media Tag

10 Reasons Why I Will continue to give My Children Handheld Devices

Last week we published the link and a short commentary based on the Huffington Post article: 1o Reasons Why Handheld Devices should be banned from children under the Age of 12. This week we are delighted to share with you a response to that same article published by blogger Hipmombrarian: mother of two girls and a librarian.

We certainly appreciate the fact that girls hardly enter technological fields.  This is quite marked in the Caribbean Region. Does this trend start from as young as under 12 years? Could the young child who isn’t using technology often be … left behind?

Everything in moderation! Please tell us your thoughts after you have enjoyed the other side of the tech coin: 10 Reasons Why I Will continue to give My Children Handheld Devices. 

10 Reasons Why Handheld Devices Should Be Banned for Children Under the Age of 12

The entire staff of Tots to Teens stands behind the American and Canadian Paediatric Associations in their call for parents and caregivers to consciously monitor children and their exposure to electronic media.
Note well: children under age 2 years should not be exposed to electronic media at all!
Talk to your pediatrician and your family doctor about any concerns you may have.

http:// http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/4899218

The consequences of overexposure are real.

JAMAICA: Free public forum dedicated to children and their well-being.

Knowledge is power! Come, learn, share.

Will you make the Same Mistake as Me? Your Baby Cannot Read

Your Baby Can Read – Early Literacy – Parenting.com.

We’re all looking for the perfect program or class to develop our latent baby Einsteins. Which is why the $199.95 Your Baby Can Read 5 DVD program (yourbabycanread.com) is so enticing — wouldn’t it be great if our babies were geniuses and could read?

Of course, implicit in the marketing is the assumption that our babies should read if we are to Keep Up with the Joneses, make our babies smarter, more athletic and genius artists.

Except, when I looked at child development research, I found that baby’s brain cells need time to grow and develop synapses. This happens with touch, stimulation, play, good nutrition, and that sort of thing. It takes time.

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The Your Baby Can Read creator, Titzer, claims on his website, “When children develop reading skills during their natural window of opportunity, from about birth to age four, they read better and are more likely to enjoy it.”. Not true says decades of research. Learning to read early means you learned to read early. It doesn’t mean that you are going to love reading.

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Here’s the other thing that bothered me about that overheard coffee shop conversation — Why? Why do we want our babies to read anyway? To beat out all the other kids?

We at  Caribbean Tots to Teens, RE-ENFORCE and SUPPORT the American Academy of Pediatrics recommendations for discouraging ALL ELECTRONIC MEDIA under the age of 2 years. This includes television, DVDs and computer programmes/games. (see Link)

Policy Statement—Media Education ~American Academy of Pediatrics Sept 2010

There are numerous studies that demonstrate the dangers of over exposure to media for children. In this revised document from the AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics) new research is brought o bear on the rapidly expanding problem of electronic media and child development.

Language delay, Obesity and Aggression are only a few of the developmental problems directly related to excessive exposure to media in childhood and adolescence.

Policy Statement—Media Education.

IMPORTANT TAKE HOME TIPS for parents include

1. Toddlers under age 2 years SHOULD NOT Be using electronic media AT ALL. (special report)

2. NO television, video games or electronic play (ePlay) devices should be in the child’s bedroom.

3. Limit and focus time spent with electronic media: No more than 2 hours a day should be spent in ePlay; electronic entertainment for any child between 2 years and 16 years old. The TV should never be a babysitter.

4. Be a good example to your children: let them see you engaging in other forms of entertainment. Make it a point for family discussion adventure.

Change involves the whole family and creative, consistent thought, but it doesn’t have to be expensive. Healthy Lifestyle choices today build a Healthy Future for tomorrow.