EXPOSING children to too much TV can impede their ability to learn new words and interact with others, an expert has warned.

Clare Myers, a speech and language therapist for Cumbria Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, explained why little ones need a break from the television, after an international study on background noise.

Mrs Myers, who works across Barrow and south Cumbria, said: "In terms of background noise, the danger is that TV can just become auditory wallpaper - it’s just on all the time.

"When children are very young, they have to develop listening skills and work out what they need to be listening to, and if there’s background noise going on all the time it can be very difficult for them to pick out what bit they should be paying attention to."

Scientists from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the USA did experiments where 106 children aged from 22 to 30 months were taught new words while hearing soft or loud background noise.

Only toddlers exposed to the quieter sounds successfully learned the words, while further tests showed the toddlers were better at grasping the meaning of words that had earlier been learned in a quieter environment.

Mrs Myers said: "In terms of the TV, we‘re not going to say 'it's bad for children', because there are some really good programmes for children, but we'd say be selective in what your children are watching and, if you can, watch it with them and talk about what you’ve been watching.

"There are times we've all had to put the TV on from time to time but having it on all the time is not the best way, as you’re not getting that human interaction. Human interaction is the biggest thing for children’s language development."

The US study, published in the journal, Child Development , also warned about other sources of background noise, including the radio or large groups of people talking to teach other but not to the child.

Asked for her top tips for helping toddlers learn words and listening skills, Mrs Myers added that parents should be responsive to all their children’s communication from a very early age.

She said: "All those little things when they're babies - if they get a bit wriggly, or are gurning - its reacting to those signals. So if they’re hungry, don't just feed them - talk to them. Say, 'are you getting a bit hungry? Shall Mummy get your bottle?'.

"It's making eye contact, smiling and talking about what you're doing with your baby or your little one."

Top tips on toddlers and TV

1. High-quality educational programmes that have been designed for your child's age-group are best. Programmes for under-twos contain low stimulus to support the developing mind.

2. Try to limit your child's daily viewing to no more than half an hour for under-twos and an hour for three to five-year-olds.

3. Choose shows that you both enjoy and watch them together, as shared interest will naturally lead to conversation. When the programme has finished, talk about what happened or sing songs from the show.

4. Putting a TV in your child's bedroom gives you less control over what they watch. Your child is more likely to watch alone and unable to talk about what they have seen or ask questions if confused.

5. DVDs can be better than television, as the repetition and familiarity of words and phrases makes it easier for children to learn from them.

Visit www.talktoyourbaby.org.uk for information on communicating with a baby or young child.