Everything you wanted to know about babies and screens

Allow the baby to watch TV?

And what happens to him when our eyes wander to the message we just got on the phone?

Daniel Sarantsky, in collaboration with JAMA

24/04/2022

Sunday, 24 April 2022, 06:22 Updated: 07:36

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You are watching a moment of magic between your baby and his father.

They are immersed in the game and enjoy the perfect bonding and suddenly - the sound of a message.

The father turns his head to the phone, concentrating entirely on the text he is reading, his face disconnects from the baby and suddenly they are expressionless.

The baby tries to get his attention, calls to him, smiles at him, but the father?

Captured to the screen.

This situation is not just reserved for fathers, of course.

You too, when you play and even breastfeed and look at the baby, can be distracted as soon as your phone rings or a message is received.

Your eyes wander to another place and your moment is stopped because of the phone.

So true, everyone is connected to the phone, working through it, updating and keeping in touch through it, but it's worth thinking for a moment about how your baby feels when the attention moves in an instant - from him to the screen.

, An infant development specialist, family counselor and parent counselor, explains that the instigated eye contact following phone alerts is important for the baby's emotional, social and intellectual development.

Eye contact builds his sense of self-worth, your ability to read it and listen to it and know what he needs.

This is one explanation why your clinging to the screen interferes with the baby's development, but how does his viewing the screens affect his development?

Shlomit recommends avoiding exposure to screens until the age of two for several reasons:

- screen time will always come at the expense of motor activity or play time, as well as at the expense of interaction with parents.

- viewing impairs the secretion of melatonin and then difficulties in falling asleep and sleeping may occur.

- The monitors may accustom the baby to a high dose of stimuli.

Accumulation of tension - Prolonged viewing causes tension to accumulate in the baby which will usually be released by

. For visual focus problems.

- In the first months of the baby's life, learning should be through direct and not indirect experience, especially while touching and moving, which of course does not happen when watching the screen.

Formation of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder - Studies suggest a link between early and excessive screen viewing and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and lower mental ability.

- Imagine that the baby sees an object on the screen and extends his hand to touch it, but there is really nothing there.

This is an impairment of the hand-eye coordination skill, and after several such experiences, it is very possible that the baby will lose motivation to try again.

As mentioned, the unequivocal recommendation is to avoid exposure to screens until the age of two, but if you are already watching, then take advantage of it for joint activities - acting songs and activities in motion.

Split the viewing for short periods of time and be careful not to do it

before bed and certainly not to get the baby used to falling asleep with a TV in the background.

Note, in general, that it is not always lit in the background and do not feed when it is a distraction from the meal.

There are definitely benefits to screens in our lives, and babies are born into a technological world that requires screen viewing, but as long as it depends on it - wait with them, just a little longer.

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In collaboration with JAMA

The unequivocal recommendation is to avoid exposure to screens until the age of two, but if you are already watching, then take advantage of it for joint activities (Photo: ShutterStock)

The Jama app was established with the aim of addressing mothers of babies from birth to age three, and centralizing for them content, activities, tips from experts and videos that will accompany them throughout this challenging period.

All the content in the app "grows" together with the baby and is precisely adapted to its developmental stages, so that the mothers receive only what is relevant to them and interests them at any given moment.

The Jama app is the place for mothers in Israel to meet and get to know other mothers around them, and create new and exciting friendships in the fascinating journey.

Search us on Google: https://app.jama.co.il/

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