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Child Spends Time By Watching TV Alone. Suggest?

Posted on Sat, 14 Sep 2013

Question: My daughter is 4 yrs old and spends all her day watching TV alone. I get very little or no support at all from other family members to cut her TV time. How can I make her play outdoors, make friends. I am a working mom and have very less time ( 3hrs) with her in the evening. That is the only time I can restrict her not to watch the TV and play outdoors. Kindly guide me solve this issue.

Thanks in advance,
XXXXX

Answered by Dr. E Venkata Ramana (4 hours later)

Brief Answer:
Encourage child with other activities.

Detailed Answer:
Hi XXXXXXX

Thank you for your query on Healthcare Magic.

I can understand your concern.

Nowadays watching television (TV) for hours together in children is a big problem and it is not good for their health and growth.

Excessive watching TV leads to childhood obesity, lack of social and communication skills, and creativity.

Clearly restrict the duration of viewing TV to 1 hour in a 24 hours only.

I can suggest you some tips to cut down TV watching by your child.

1.Cut watching TV completely for a while like for 1 week by disconnecting. Have a
TV free week and then slowly add back in some watching. This will be
acceptable for children.

2.Keep the TV inside a curtain or in a cabinet to cover it up when not in use. This
will help to keep TV out of their mind and the child will be diverted into other
activity.

3.Television in bedrooms, in children bedrooms should be removed. Place the TV
in shared areas shared by the family like common room or hall.

4. Make the child busy by activities art and painting, puzzles and games. Ask her
to help in your domestic work when she feels boredom.

5.Encourage the child to go outside to park, shop, and to participate in games
with her peer group in neighbor area.

6.And show your children that you think watching less television is important by
practicing what you tell and this should be followed by the other family
members also.

Hope the above suggestions will help you to gradually decrease the TV watching by your child.

Hope I have answered your query, if you have any clarification please let me know.

Regards.

Dr E Venkata Ramana,
Consultant Pediatrician- XXXXXXX Hospital, Malakpet.
Hyderabad.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. E Venkata Ramana (16 hours later)

Other family members do not agree with me on cutting TV time for my child and they themselves watch TV lots of hours in a day. She takes them as an example and argues with me. I go to work and cannot directly control her. I feel I am helpless. I have no choice but to send her to some tuitions or join her in some other classes.

Do you have any other suggestions other than above as my family does not suppor tme in this regard. I am afraid she is slowly cutting down on her social skills. Ealier she was very active and very playful. Nowadays, since my mother in law started to stay with us, both of them watch TV continuously all day long.

Thanks for your answer though!!

Answered by Dr. E Venkata Ramana (1 hour later)

Brief Answer:
Join her in a school and send her dance classes.

Detailed Answer:
Hi XXXXXXX

Thank you for getting back.

I can understand your concern and the task of decreasing TV watching will be difficult without the cooperation and support of your family members.

I advise you to clearly discuss the issue, the serious impacts of excessive TV watching with your husband and mother-in-law and gain their support.

If she is not attending a play school, join her in a play school where will have the opportunity to play, spend time with her peer group.

Try to cut down the TV watching time gradually.

In the evening time, you can send her to classes like dance classes where she will utilize her time in learning.

Hope I have answered your query, if you have any clarification please let me know.

Regards.

Note: For further queries related to your child health, Talk to a Pediatrician. Click here to Book a Consultation.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar