Divided Attention and Parents’ Stress: Part 1

The world we live in demands that we are constantly connected to our electronic networks for news, work, friends, and the latest trends on Twitter. We don’t just need to know…we need to know now. Parents, especially those with young children, also have to be constantly aware of their children in small ways (“don’t touch, that’s hot!) and big ways (“will she like the new babysitter?”). The divided attention needed to stay on top of everything seems to be no longer a choice for parents and has become a normal part of life. “Multitasking” is an expectation, and for most people, a source of significant stress. In the past, media messages and employers asserted that the human brain is limitless and that people, especially women, can manage a lot more work “simply” by multitasking (doing tasks simultaneously or switching back and forth between tasks very quickly). But, the latest research has demonstrated that multitasking has its price, in less focus, accuracy, and creativity, as well as increased stress.

You may be wondering why I’m bringing this up in a blog about babies.

If you are a Secrets reader, you are interested in understanding more about your baby’s behavior. You might be thinking that knowing more about your little one will help you feel less stressed. But knowing a little more about yourself might be more helpful. You may not be thinking of the ever-present need for divided attention as a source of stress but it is known to be so stressful, scientists use situations that require divided attention to induce stress for experimental purposes.

Here are some of the documented effects of divided attention:

• Increased heart rate and blood pressure
• Perception that common tasks are more difficult to accomplish
• Mood changes
• Interference with the ability to remember things, including future tasks
• Interference with retrieval of memories and reduced accuracy of those memories

What do these effects mean in the real world?

Let’s say you’re late for work because the kids haven’t been very cooperative. The baby might be getting a cold and your preschooler had a tantrum when you told him that he can’t wear his Halloween costume. You have a meeting in the early afternoon and co-workers have been texting you about it since you first woke up. You had planned to run errands on the way home from work and your spouse asks you to make another stop at a gardening shop that you normally like to visit. You’re almost out the door when you realize you can’t find your car keys. You get a call from your boss just as your preschooler disappears into his room. What happens next?

• Your breathing gets a little faster and you feel overwhelmed and even a little sick
• Anything your boss asks about seems out of line
• You resent your spouse for asking you to run his or her errands when you already have too many of your own (even though you can’t seem to remember what those errands are)
• You feel overly frustrated with your preschooler for going back into his room. After all, he “should know” you need to leave
• You are certain that you left your keys on the counter and can’t imagine any other place that they can be (even though you put them on the hall table without thinking earlier in the morning)

Does any of that sound familiar? Put sleep deprivation in the picture and everything gets worse. It may seem that there is nothing you can do about this but there is! A few changes and you can make even the busiest morning less stressful. In part  2, we'll share these changes. In the meantime, take a deep breath and try to relax!

References

1. Nebel, K et al. On the neural basis of focused and divided attention. Cognitive Brain Res 2005; 5: 760-776.
2. Petrac DC et al. Differential relationship of recent self-reported stress and acute anxiety with divided attention performance. Stress 2009; 12: 313-319.
3. Wetherell MA and Carter K. The multitasking framework: The effects of increasing workload on acute psychobiological stress reactivity. Stress Health 2013; epub, ahead of print.

Get Ready, Next Week is Screen-Free Week! April 30-May 6

What is screen-free week?*

This is one week each year where many families commit to turning off all electronic entertainment for an entire week. That means televisions, computers, videos, and any other electronic devises your child may use. This also includes handheld devises and all of those new apps geared toward kids! This might seem very challenging to many of you (including myself) because we definitely live in a world full of technology. Screen-free week is only 7 days long; you can do it, and you might discover something wonderful in the process.

* Screen-Free week is sponsored by the Campaign for a Commercial Free Childhood and is endorsed by hospitals, the Head Start program, the National WIC Association, and local health departments among other groups.

Why screen-free?
Excessive screen time has been linked to:

·        Childhood obesity

·        Poor school performance

·        Attention problems

·        Displacement of other important activities, such as physical activity and creative play

The stats and recommendations

·        Children in America age 2-6 spend an average of 4 hours watching TV per day.

·        According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), 29% of children in America under the age of 2 have TVs in their rooms.

·        Preschoolers spend on average 32 hours of screen-time per week.

·        The current AAP recommendation is for children under age 2 to watch NO TV.

·        For older children, the AAP recommends 1-2 hours of supervised TV time per day, and that the programs are educational and non-violent.

·        For a recent post about new recommendations for media use and babies, click here: Baby Behavior in the News: AAP Releases ANew Policy Statement on Media Use and Babies

Alternatives to screen-time
Explore other ways to play and connect with your baby and other children. Here are a few of our past posts that can help you do exactly that.

1. Baby Talk and the Adult Brain Learn about how talking to your baby actually changes the language centers of your brain, especially for mothers.

2. Entertaining Your Baby WithoutBreaking the Bank This post provides some alternative, cost-friendly activities for you and your baby.

3. For Babies, A Little Playtime is aGreat Workout! Read about the importance of “exercise” for babies every day!

4. Babies’ Emotional Development: SocialReferencing (2 part series) Babies learn by looking at and interacting with YOU.

5. Too Much Fun: Preventing Overstimulation in Infants and Toddlers Don’t forget to give your baby breaks from all of this fun play time!

