Yes. There's generally no problem with watching TV while holding a sleeping baby or breastfeeding – in fact it can be a prime opportunity for some downtime.
It Can Be a Distraction
Plenty of parents may just be looking to decompress while their baby sleeps, but the second you turn that TV on, it can also become a distraction for your baby. Babies sensitive to sounds or colors may wake up if the television is on and start watching it with you.
Pediatricians generally recommend keeping children under 18 months from viewing screens. Even after that age, parents should always accompany children with TV watching and ensure they don't get too much screen time, inadvertently impacting their behavioral health.
Before the age of 2, newborn watching tv can also contribute to problems relating with sleep and attention as well, as they have a lasting effect on the child's language development, analyzing capabilities and memory. Even simply having the TV on in the background is enough to motivate these issues.
While having a baby sleep on mother's (or father's) chest whilst parents are awake has not been shown to be a risk, and such close contact is in fact beneficial, sleeping a baby on their front when unsupervised gives rise to a greatly increased risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) also known as cot death.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that children under 18 months have no exposure to screens (unless they're video chatting with a family member or friend). And even kids older than 1½ should watch or play with screen-based media in small, supervised doses.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no regular TV watching for children under the age of 2, and limiting TV time to around 1 to 2 hours a day for children over 2.
They Are Physically Inactive. Sure, it may feel like the average toddler is incapable of sitting still ever. But as noted by Kidspot, toddlers who watch over two hours of TV a day are more likely to be less active physically. It's smart to make sure your kid still has plenty of time to run around and play.
Exposure to screens reduces babies' ability to read human emotion and control their frustration. It also detracts from activities that help boost their brain power, like play and interacting with other children.
When babies are propped up in the sitting position before they can stabilize their bodies independently, harmful pressure may be exerted on the spine, which triggers the need to support themselves with their hands. The result? They can't use their hands for play and investigation.
Current Screen Time Guidelines
Children under age 2 should have no screen time. Limit screen time to 1 to 2 hours a day for children over age 2. Despite what ads may say, videos that are aimed at very young children do not improve their development.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that babies younger than 18 months get no screen time at all.
Key Points. Screen time is thought to affect the visual, mental and physical development of babies and toddlers. No screen time is recommended for babies 0 to 2 years of age; preferably less than 1 hour a day of screen time for 2 year olds, and no more than 1 hour a day for 3 to 4 year olds.
The youngest infants are stimulated by contrasts between light and dark, such as when looking at a window with light streaming into the room. By two months of age, infants love to stare at your face and the faces of familiar adults and children. Older infants need simple objects to hold and explore with their eyes.
Babies should not watch Cocomelon or any other programs that involve screen time. The World Health Organization recommends children abstain from sedentary screen time until 2 years of age.
Ideally, your 3 month old will get an average of 4 - 5 hours of daytime sleep, broken up into 3 - 5 naps. Short naps are still developmentally appropriate at this age, so it's common to see 30 - 45 minute naps, as well as longer 1 - 2 hour naps.
So how do you know when it's time to stop allowing baby to fall asleep while you're holding them? “When babies start to intentionally smile at you—around 6 to 8 weeks—this is a sign that it's time to try to start having baby nap independently,” says Brown. At this stage, babies become more awake and social.
Research shows that a baby's health can improve when they sleep close to their parents. In fact, babies that sleep with their parents have more regular heartbeats and breathing. They even sleep more soundly. Being close to parents is even shown to reduce the risk of SIDS.
Babies optimal sleep is between 6pm-8pm bedtime until 6am-8am waking in the morning.
By 3 to 4 months: Most babies can focus on a variety of smaller objects and tell the difference between colors (especially red and green). By 4 months: A baby's eyes should be working together. This is when babies begin to develop depth perception (binocular vision).
What Can My Baby See? By the end of this month, your baby — who was once only able to see at close range — will be able to spot familiar faces even at a distance. Human faces are one of their favorite things to look at, especially their own or a parent's face.
Birth to 4 months
While they may look intently at a highly contrasted target, babies have not yet developed the ability to easily tell the difference between two targets or move their eyes between the two images. Their primary focus is on objects 8 to 10 inches from their face or the distance to the parent's face.
I have seen the AAP recommendations for no screen time before 18 months, ideally 2 years-- totally on board.