Screen time

You know what there is so much pressure about having no screens and i know it's not ideal but i'm not going to make myself stressed about it. My son has screen time in the morning and some early evening aswell for the same reasons as you. I just see it as aslong as the day has been balanced and i do other things with him like reading, playing, going for walks ect then i think it's fine. I put my son in the high chair with his teething toys while i'm cooking, do you think she would do that? It keeps my son occupied for a bit lol

I just take mine to the bathroom with me if I need the toilet, I take him to the kitchen if I need to cook, take him with me to do jobs or chores etc, and mine is a contact napper too. I just let him roam wherever we go. In the kitchen I’ll give him pots or pans and a wooden spoon, or little other bits and pieces from the kitchen to play with on the floor (because toys in the highchair don’t occupy him) he’s perfectly safe crawling around/pulling to stand/cruising around where I can see him. Or I’ll sit him in his highchair with part of his lunch that’s already ready, whilst I sort the rest. When he’s eating a meal I can prep things for the next meal, start cooking dinner, do the dishwasher etc. I haven’t found a need to use screen time to get day to day stuff done (that’s not to say there isn’t TV on sometimes, especially with my toddler) you don’t need to feel guilty, do what works, but it’s definitely achievable to do some of what you need to without YouTube in my experience

I do the same as Chloe. She loves coming along with me - I just close doors to keep her enclosed, put some objects around to occupy her, chat to her as I do things. She smiles and laughs along at very mundane tasks and maybe enjoys the change of scenery. Loo, shower, getting ready, cooking, doing laundry - she comes along!

Same as above, we dont do any screen time at all. She just follows me around and if we are in the kitchen I’ll give her random things to keep her busy or she pulls down the washing etc to keep herself entertained. I have a play pen for the living room (which is right beside the kitchen) so if I need to do something dangerous like taking something out of the oven, or if I just need to do something quickly she goes in there with toys or books and I pop in and out

I do not think you should be feeling guilty at all!! We all do what we find works for us and our little one. If you wanted to do less screen time, you could do as the ladies above suggest. My LO loves roaming around his room, the bathroom, while I use the toilet, and I try to get him involved in what I am doing, when I do laundry, etc.

Yeah sorry same here we also don’t do any screen time. Sometimes it’s tough as she won’t be put down and I am putting her in her high chair, then her walker, then on the floor (she can’t crawl yet) and repeat whilst trying to get things done. She also seems to like sitting on the sofa as she can see me and watch me from there. I put pillows on the floor in case she tumbles but touch wood she hasn’t yet. Maybe get a walker? I also put mine in high chair and face her out to the garden and she loves looking out, watching birds and moving branches if it’s windy. I also give her safe kitchen implements, wooden spoon, bowl, colander etc. when I’m cooking - I am sometimes passing her one after the other to try and keep her from crying. Some ideas that could help. Equally if you want to do screen time it’s certainly easier and there’s no prize for doing parenting in hard mode I’ve heard said. And it’s true. It works for you then do it!

Please don’t feel guilty! Sounds like she’s an active and inquisitive little girl - and I’m sure the occasional bit of screen time won’t be hindering that. My little boy has some screen time in the morning before breakfast & evening before his bath. It works for us! Don’t put too much pressure on yourself xx

Also don't do screentime, but my god it's stressful sometimes trying to do simple things like have a wee or clean up after dinner... I don't know if YouTube etc would actually help, I just wish we could have those mythical villages of multiple childcarers rather than being isolated and stretched in all directions all the time 😬

Don’t feel guilty! Yep my twins watch ms Rachel. They love her and she’s educational! I pop them in front of her when trying to get ready to leave house etc. pick your battles!

Thanks all. She is crawling, nearly walking and has a love for climbing so it’s very difficult to put her on the floor anywhere without her very quickly getting herself into a hazardous situation as she is not completely stable on her feet! So I would struggle to get anything done at all if I let her roam free as I would be constantly retrieving her from danger… I think she gets frustrated in chairs because she just wants to be out and on the move. The videos distract her. We spend the rest of the day playing together, socialising with family/ friends, baby classes, reading, dog walking, singing and dancing so there is certainly a lot of balance and she is incredibly inquisitive and interested in objects and people. She is just much happier when she’s not strapped into a chair (also doesn’t like the car seat). I suppose I have to do what works for us and if that means a bit of screen time now and then to keep her safe and happy then so be it. Thanks for your ideas and kind words xx