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Most people don't realize that The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children under the age of two watch no television at all. While we are eager to provide the best start for our children in every way, taking them to the doctor, giving them nutritious food and providing them with stimulating toys and activities, we are quick to flip on "educational" television programs and not think twice about it. So, what's a parent to do to keep track of what their kids are watching, both their big kids and the little tots?

First off, make it a habit that the t.v. stays off. It's a lot easier to add television time than to cut back when it's been too much a part of their day. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no more than 2 hours of television a day for any child and that programming should be well chosen and monitored by you. Set a good example of good watching habits by sitting with your child and interacting with them. Talk about what you are watching. If this sounds like too much work, then maybe you are already using the television inappropriately, like say as a babysitter?

You can also monitor what your children watch by making sure that there is not a television in their bedrooms. Television time should be time to interact and talk with the family, not time to squirrel away and hide quietly in their rooms.

If you are worried about your older children watching programming that you wouldn't approve of when you are not home, make sure your V-chip is activated on your television. This is a chip that works with the remote control of your television that you can program to block programming of your choosing that you deem inappropriate for your child.

It's hard to monitor what your children are watching when they are at someone else's home or when they are away from you, but if you have instilled your values in them well, you can count on them to apply what they've learned at home to a new environment. If they enjoy playing outside and exploring what the park has to offer over staring at a flashing box, then chances are, they are going to play outside with their friends and hopefully be able to talk them into the same, rather than flip on the latest episode of 90210.

You aren't going to be able to watch everything your children watch, but if you teach them that television is a compliment to their day, not what they should be doing with every spare second of their day, then ultimately, you won't have as much monitoring to do after all. Monitoring what your children watch is important though, as you will want to ensure that they are watching age-appropriate programming.

For more information on the American Academy of Pediatrics Recommendations regarding television and young children, visit: http://www.aap.org/publiced/BR _TV.htm

Learn more about this author, Rachel Mcclain.
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