6. Choosing the Right Gift for Baby Learn about toys specific for your baby’s personality.


7. Barriers to Building Relationships with Babies: Marketing and the Perfect Parent Learn about “The Case Against Baby Einstein” (and other videos targeted to infants).

Ideas for the Long Term (Adapted from “What parents can do to guide and reduce screen-time” by The Early Years Institute)

·        Limit hours of TV per day or week

·        Limit screen-time to specific times or days of the week

·        Balance screen-time with playtime

·        Turn off TV during meals

·        Watch appropriate shows together; ask questions about what is happening in the show; talk about the characters’ feelings and decisions.

·        For older kids, talk about the difference between commercials and the regular show. Most kids don’t know the difference.

Technology can be a wonderful thing. Screen-free week is all about discovering alternatives to technology and finding a balance between play time and screen-time, not cutting out all technology for the rest of your life. We know that screen-free time is impossible to follow during the work day, since many of us work on computers. Instead, promote scree-free time at home with your family after work hours and on the weekend. Participate in screen-free week with other friends or family you know; it might make it a little easier! Good luck and know that we are taking the pledge with our own children for no screen-time this next week as well! Tell us your stories of how it goes!

References and Resources

Screen Time FactSheet and Parent Tips (The Early Years Institute)

Official Sitefor Screen-Free Week 2012

AAPRecommendations for TV Viewing

Baby Behavior in the News: AAP Releases A New Policy Statement on Media Use and Babies

By Jennifer Goldbronn, MAS, RD

In today's world, screens are everywhere. Entertainment and games, once restricted to television sets, are carried with us in our pockets, backpacks, and handbags. It is easy to turn to TV, games, and mobile devices when we want to be distracted or entertained. What about our babies? Is media exposure a good idea for babies?

In a previous post, we talked about media targeted to babies and how the Disney Corporation pulled Baby Einstein videos off the shelves because the advertising claims that the videos would enhance development were not supported by research. Almost 2 years later, a new statement from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) shows that media viewing by kids under 2 years of age, even educational media, not only has no benefits but can be harmful.

The new policy statement, released just last month, replaces the 1999 statement on media use in which the AAP first strongly discouraged screen time for children under age 2. However, recent data show most children under 2 watch 1-2 hours of media per day.

While your little one may stare at the TV in wonder at the colorful characters and catchy songs, a key finding of this report is that usually only children over 2 have the understanding needed to gain any benefits from “educational” programs. New information also shows adverse effects of media use. TV viewing near bedtime can negatively affect your child’s sleep and heavy media use delays language development.

The AAP also reported that parental media use in the same room where a child is playing has adverse effects on the child. While your child may not be watching your program, the TV distracts you from interacting with your child. The background noise also interferes with his own learning from whatever activity he is engaging in.

Wow, with televisions, games, and media everywhere - what are parents supposed to do?

What your child’s developing brain does need

In order to learn and grow, your child needs healthy interactions with three dimensional humans, not two dimensional TV or computer screens. Interacting with others, especially with you, allows your child to learn communication skills, develop healthy emotional connections and figure out how the world works. As parents, we use our facial expressions to communicate our own emotions to our babies. We also connect with our babies by reflecting their emotions of excitement, sadness, etc. as they show them to us. That’s how babies learn about the important connection between facial expressions and emotions. If we then talk to our babies about what they saw or felt, we help them connect feelings and words together. These vital connections must be learned from other human beings, not from watching people on TV. For more about how babies learn about their world by watching their caregivers, click here and here.

It’s also essential to provide your child with unstructured playtime with limited distractions so that he can learn creativity, problem solving, and reasoning. Bonus: he will also learn how to entertain himself!

Limiting Media in the Real World
While the AAP recommends no media use for kids under 2, this group also understands that real life interferes with the best intentions at times. In those cases, they gave the following tips to keep in mind:

• If you choose to have your children view media, set limits as to how much and stick to them. (Remember, screen time includes computer, TV, Iphone, gaming devices, laptops, etc.)
• If you are going to have TV on during the day for yourself or other children, try not to keep it on in the background all day. Set limits for viewing certain programs and then turn the TV off.
• If you need time to take care of a household chore child-free, set up a safe, independent activity for your child where you can see him that will engage him for a short time. You can still interact with your child and talk about how you’re measuring ingredients or engage him in talk about what toy he is playing with as you unload the dishwasher, for example.

While limiting media in your home may be challenging, look for creative ways to make it happen. Most importantly, remember that your baby's brain is hardwired to learn best from his interactions with you in full color, 3D! There's no greater teacher for your baby than the real-world you!

For more information:

Need more ideas for entertaining your baby? Read a past post here.
For a video of the AAP press release of the policy statement, Media Use by Children Younger than Two Years, click here.

Reference

American Academy of Pediatrics Policy Statement: Media Use by Children Younger Than 2 Years. AAP Council on Communications and Media. Pediatrics 2011;128;1040.