Setting Limits

How much TV does a  toddler Samara's age watch? I have been a bit concerned of late because whenever we are in the living room Samara always rushes for the remote control and presses buttons taht we didn't even know existed. In her wisdom,she has learned how to switch it on. Many evenings, I have told her we are not watching TV but instead will listen to music and play,which she doesn't mind, just to show her that there is more to life than TV.

We have invested in christian DVDs which have silly songs, bible songs, action songs etc which are good for her and we have encouraged her to watch and learn. Amazingly she is singing and dancing along to the songs but my concern is how to set the limits.

Baby center advised that at 17months , she ought to be engaged in drawing, outdoor games just to enhance her creativity.

For you, play is a way of relaxing — whether that means playing tennis or playing chess. But for children, play is learning. Through play children learn about their senses, and they fine-tune a variety of gross- and fine-motor skills. Whether she's stacking blocks and banging on pots, or digging in sand and throwing balls, a toddler is learning what her body can do, what various objects feel like, and how they smell and taste.

Creating art is one of a toddler's favorite pastimes. Remember when you first showed your child how to use a crayon, and she colored back and forth, making wavy lines willy-nilly all over the page? Now she is capable of controlling the pencil or crayon a little bit, and may start to draw in circles. A few months ago she covered a piece of paper with scribbles; now she will draw more deliberately, decorating different parts of a page with separate blocks of artwork. Your job is to give her plenty of opportunities to do it.

Set your child up with big sheets of thick paper; tape it to the table so it stays put. Offer her a few thick crayons (she'll likely snap the little ones in half) or washable markers. If she's not interested in drawing on paper, see if she'd like to draw outside with sidewalk chalk. Finger painting, or making handprints and footprints with paint, is usually a popular activity with toddlers (who doesn't like having permission to make a huge mess?). Or, next time you go for a walk, encourage her to collect some leaves, pebbles, acorns, and the like. When you get home, make a collage that commemorates your outing, gluing the items to a piece of cardboard that she can then decorate with paint or markers. (www.babycenter.com)

This morning I left instructions at home that she doesn't watch TV in the morning but instead listen to music while she plays. I requested that she draws and writes, later in the afternoon she can watch a DVD. I have purchased thick crayons just to engage her more.

A few months ago I read an article that said today's Kenyans kids are suffering from obesity and various diseases because of too much TV&video games, eating junk food, lack of  outdoor play and exercises. I do not want Samara to be another statistic and we have purposed to give her the avenues to be more creative and to use her energy positively.