So, even as careful as we are to not sit our child down in front of the television, we have found a loophole. In this house, YouTube is our guilty pleasure. We first discovered it when a friend aired his TV show pilot. Braeden and I were actually in it, so it didn't really "count" as watching TV (right...?). A couple of months later, my brother showed us a very strange video called "Muffins" while we were visiting. Braeden instantly fell for the obviously disturbed lady who spoke with a Boston accent and advertised her supposedly delicious "Bird," "Paperclip," and "Israeli-Palestinian Conflict" muffins. My new justification for letting Braeden watch YouTube: it's new and edgy and therefore not mind-sucking like TV. Also, all of those silly muffins were letting him identify familiar objects.
The delusion continued as I discovered a fabulous director on YouTube whose videos are just about all appropriate for children. He uses stop-motion videography and his own synthesized tunes, resulting in really entertaining music videos. The first one we discovered was called "Pancakes," in which bowls, spatulas, and other kitchenwares were used to create the rhythm. Watching this video one evening led us to finding a crepe recipe online and trying out the toppings that the guy uses in the video. "The Garden" is another favorite of Braeden's, especially since we have a garden of our own. Again, the music is great, but this time, brooms, rakes, a lawnmower, and a leaf blower are used. And he also frequently asks for "Cow dancing," which I believe is actually called "Addicted to YouTube," featuring a stuffed cow dancing on top of a speaker at the beginning.
I tell myself that YouTube is better than TV for the following reasons:
- The videos are all short, 10 minutes or less. So it's impossible to plop him down in front of the computer for a long period of time. In fact, we usually have to sit right there with him, so we're still kind of interacting.
- There are no ads, as well as no animated heroes who are going to beckon to Braeden from the shelves of a toy store.
- Computers are just inherently better for the mind than televisions.
And here is why YouTube has become a family fallback:
- There's only so much I can accomplish on the computer anymore while Braeden's nursing. He is content to lie there for maybe 5 minutes max, then he's ready to run again!
- (This is awful to admit, but...) The YouTube screen only takes up less than half a page, so I can open my email next to it and message away while Braeden sits contentedly next to me.
- Sometimes Braeden just loses it. If he's overtired and it's almost dinnertime, he has been known to become a human puddle. So Joe, in turn, has been known to toss the little one over his shoulder and turn on "Dahden" (Garden) for him... while checking his email, of course.
Okay, I do feel a certain amount of guilt for letting Braeden watch YouTube, if only for 20 minutes a day. I know that most kids (even babies) spend way more time in front of the TV every day, but I also know that the AAP recommends no TV time at all for children under 2. And, as Mothering.com put it, it's screentime more than just TV time that we need to avoid. Hopefully we make up for this brain-numbing video watching with the dozens of books that we read with Braeden every day. Is there a way to make up for "screentime"? Or will we parents be forced to learn our lesson when our children are turned down for admission to the exclusive Montessori preschool down the street?
If you'd rather let your mind become mush rather than worry about the above question, check out these YouTube videos. They come with my 1 1/2-year-old's seal of approval:
- The Uncle Phil Show (there are 3 parts to the episode)
- Muffins
- The Garden (most of GiR2007's videos are fun to watch)
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