The Boob Tube

This is exactly why I rarely have the television on.

The American Association of Pediatricians recommends restricting the use of media for children under the age of 2.  The AAP lists dismal key findings about toddlers and television in this press release.


Okay.  Television is basically off limits in our home.  I won't lie--it's hard.  No television equates a lot of one-to-one time with Levi.  Some days I feel brain-dead by the time Douglas comes home from work.  I tell him that I need a break, like, RIGHT NOW.

When I do turn the television on, it feels like I am knowingly giving Levi a myriad of future afflictions.

When we went to D.C. to visit friends, I was struck by my friend's clever use of her television--she created a playlist off YouTube, customizing it for her son (almost 3, by the way).  This commercial-free playlist includes thoughtfully chosen music videos celebrating diversity, slow-moving trains and videos of her son talking, playing and dancing.   I thought this was a fantastic example of using television thoughtfully.

Levi has his own curated playlist now, which I still use very sparingly and only when I'm sitting with him, talking about what we're seeing.  This short playlist includes The Three Little Pigs from ASLized, which is under 5 minutes.

Douglas' ASL KO music video is on the playlist, too.  I chose those two because they're both wonderful examples of different genres in ASL literature.  My father created the soundtrack for ASL KO, so it is also a great opportunity for Levi to practice using his hearing aids.

I also have a 4 minute video of Levi sitting with his friend, talking about trains which goes something like this:

Levi: Train.
OZJ:  Train.
Levi:  Mama.

What else could I add to Levi's playlist?  I am a relative stranger to the world of Youtube and would love ideas.  In the meantime as I heed AAP's warning, I will remember that Levi is going to be a toddler for only so long.