Parents, I see you. We are busy people: Raising children, taking care of the home, working and, maybe, making time for ourselves.
It can be so easy to fall back on screen time to provide us with a bit of free time to complete whatever tasks are left on our to- do list or to get our little ones to just sit down for a minute. I’m not here to throw a bunch of studies or numbers at you. But I am providing some helpful tips and tricks to make it easier to avoid screen time for toddlers and young children.
While relying on screens can be very appealing, more and more research indicates that screens are not the easy cure we might wish they were.
Screen-free zones
The first step is to create some screen-free zones in your home.
This could be that you don’t allow screens in the kid’s bedrooms or in the dining area.
You also could also consider implement specific screen times. This could be that screens are only allowed during specific times or not allowed during others.
With young children, this likely would be a specific time that your kiddo is able to utilize some screen time. These changes could come as a shock to your little one, if they are used to screening when they want.
Blocks of Time
If you suspect they might have a difficult time adjusting your new way of doing things, it can be helpful to focus on creating a more specific schedule. Creating new time blocks of specific activities can keep them busy and not so focused on wanting to watch Peppa Pig (my kiddo’s current fave)
This could look like the first hour after arriving home being outside playtime, depending on the weather. It also could include setting a specific time for bathtime, a bed time snack, teeth brushing and a bedtime book.
Knowing what to expect each day or evening can mitigate some of the screen requests over time.
Screen Alternatives
You also could supplement with different music options. My son loves music! He is very into using his toy record player, electric keyboard, drums, CD player, etc. Finding something your child is super into can be helpful when replacing time that might have previously been spent using screens.
Another trick that I have been using, when allowing my son to watch TV, is a timer. Giving him multiple warnings (10 min, 5 min, timer goes off) is helpful because the timer becomes more of a bad guy than me.
I’ve found that warnings and the timer have worked super well to keep the negative reactions at bay.
Looking in the Mirror
Along with changing his behavior, I’m also tuning into my own. I've been trying to be cognizant of how I use screens around my child. We are the role models for our little ones.
If we want to see something from them, the best way to ensure that outcome is to do the same thing yourself. Our children love to emulate us.
Screens can be super helpful to us parents surviving in the 21st century. Let’s focus on making sure we use them in a healthy way for ourselves and for our kiddos.
Sophie Hamel is a freelance writer and works in advocacy for victims of interpersonal violence. Her son is two-and-a-half years old.
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