It’s an age-old question:  Should you let your baby watch TV?  Well, the answer depends on who you ask.  Pediatricians, teachers, and parents are just some of the people who’ve weighed in on this debate.

As varied as the opinions are, the consensus is pretty clear.  Many parents, myself included, that allow their babies to watch TV don’t condone using it as a baby sitter for hours on end. Often, moms need 15 minutes to take a shower or 10 minutes to clean the sticky apple juice off the kitchen floor.  Many are also looking for high quality, short educational shows that they can watch with their babies.

There are a lot of companies that cater to developmental needs of babies.  Two popular companies are Brainy Baby and Baby Einstein.  Both companies offer high quality books, DVDs, and toys for young children.

There is also a television channel geared towards babies called Baby First TV.  
This channel is geared for babies 6 months – 3 years old.  It offers a commercial-free line up of over 40 programs that air 24 hours a day.  Their shows are developed by child development experts, and explore different areas including math, language, and creative play.

Baby First TV subscribers pay a monthly fee.  It’s also currently open to DirecTV and Dish Network Subscribers only.  The company does, however, plan to offer the channel through other cable providers in coming months.  You can visit their site for more details.

Keep in mind, though, that you don’t have to subscribe to a channel like Baby TV, to find a program that might be appropriate for your baby for a few minutes.  PBS offers programs like Sesame Street that offer the same type of benefit.  And, PBS comes with a basic cable subscription, so no extra expense!

As a busy mom with young children, I know there are those days when you need a few minutes to get something specific done.  Of course, I try to get as much done during nap time as I can, but sometimes for whatever reason you can’t get it all done.  That’s where baby-appropriate programming comes in.  If your baby is watching something educational and entertaining, and you can tend to your task for 10 or 15 minutes, it’s a win/win situation.