Turn off the TV!

It’s 10 p.m. — do you know where your tween or teen is? Perhaps watching TV in his or her bedroom? Not ideal, you know, but you figure a couple of hours a day of TV won’t hurt him or her. Think again. “Kids who spend more time watching TV have lower grades and fewer extracurricular activities,” say

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At home sick - without TV!

Thanks to the H1N1 virus, most schools have a zero-tolerance policy for any cold or flu symptoms exhibited by students. That could make for a lot more “sick days” for kids who aren’t feeling all that sick! What to do when your child has really minor symptoms — low-grade fever, runny nose or nasty co

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Tips for limiting TV time

Tips and resources for parents, caregivers and day care providers, provided by Seattle Children's Hospital. For babies: Avoid TV for children younger than age 2. Choose activities that promote language development and brain growth, such as talking, playing, reading, singing and enjoying music. F

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TV in kids' rooms? Why not!

Call me old school, but I can’t seem to muster any real indignation over the fact that my just-over-2-year-old granddaughter loves “Blue’s Clues.” And “Sesame Street.” And “Baby Einstein.” In fact — and I get that I’m treading on confessional territory here — she actually asks her parents if she can

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Are Screens Smart for Babies? The Experts Weigh in on Screen Time

The “Brainy Baby” video series claims it will “help stimulate your child’s cognitive development.” The Disney-owned Baby Einstein Co.’s “Baby Shakespeare” DVD purports to “present infants with 12 common words found within the rich context of classic poems.” As a parent of a busy 14-month-old son,

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New Study Looks at Very Young Children and TV

It all began when a father noticed that his 3-month-old seemed mesmerized by the flickering TV screen. "Could this be affecting the baby?" he wondered. That this father - Dr. Dimitri Christakis - was in a position to search for an answer to his own question may turn out to be a lucky break for the

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