Screen time

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I’m wondering this too my in laws (who are extremely close by vs my family who’s over 24 hrs of plane rides away) always have tv & usually also phones too - In my family it’s the opposite & when I was pregnant we talked about wanting no screens for the first yrs at least & then limited from then on but now were arguing about actually implementing it esp with in-laws

My husband and step kids like to watch loud, inappropriate television and hang out on their phones, so I moved the tv, video games, and couch to the front room of our house. It keeps the noise and screens out of the main living area, and I can still watch the little kids as I cook and clean. It's not a punishment, it's pretty cozy. It's more like just a choice of how/where they'd like to spend their time.

During the work week, as little TV as possible (she does get ST between 7-8 AM). The rest of the day, she’s independently playing/playing with me, napping, or we’re outside playing. When dad gets home, the TV comes on and she will watch things with him. I turn the TV off by 7-7:30 though so she can appropriately wind down for bed. On the weekend, there are no rules but we are also out a lot of the day and busy.

It’s so tough. My husband loves tv too. It’s his way to decompress. Honestly, I “take one for the team” and keep the tv off when he’s not home to make up for it.

I use the TV as background noise and recently discovered play time live on disney+ where they play Disney Jr without commercials. My 2 year old might watch 6 episodes throughout the day but is too busy playing to actually watch TV. My older kids are up stairs in their rooms on their phones and bf plays games on his computer, when they're home. Right now I have Snow White on the TV and my 2 year old is sitting on my lap playing with a leapfrog remote learning about numbers.

I totally agree with you, it's too easy to get them "busy" using tech but it's so bad for their brains!

For me the most effective thing was to keep tv only in one room and try to spend as much time outdoors as possible. I know in winter that's too difficult so I try to take my toddler out to the library or even for a long road trip somewhere up north

What I realized also is setting an example for kids from a young age is important. The way your husband is on his phone a lot, they will definitely copy him. And they will feel less important because they won't get as much attention from him. It's a very bad habit, I know nowadays it's super common but I think our society should get educated on that. There will be bad repercussions down the road