By Victoria Miller

If you have young children, you probably already know that you should monitor the amount of television that they watch. But how much television is too much?
Many experts recommend that children under the age of 2 watch no television at all-- a seemingly impossible feat if you have older children in the house. In addition, some recent studies indicate that toddlers who watch excessive amounts of television are at increased risk for developing attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) when they get older. Alarmingly, the average American child watches as much as 3 to 5 hour of television per day.

What can you do? It's not necessary to ban television altogether and there are, in fact, some wonderful children's programs that you and your kids can watch together. What you do need to do is monitor the amount of time that your children spend in front of the TV-- and make sure they are watching enriching programming and not just vegging out in front of the tube all day.

Here are some guidelines to help you:

-- Allow babies under the age of 2 to watch educational television in small increments or none at all.

-- Limit older toddlers (age 3 and 4) viewing time to one hour of carefully selected programming per day.

-- School aged children should be allowed to watch no more than two hours of television a day-- and even less if it's a nice day and they can play outside instead.

-- Stick to channels that feature educational programming such as PBS and Noggin. These networks are especially toddler-friendly as very few commercials are shown on them (Noggin instead features short interactive clips between shows).

-- Don't use television as a babysitter for your kids. While it may be okay to let them watch a portion of Dora the Explorer while you're getting ready for work in the morning, don't park your kids in front of the TV all day while you clean the house.

Of course these are just guidelines and you should adapt them to your family's lifestyle. When you do allow your kids to watch television, make sure that you know exactly what they are watching. Some cartoon programs contain questionable language and mild violence-- certainly not suitable for toddlers. And beware that some channels, while labeled kids networks, may switch to programming that's only suitable for older children in the evening.

Still not sure what your children should be watching? Here are some wonderful, kid friendly programs that your kids will enjoy in moderation:

-- Blue's Clues. This popular children's show has been on the air for almost ten years and it's no wonder-- young children can't get enough of Steve, his brother Joe (shown in later seasons) and their loveable puppy, Blue. Other fun Blue's Clues regulars include Mr. Salt and Mrs. Pepper, Tickety, and Blue's good friend Magenta. Your kids will join in with this interactive show to find the clues and solve simple questions. This show can be seen on both the Nickelodeon and Noggin networks.

-- Backyardigans. Created with stunning computer animation, this show is a joy to watch. The Backyardigans are four friends named Pablo, Tasha, Uniqua, Tyrone and Austin, and the use their backyard and their imagination to take them to exotic locations. They sing a lot on this show, but it's alright-- the musical numbers are catchy and addictive and you'll find yourself singing them all day long. Look for this show on cable network Nick Jr.

-- The Wiggles. These four Australian fellows sing fun songs and dance. Your kids will have all of the songs memorized. Characters like Dorothy the Dinosaur and pirate Captain Feathersword add to the fun. This show can be seen on Playhouse Disney.


-- Sesame Street. PBS' long running series has changed over the years, but only to keep up with the times. If you watched this show as a kid you'll enjoy seeing retro clips from years ago. Newer segments such as Elmo's World and Journey To Ernie will delight your child. This show can still be seen on PBS, with additional episodes airing on the Noggin network.

-- Dora the Explorer. Dora and her friend Boots the monkey are always up to something--and they're always hindered by Swiper the sneaky fox. Even though she's just a little girl, Dora is always out and about trying to find her way to some far off location (one holiday episode takes her to the North Pole to find Santa). This show is peppered with Spanish words-- you'll be amazed the first time your child says one of the frequently used keywords such as "vamanos" (translation: come on) and your child may even learn to count to ten in Spanish. Recently, the series added two new characters-- Dora's new twin baby brother and sister. The premise is cute, but the twins are seeming to have super hero powers, which is really unnecessary. While older children may scoff at Dora as far fetched (what little girl is allowed to travel all over the place without her parents?) young kids love this show and the familiar tunes that are sung on each episode.

-- Little Bear. This sweet show is based on the popular book series of the same name and features the adventures of a kindhearted little bear and his friends: a little girl named Emily, and barnyard pals Duck, Owl, Hen and more. Simple lessons are learned and soothing piano melodies play in the background as Little Bear and his friends go about their journeys. Even adults will be soothed by this calming series.