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dear moms,

I am the mom of a 2.8yr old son.
The only way i can get him to eat is either while he is watching his fav cartoon Scooby doo/Jetsons or while playn his fav computer games like dora the explorer etc.
So thats at 3hrs daily.But not in one.

I wanted to know if its alright.
Is 3hrs too much?
Thankyou so much for ur comments and time
engee

Well engee, I can tell you what the "experts" say. They say that no child should watch tv or play video games for more than 2 hours a day and that children under 2 shouldn't watch at all. My personal feeling is that 3 hours is too much. But every family has to make its own decisions about what is best for them. I am concerned that he eats while watching/playing. That could be a real tough habit to break later in life.
Cyn

Engee,

I have a 3 year old and a 1 year old myself and I know what a struggle it can be to make them sit still and eat sometimes! I would be concerned about your son always watching tv when he is eating. When people are doing something distracting while they are eating, like watching tv, they are not really paying attention to how much they are eating. They also don't pay as much attention to when their body is telling them they are full, and as a result, tend to over-eat. It is probably not much of a problem for him now, but in the long run, it is not a healthy habit to have.

Maybe you could try telling him he can watch the cartoons or play the game when he finishes eating. If he's anything like my kids, he will probably fight you on it for a few days until he sees that you are not going to give in, but eventually he will accept the new rules.

I have an interesting take on this subject, since I am a video gamer myself. My daughter gets to play nickjr.com, the playstation2, xbox, she has a vsmile and a gameboy. However, not during dinner, not all night, and it is always a treat. I make sure that she understands the game is not for everynight, not something she always gets, but rather a privledge she earns by listening and following through.

I feel that video games devlop good hand/eye coordination, problem solving skills, thinking, recognizing patterns, and even reading skills. Believe it or not, I learned to read because I wanted to know what all the words in Kings Quest were, way back when. But I don't think they should be a lifestyle, I feel they should be a privledge.

As for movies, I don't like the house quiet, I like background noise. I don't watch television so usually have some kids movie running when I'm home. I work full time all week, and my daughter plays hard at my moms house during the week. Even at home, the movie is background for her too while she runs around doing puzzles, playing games, coloring, etc. At night a movie is winddown time before bed.

Dez