Worried about screen time

[Floopyandtired]

Or should I say, Paw Patrol time because that’s alllll he’ll bloomin watch! Im currently at home with my toddler, he’s not in nursery because I’m 25 weeks pregnant. I’m on part time furlough so working 2-3 hours a day at my own convenience. We get out for a walk every day and do puzzles, baking (god help me), reading, trains, helping with chores etc etc. But in between all that he’s probably watching 2-3 hours of telly a day, which is when I get my work done. I’m shattered by the end of each day and have awful SPD So have to “play” around my limitations. Does that amount of tv sound excessive? Be honest, I can take it!

Oh I should say - he’s 3 years 3 months and normally attends nursery 2 days a week.

No it sounds fine.

In normal times, when we werent expected to keep a toddler entertained every minute of every day at home in 4 walls, without any family input, softpay, playgroups, and nursery, yes, it would be excessive. Now, with 12 hours of the day to fill, 5 days a week, we are all doing whatever we can do survive. I know I feel horrendously guilty for the amount of TV my toddler watches, considering this time last year I had a strict tv only after dinner rule. But, funny enough, my DHs nephew watches heaps of tv, always has, and has been speaking in full sentences since just over 2, and has the most amazing vocab and social skills of any kid I know. DDs vocab has actually come on a lot from Cocomelon lol.

If anyone says 'yes, its excessive, you are a terrible mum' then they are a tit. Spring is coming soon. It will be fine. Do what you need to do to survive.

@TwirpingBird your reply really made me smile, thank you.

@Lockandtees I didn’t explain that well did I! I’m high risk anyway + pregnant which makes me double high risk for Covid, so we’re doing all we can to prevent anyone in our house getting ill, hence why we’ve decided to keep him off nursery for now. I haven’t tried audiobooks, that’s a good suggestion for some quiet time, thank you.

It's the same in my household and I'm not heavily pregnant and there's often 2 adults around!

It's hard work keeping them entertained for the whole day without some one else to play with or somewhere to go.

I figure it's a pandemic 🤷‍♀️ extra screen time won't hurt much and might buy us adults a much needed break!!

Ergo, my 3yr old is going through a Paw Patrol phase too. Drives me nuts! His screen time has shot up too, also to 2-3 hours some days when he used to only get 30 minutes. I’ve decided to start showing him various Disney movies so at least he’s watching something different. It’s lockdown, it’s winter, we’re all just trying to survive. I plan to reign it back in as spring arrives but in the mean time, don’t beat yourself up.

Two quotes I read stayed with me

“If you’re worrying about the amount of screen time your child is having, it’s probably fine” it’s the kids who watch tv all day long without a second thought who have more of a problem

“It’s fine to have more screen time at the moment because there’s literally nothing else to do” I mean there is, if you count freezing cold muddy walks and the bloody parks AGAIN, but we do not have access to the majority of entertainment options we usually have.

Audiobooks are definitely worth a try. I bought him a Yoto Player in Jan and that’s been a HUGE hit and really reduced his screen time nagging. I put some Paw Patrol audiobooks onto it for him and he loves those, along with fairytales, Topsy & Tim etc. It’s really been one of the best things I’ve bought him and it gets used every day. I have a referral code that gives £10 off a new player, so let me know if you’d like it. But genuine recommendation, it’s a brilliant bit of kit.

Sounds fine - in our house we have CBeebies on all day in the background, sometimes DC is watching sometimes it's just ambience.