TV is the healthiest choice according to the experts.

It is generally recommended that babies do not watch TV until age 2. There are some Baby Einstein DVDs, but I wouldn't start those till about 6 months even though I think one that we have says 3 months. Even at 6 months our daughter wasn't quite interested in it.

Look into finding a new or used "baby gym" that you can hang rattling toys from. The baby can lie on the mat at 2-3 months of age and look at the colors, and as he/she starts moving will start interacting with some of the toys. That is, baby will likely accidentally hit a rattle toy and then get interested and try to do it again.

They don't need any TV until they are three or four, if you ask me. Even then, just one hour or so. Stay away from TV.

During his first year tv should not be directly for your baby, if you sit there with him and it's cuddle time or talk time or whatever you can't avoid tv but it can easily overstimulate babies and cause sleep issues.
Music is great for them but they should not be plopped in front of a tv. My son was about 18 mo. before he started to watch and then it was only playhouse Disney or PBS.
There are much better things for your little one to do.
Good Luck and Congratulations!

If you have DirecTv, they have a channel for babies/toddlers. Channel 293 is BabyFirst. They have short repetitive programs that focus on vocabulary building, colors, counting, music, and art. I know babies aren't supposed to be watching TV, but sometimes you need a minute or two. My son loves it, he now will sing and dance along. Even in you don't have DirecTv, anything with music will be good. Good luck!

You shouldn't introduce TV right away, read, play games,do activities.. of course in the beginning he will just want to eat and sleep, lol!

Some of our family's favorites that have been really educational and helpful are: Sesame Street, Super Why, WordWorld (these are on on PBS), Baby Einsteins, Little Einsteins, Baby Signing Times (learning sign language is helpful when they get to those years where they don't know how to express themselves in words,,, knowing sign language is a big plus).

Best wishes!

well, a lot of babies don't pay attention to the t.v. until around age two, which is just fine because watching t.v. is not good for brain development. If you search online or in parenting magazines and books you'll find tons of literature on the negative effects on t.v. watching and little kids/babies. However, unless you're willing to give up your t.v., there are some wholesome educational shows out there. I like Little Bear and Sesame Street. Just be careful not to use it too often. Turn it off immediately after the chosen show. I became a mother at a young age as well. Feel free to contact me for young mommy support. Peace!

Congrats Sunshine P! From my experience w/ 2 boys, neither one really got that attached to TV (as compared to now). In the first few months, they tend to sleep a lot. As they get more interested in things, I found the activity mat was one favorite, as well as the bouncy chairs that have an activity cross bar across the top. We did receive the Baby Einstein videos as gifts and my oldest loved those for a little bit. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse is fun to watch & educational, as well as Tigger & Pooh.

Good luck to you & your family!

We never let our kids watch TV until they were 2-2.5 years old, so they would be able to play and use their imagination. Our son started watching 30 minutes of TV 3 times each week and it slwoly increased due to us not being so diligent and suddenly, when he was playing with his cars or trains, he couldn't make up conversations between the cars anymore. We stopped all TV and within 2 weeks, he was back with his imagination in tact.

Their brains will grow more with actual play and touch from mom and dad. I'd forget the TV at this point. They will watch plenty later.

Sunshine,
According to the American Medical Association, babies under the age of two should not watch ANY television.

You know, my little one loved the HBO "Classical Baby" series when she was pretty little. Plus they are nice and quiet classical music for tired mommies and daddies! Also my daughter loves anything Sesame Street; they have lots of little half-hour dvds and you can usually get used copies on Amazon for like $3. PLus, with Sesame Street, they are learning and at 18 months, my bugaboo already knows her alphabet and numbers. Just be wary, you don't want to let them watch too much tv, and if you let them watch any at all, they will always ask for more. Set a time limit and be ready to say no.

My boys loved the "Your Baby Can Read" series of DVDs from Infant Learning Co. They learned a lot of words watching these and reading the books that come with the set. I highly recommend it. My kids didn't like any of the Baby Einstein stuff - most of which I didn't find interesting either! Play a lot of classical music and read to your child...and eat a good clean diet...congrats.

I have a two year old and I have introduced him to baby einsten n mozart movies, but while you are pregnant I stongly suggest that you play classical and instrumental music while you relax. Baby will like that when he is born he will probably go to sleep with the music (favorite or played most) I congratulate you and your husband, we are gift and a blessing to our parents just like your baby will be for you two. Enjoy every moment it passes so briefly. god bless your family.

Any of the Baby Einstein dvd's. They also have books and toys too. My kids liked these starting around 8 months. It's nice to have on in the background beause of the music and occasionally they would glance at the TV. I don't think it's wrong to cuddle up with your baby and talk about what is going on on the TV every now and then. When your child is older, then you'll have to pry them away. Teletubbies is good for oldr abies because of the images and music too.

My 14 month old has LOVED Frozen since she was 1 year old.

She used to be so fussy in the car with crying and everything that can get on your nerves when driving but since we have set up the ipad and downloaded Frozen, we can drive anywhere and pop on Frozen and she is content.

The people who say don't let your kid watch tv until 2 years old, do you have kids? I can't even imagine not letting my kid watch tv to get that time to wash dishes, drive, put some things away. It is so unrealistic to not let your kid watch tv so that they can stay focused in the living room and not wander around all over the place when you are trying to prepare their meals or get some stuff done. If it is done in excess it is not good, however, the tv can be a savior sometimes.

I put on Sesame Street in the morning and I let her watch Frozen in the car. Even DR appts I will bring the ipad and she will sit and watch instead of being fussy the whole time.

I am going to download The Little Mermaid next.

Don't kid yourself about you husband being another kid -- it doesn't change.

Generally cartoons/videos aren't recommended for infants. Don't think you can plop an infant in front of the TV as a babysitter.

baby einsteins would be a good choice. but keep in mind that the first year they might not be so interested, babies dont really pay attention to what is going on in the movie alot of the times they just like to look at the colors and the movement of objects. so you r going to have to experiment. i am a young mom as well i had my son when i was 19 so i can relate to you alot. also, i dont think that there is anything wrong with watching a movie or a show. my son and i love to sit and watch a movie, he is now 22 months and can say many things, he is very active, social, i could actually say that those movies that he watched helped him because he got many of the words he knows from them, he does many silly things that the characters do, but dont use the movies or shows as a babysitter sit and watch the shows w/ him/her.

Sunshine,

PBS and nick for toddlers...

Baby einstein, etc...

Sunshine-educate yourself on the effects of media on children under the age of 2 before you put them in front of a TV with a show or a movie. Since you have access to this website, you have a computer. Go to the American Acedemy of Pediatrics website and read about how much harm you can cause a child by exposure to TV at this age.
Interact with your child, go to the store, the park, anywhere they can get visual stimulation that is not DIGITAL or TV related!
http://www.aap.org

The Baby mozart series of DVD's are great! Also Direct TV has a channel specifially for babies

Good Luck!

None. The American Academy of Peds does not recommend TV/videos until at least 2 years old. It is passive rather then active attention and participation.