Toddlers and IPhone usage

[Samila]

Hi netmums - any advice much appreciated. My two year old will only eat whilst watching YouTube (nursery rhymes etc..) on my iPhone. My husband and I feel so guilty about this but it's the only way she will eat and we have tried distracting him in other ways with other toys etc but nothing else seems to work.

I am pregnant with baby number 2 and getting very exhausted as am due in a few weeks and he is usually up early. Normally I would take him downstairs and start the days routine but at the moment I'm so exhausted when he wakes up in the morning that I've been handing him my iPhone so that it gives me an extra 30 mins in bed whilst she watches peppa pig or the like on my iPhone.

I know that this is not ideal and I feel guilty as it is but just wondered if others are doing the same or have done the same and whether staring at the iPhone has had adverse affects on their toddler (eyesight my main concern). Apart from 30 mins in the morning and then during every meal I don't let him watch tv or the iPhone. Any advice appreciated - I feel so guilty but helpless at the same time as I need rest as well!

Sami x

Stop the entertainment during mealtimes. Your child will eat when he/she is hungry.

You're definitely not the only one who does this! And my daughter would choose not to eat half the time if not distracted. (And she's already very light for her age so we don't want her falling further down the percentiles.) We find meals easier (without tv) if she eats with others (ideally other children at play dates etc), or sometimes we can distract her with books or a puzzle instead.

What do you think people did before smartphones? Do that. You've made your life much harder by using your phone to replace parenting in the first place. It's awful the number of children you see in restaurants now watching things on tablets or phones. Eat with your child engage with your child. If it wasn't for all the other time, at late stage pregnancy getting up with them and giving them half an hour of TV wouldn't be the end of the world but it's the cumulative affect.

I'm sympathetic that you're in a situation that is difficult to reverse, but it's just a habit.
I would be more worried about her inability to sit and eat a meal with others than eyesight etc. The skill of being able to interact with others across a table is absolutely critical, and if you don't teach her that she will struggle in many aspects of life as an older child and as an adult.
In practical terms, try giving her her favourite foods for a week and no snacks so she's hungry and motivated to eat. At the same time, sit with her and eat too (ideally the same thing, even if it's just a 'pre dinner snack' version for you). Sit songs, ask her about what's on her plate (do you like your sausages? What colour are your peas? Oooh naughty peas running away from you hahahah!)
Good luck. And well done for tackling this now.

Ps regarding the early wake up - do you have tv in your bedroom? We have a tv in the spare and often let them drink their morning milk with tv on for 20 mins or so while we doze. TV is less compelling than smartphones. Perhaps let her have her tea in front of the tv once a week as a treat - eg Friday night.

This is Mumsnet not netmums. They are 2 different sites.