Into the Minds of Babes: How Screen Time Affects Children from Birth to Age Five

By Lisa Guernsey

Book Overview

As a mother, Lisa Guernsey wondered about the influence of television on her two young daughters. As a reporter, she resolved to find out. What she first encountered was tired advice, sensationalized... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0465027989
• ISBN13: 9780465027989
• Release Date: September 2007
• Publisher: Basic Books
• Length: 287 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.5" x 0.5" x 6.5"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Great book!

Into the Minds of Babes is a highly readable book that impresses with its lack of judgement (on a very controversial topic!) and clear information. Guernsey is able to take complicated research studies and break them down in a straightforward presentation of the facts. The author also does a great job of giving information that helps make good choices about tv without being preachy. I highly recommend this book for parents, educators, and all those involved with young children.

Great Read For Anyone With a Child and a TV

Most of the mothers I know are aware of the somewhat draconian guidelines issued by the American Academy of Pediatricians regarding children under 2 and TV-watching (don't let them, ever) and turn on Sesame Street anyway, fighting the urge to look over their shoulder to see which AAP spy is waiting to catch them and call "bad mama!" Lisa Guernsey's book gets to the bottom of the multitude of studies conducted on the effects of TV/media and children, explaining the most recent scholarly research in non-patronizing ways. By addressing some of the most debated/unresolved fears parents have when it comes to TV, she provides a practical guide to good decision making about media use and a wildly fascinating look at how young children develop cognitively, all without being boring. Which, of course, is a huge plus, wouldn't you say? Highly recommended to anyone who wonders about the effect of TV--you might be surprised by her findings!

Extremely practical advice

With two preschoolers, I'm always looking for practical advice to manage the chaos. This book was both interesting and comforting, with a "real world" perspective on what screen time means in the American family. The book has a thoughtful discussion of the brouhaha raised by the American Academy of Pediatrics pronouncement that children under 2 should have ZERO time in front of the television. The intriguing result of Guernsey's research? The AAP made the pronouncement with no scientific basis, just the thought that eliminating screen time was bound to increase beneficial interactive time between parents/caregivers and children. Definitely worth a read by parents of young children.

Just the right mix of research and anecdotes

Ms. Guernsey tackles the research, warnings, and well meaning 'advice' that parents are baraged with and presents the findings in a format that is a great mixture of research (fully annotated for those who want to delve deeper) and personal experiences of real parents. Her writing style makes the book a joy to read, as you follow Ms. Guernsey through her journey to find answers. This is not simply another parenting book that espouses a particular path, rather it provides the tools for parents to make educated decisions. As a busy parent, make the time to read this fascinating book.

Common sense advice for thinking parents

Lisa Guernsey takes an incendiary topic and provides a reasonable, thoughtful approach that made me comfortable with how my family approaches television for our toddlers. The book digests an enormous amount of research into layman's language -- and debunks the American Academy of Pediatrics draconian guidelines. It's made me a choosier consumer of kids' television, but also allayed my fears that switching on Blues Clues for 30 minutes will turn my kids into zombies. Planning to put this next to "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Babies" on my list of staple baby shower gifts.