I have a satellite and it has the baby channel on it.. I was just wondering if anyone actually subscribes to it and if it seems like its helping your baby with any developments??

I was wondering this myself... LOL! I haven't called yet to see how much it is....

LOL, a TV will not help with development. In fact, it will hinder it. Electromagnetic radiation, which is emitted from televisions, actually slows brain waves, which can have long lasting effects.

My DD is not allowed to watch TV. In fact, I've been keeping it off most of the day for myself too.

I'm sure a thorough google search will point you in the right direction if you're interested in researching it for yourself.

They had a 30 day free trial period when it first came out. I watched a little of it here and there. During the day is the children's programing, and night is stuff for the parents. I didn't care much for it, but if it were always free I'd probably watch occasionally. I wouldn't even consider paying for it, waste of money IMO.

I think it was $10 or $15 per month...I watched a bit when it was free and it was irritating for me, but ds (still in womb) liked the music.

It comes with our package. Avery is not much interested in it yet. Its kinda silly and repetitive......but it is for babies. My 4 year old thinks its funny. We have always been a tv watching family. I guess our brainwaves are in slow motion..lol. My friends 18 month old loves it. I guess its the same as letting them watch sesame street, barney, or anything like that. I don't see any harm in it.

I was visiting my father a few weeks ago and he has this channel on his satellite. He sat with Elijah and he LOVED it. He was squealing, laughing, and actually trying to make the sounds back to the tv. I wouldn't plop my child down in front of the tv to get him "off my back", but every so often sitting down and watching a show with him I don't feel is bad or detrimental in anyway.

Being home with my child all day long (six months)... yes the TV is on.... but its more for back ground noise and if I do watch a show I am usually playing with her on my lap or in her chair with a toy at the same time... or practicing saying mama! LOL!! or BABA!!!

My SIL said she used to plop her little ones down in front of the tv and put in a dvd so she could clean the house! I haven't done anything like that yet!... yet is the word to use here - I am not perfect - and will never say never.... ;)

usually I have her in her swing, exersaucer or jumper when I try to vacuum or pick up- usually i try to do that stuff when she is sleeping... :dizzy:

My son lays on the floor when I'm cleaning and it's usually the time Cops is on. He loves that show, I think it's all the the lights. I've never seen the baby channel bc I feel $10 a month is a waste to pay for it but my ds likes to watch the movement on tv time to time. I don't think there is anything wrong with babies watching tv, they have no idea what it is anyways! It's more of a distraction to them then anything. Plus my son likes the baby enstine videos (well the one he watched). I plan on teaching him spanish and sign laugange through those when he gets old enough. I don't know either so we will learn together LOL.

Like Friday said, yes the tv is on most of the day bc I'm a sahm, but it's for background noise. Also if I'm watching a show (usually wait till he naps, I TiVO alot of shows) and he's awake we play on the floor or on my lap.

They had a 30 day free trial period when it first came out. I watched a little of it here and there. During the day is the children's programing, and night is stuff for the parents. I didn't care much for it, but if it were always free I'd probably watch occasionally. I wouldn't even consider paying for it, waste of money IMO.

I agree. We got the same trial period. Dd would look at it for maybe a minute, then move on to something else. Imo, it would be more beneficial to actually interact with baby then let cable do it. :rolleyes:

Imo, it would be more beneficial to actually interact with baby then let cable do it. :rolleyes:

DITTO!!!!!

I pay for the subscription to BabyFirstTV. It is $9.99 a month and well worth it. Those of you who had it the first month for free did not get the full effect of it because the channel was new. They are now getting some different things on there. My baby Ava Gracie is 6 months old, and her pediatrician is wonderful and would never recommend anything harmful, and he feels that the programming is great for babies. Of course you don't want to leave your baby in front of it 24/7, but if you need to fold some laundry or do some dishes it's great. Me and my baby also like to sit and rock while we watch it. Each show has a color coded flower at the bottom of the screen to let you know what category the show is in; such as Thought Developement, Creativity, Numbers and Shapes, etc... There is a show called Sandman where they draw pictures in the sand. They read story books. They also teach sign language every 2 hours. TV is a fact of life and this programming is much better than the alternatives. She even has 2 favorite shows and she lights up when they come on. She also particulary like the scenes of just babies and children playing with singing in the background. You can tell some of it is from the 70's, but thats ok. There is alot more to our daily routine than TV, but this programming is great. And as far as TV slowing down brain waves because of Electromagnetic Radiation, I'm not really falling for that. There are two forms of radiation. Ionizing and Non-ionizing. Tv is Non-ionizing radiation and does not have enough energy to alter atoms. Lights, Microwaves, Radios, also produce Non-ionizing radiation. A TV is not like an X-ray or MRI machine that puts out ionizing radiation. If you choose not to watch TV, thats a personal choice, but I don't think people on the board should be scaring others into thinking their TV's are putting out harmful radiation. Letting your children enjoy a little television is perfectly fine. BabyFirstTV also encourages parents to interact with their children while watching the program. There is nothing wrong with learning from watching television. I learn from watching the Learning and Discovery channels. We all learn from many different sources. And realistically TV is one of them.

