Parents often worry about the amount of television their young child watches and if they are following American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)  television guidelines, which is, children under 2 should not watch television.  That may be shocking to most, considering all the programming that is available for children 2 years and younger.  There are lots of educational videos such as Baby Einstein, and televsion channels devoted to babies and development.  Although most parents are concerned about the amount of television their young child watches, sometimes television is needed to give parents a break.  When a child is sick, or when the parent needs a few minutes to complete a task, often times the television comes to the rescue in providing the parent with a few minutes of uninterrupted time from the child. 

What happens to your child when he or she watches television? do they zone out, do they interact, do they continue to play with other toys? Lisa Guernsey author of Screen Time, How Media-From Baby Videos to Educational Software-Affects Your Young Child came up with what she calls the "three C's, Content, Context and your Child." When a child is watching television the parent should ask themself the three C's and determine if the program is appropriate for the child. 

Is television ruining your child from developing other fine motor skills and social skills? There is no clear evidence that it is or is not.  But when your child is watching televsion you can ask your self what other things your child can be doing instead. Your child could read a book, play cars, perform a puppet show, play with building blocks, the list goes on and on.  It is important to make sure the television is not a babysitter and that your child get plenty of social interaction time and creative play time.  When your child watches television it is important to interact with your child.  Ask them questions about what is happening, ask them about colors and shapes, and try to repeat new words and meanings.