Recently I read some guidelines that suggested that children under the age of two should not watch the television at all, as it delays speech development and causes obesity (due to sitting still for long periods, I suppose).

If anything I think TV has the opposite effect on F! She gets so excited when her favourite programmes come on, shouting, waving her arms and bouncing up and down. A couple of months ago she stood unaided for the first time in front of In The Night Garden, without realising, as she was busy clapping and blowing kisses to Upsy Daisy!

She also loves to talk when the tv is on,  pointing at animals,  naming dogs and ducks  and making the noises for sheep (“Baaa!”), cows, cats and elephants.

We have been going to baby signing classes so she  loves to watch Mr Tumble on the CBeebies programme Something Special and copy the signs. I’m surprised how many of these she remembers!

Obviously, as with everything, I think the television should be used in moderation. I wouldn’t let F sit in front of the TV for hours and hours. However, it can be useful when you need to keep a little one occupied for ten minutes while you make a phone call or a sandwich! Besides, many of the children’s programmes ( particularly CBeebies) are actually very educational.

I wonder how many mums really do prevent their little ones from watching the tv until the age of two? What do you think – should under twos watch tv?