Thank you for letting us know about the channel Tess. It's nice to hear a "realistic" view and not a "condensending" one.

Nicely said Tess! I agree with you.

And as far as TV slowing down brain waves because of Electromagnetic Radiation, I'm not really falling for that. There are two forms of radiation. Ionizing and Non-ionizing. Tv is Non-ionizing radiation and does not have enough energy to alter atoms. Lights, Microwaves, Radios, also produce Non-ionizing radiation. A TV is not like an X-ray or MRI machine that puts out ionizing radiation. If you choose not to watch TV, thats a personal choice, but I don't think people on the board should be scaring others into thinking their TV's are putting out harmful radiation.

The worry is not in growing a three eyed kid, it is how the emissions effect an infants developing brain. Infant brains require "wiring" to be done in the brain in order for development to successfully take place. Being able to roll over, or smile, or crawl means that the correct wiring has been put in place. The emissions given off from televisions effect how this wiring is done, either by delaying it, or by crossing it. Perhaps it's not seen in developmental milestones, but it may surface later in the child's ability to focus in school, or in short term memory loss (or lack of potential function), etc.

Harvard University Professor T. Berry Brazelton hooked newborn babies up to electroencephalographs and then exposed them to a flickering light source similar to a television but with no images. Fifteen minutes into their exposure, the babies stopped crying and produced sleep patterns on the EEG, even though their eyes were still open and observing the light. Brazelton's experiment revealed that the medium itself, with no content, acts directly on the brain to suppress mental activity. The Group for the Advancement of Psychiatry confirmed Brazelton's finding in 1982. They reported that the brain waves generated while watching even the most exciting shows were those of low attention states. The researchers found that while subjects viewed television, "output of alpha rhythms increased, indicating they were in a passive state, as if they were just sitting in the dark."

In 1999 the American Academy of Pediatrics issued a medial alert in response to this study recommending parents not expose their children, under the age of 2, to any type of screen media.

And lastly, I will never understand how a TV can be a learning tool to a developing infant. A warm lap, open arms, and a good book, told with my voice and inflection, seems to be a much better learning tool in my mind. Or better yet, seeing the beach, and bright colours, and shapes in real life, without having to watch a screen.

Intended to "scare" people? No. Just enlighten them and encourage them to do their own research. Children shouldn't watch TV for various reasons, but mostly because of the impact it can, and DOES, have on learning. If you want to argue that it is used to help you do laudry, fine, but there is nothing to be learned from watching TV, other then how to rely on a thing to entertain you instead of learning to be creative. But that's just me.

I actually learned how to read before kindergarten by watching sesame street, reading rainbow,etc. So you can't say it is not a learning tool. Yes, I was read to also but the letter recognition and things of that nature were mostly learned through the dreaded tv. Your opinion is your opinion, but it seems to come across like you are putting other people down for what they do that is different from you. I have 3 kids and my 2 older ones have tvs, dvd players, and both have video game systems(the 4 year old has a v-smilewhich is a learning tool)in their rooms. That doesn't make me an inattentive mom. Like I said, we are a tv watching bunch and I notice when my kids are learning from certain programs and sometimes they watch stuff with no educational value...just fun movies. I understand that a 4 month old and even my 9 month old is not that interested in tv, but as they get older they will. Will mine be watching the baby channel then? If she likes it. If not she'll probably watch barney or teletubbies. Thats what my other ones liked:) .

State your opinions once, and agree to disagree.

This is a legitimate discussion in regard to infant care, but do not argue. Address the originator of the post, only.