Just when you thought your kids were safe and sound at day care, a newly released study claims they're worse off than anyone could imagine.

What's happening? They're watching television.

According to new research by the American Academy of Pediatrics, children in home-based day centers watched 2.4 hours of TV a day, twice as much as was originally believed. Overall, children in home-based day care were exposed to significantly more television than those in center-based day care.

The academy recommends that children under 2 years old should not watch television at all, and kids older than that should be limited to two hours a day -- less, of course, if possible.

Research has shown that too much TV promotes obesity, delays cognitive skills, may overstimulate children and leads them to watch "The Tyra Banks Show."

Clearly something must be done.

After doing a little research of my own, here are some of the more sound suggestions I've learned to help temper your kids' viewing time. They didn't work for me and my two daughters, which is why I'm offering advice to help you.

» Rearrange your routine in the morning. Instead of sitting down to have coffee with the TV on for the kids, try doing something else -- perhaps an activity the children can participate in with you.

» Set a time limit so they understand when it's time to turn the TV off. If they know they only have a certain amount of time to watch, it's less frustrating when the set is switched off.

» Set aside a day or two every week when there is no television viewing permitted in your home. Have events or activities set for these "No-TV" days.

» Talk to your day-care providers and ask them how often the kids watch television and what programs they watch. If they say "The View," you know you need to find a new provider.

» Make meal times an absolute TV-free period.

» Don't use TV time as a reward. It encourages the notion that TV is good for them, which it isn't when taken in large doses. Look what it did to me.

» Don't completely cut out TV, which they will see as unreasonable. Set respectable limits.

» Spend more time with your children reading or playing with crafts or other activities. After all, you're always complaining about not spending enough quality time with them. Watching TV together doesn't count.

Vince Horiuchi 's column appears Fridays. He can be reached at vince@sltrib.com or 801-257-8607. For more television insights, visit Horiuchi's blog, "The Village Vidiot," at blogs.sltrib.com/tv/. Send comments about this column to livingeditor@sltrib.com.