Those that are screen free how do you do it?

[JosieB68]

Just that really and tips to cut down, I know my toddler watches too much TV especially in the afternoons.

I've agreed two screen free night with my 5 year olds tuesday and sunday and we all do it

I knowsome that don't have any screens, but maybe they're easier kids?. Toddler did 40mins in morning (early wakes) and none for the rest. I found it's easier just to do 1 long block than many multiple ones.

Rest of time is toys, going out. Went out ALOT during toddler days 😆

Not that it’s an excuse but my DH works away so most of the time I’m solo parenting and I definitely use the TV to get stuff around the house done.
The time between 3-5 I find the hardest as trying to make dinner etc.

Could you make dinner during nap time?

My daughter is just turned 2, I do like to watch the Julia Donaldson short (30 mins or just under) films with her and she really enjoys them. At Christmas we also watched mog, tiger who came to tea etc. before 1 we didn't do any. Now it's more than I'd like at maybe 2-3 Julia Donaldsons per week, I wouldn't do so many I preferred just 1 a week, but my partner does more often than not when he picks her up from nursery
She's at nursery 1 full day and 2 half days. The days she's at home we usually have something planned so don't find the time/she's usually happy playing, she doesn't nap now so I do like the downtime so I do find myself trying not to offer the TV
In order to cook tea she does an activity or just takes some toys to the highchair and we put music on, other house jobs she likes to get involved and help
The ones she can't, so like cleaning the bathroom with the chemicals I do once she's asleep for the night, cleaning the kitchen gets done by the person not putting her to bed, or if alone while she's in the highchair after tea

We've got a Tonie Box. The kids enjoy listening to stories on it. If you have Alexa you might be better to get audible and play stories on that. My kids also dance a lot they like Fun kids by tune in. We play a lot of games Orchard toys have load of age appropriate games like Funny Flamingos, catch and count, smelly wellies. We also like bluey scavenger hunt, the grufflo boad game. My kidsxlike to build so they have magnetic blocks they spend hours on that.

Screen time wise they have tablet time. They play reading eggs and mathseed. They also do teach your monsters how to read. They also play other educational games. They like to watch bluey and educational songs on YouTube. Generally, on school nights they don't get more than a hour screen time a night. The weekend I don't really monitor it. We like to be out and about but if we are home we watch gladiators together and a kids film.

Not sure if this applies to your children but I would have TV on a live channel (usually CBeebies) guilt free in the toddler years as my children did not turn into zombie screen addicts when the programmes kept changing. They would watch for a bit and then walk away to play so having it on in the background wasn’t an issue.

We were always very strict on tablets/phones and TV on demand and children still don’t have unrestricted access to either although both are over 6.

My LO only really watches TV if she's unwell. Our day is something like:
7am wake up
7am - 8:30 cuddles in bed with books, milk, get dressed, breakfast
8:30 -9:30 play at home with toys.
9:30 - 12:00 go for a walk / to the park / library / get a coffee. Basically be out of the house. A local playgroup of some sort.
12:00 - 13:00 lunch and play with toys
13:00 - 14:30 nap
14:30 - 15:00 post nap snacks and books
15:00 - 17:00 again get out the house. Try and meet a friend, go for a walk. Or do an 'activity' at home. (This is the hardest slot by far)
17:00 - 18:00 prep dinner, dinner, DH takes over.
18:30 milk, bath, books
19:30 bed

I find the key is getting out the house and seeing other people. It's much easier when the weather is nicer!

If you want to go screen free the only way is to be screen free. Just turn them off, say no, remove the possibility.

There is definitely a chicken and egg situation where kids who have screen time become less able to entertain themselves and so need screen time so you can get stuff done and then become even less able to entertain themselves and so they need more screen time etc.

There's nothing wrong with a bit of screen time for ages 2+, but avoid using it every time you need to get something done so it becomes a babysitter/your child's second parent. There's a big difference between sitting down together to watch some good well made TV for a limited period and having any old rubbish on for either hours at a time or several periods over a day.

So this is possibly a bit controversial but I was quite relaxed about screens from the age of about 2 and DD has never been very fussed about them ever since. She will watch a film or a series that she likes (now at ages 8) but can take it or leave it and is totally uninterested in iPad/ switch/ games.

It's not controversial but it is luck. Unfortunately, it's not the case that having no limit on screen time when they're small produces children who don't care for screens. In fact, most research suggests an addictive element to screens i.e. the more they have, the more they want. Research also shows the negative impact of large amounts of screen time on small children, so it's definitely not a system that would benefit the majority. Good that it worked out for you and your DD though!

We never introduced them so what they don’t know they don’t miss.
They have seen other kids looking at them in restaurants and ask questions but we just say ‘we don’t do that in our family’ and that’s it.

I think it gets easier when they’re older and have more of an attention span for toys and other games.

I know my DS probably watched a bit too much TV when I was pregnant with his sister, we did get out and about but I couldn’t do everything I did before especially towards the end of the pregnancy.

The tonie box is great because if DS wants to watch peppa pig and I think there’s been a bit too much screen time I can suggest we listen to the peppa Tonie while we do some baking or whatever which usually averts a strop but I know that’s harder when they’re really little.

I think also there’s TV and TV; my 19 month old likes mr tumble’s nursery rhymes which really is pretty benign as screens go.

I often have cbeebies on for my toddler and sometimes YouTube. But I never let him watch stuff on my phone or a iPad so he doesnt ask to watch it when out in a restaurant or in the car. Only watches TV at home.

We have no tablets or similar and my children (toddlers) don’t use my phone other than to FaceTime call relatives with me. We have a tv and I sometimes put on kids music they like on YouTube. But that’s maybe a fifteen minute dancing along kind of thing and then they’re over it.

I am a solo parent. To get stuff done I get them involved, eg help dust stuff, help me cook etc etc
or just have them playing in same room while I do what I need to get done.

It’s not easy but I’m hoping it somehow makes them better behaved in the long run?! 😂🙈

The layout of my house really helps tbh, the tv is in one room and then we have a large dining/kitchen without a tv in it and most of their larger toys are in there so I can cook while they play (it’s not as angelic as it sounds and I do have to break up a lot of fights but as they’re getting older it’s getting a lot better!)

Also with my older toddler he has various storage tubs with things in like playdough/paint/railways/hot wheels cars and garages/blocks so I always rotate it and bring out something new he’s not played with for a while if I really need to get something done! I’m a SAHM so I felt like getting into a habit of putting tv on could get dangerous. We occasionally have family Disney films on at the weekend but that’s about it and they don’t tend to ask for more now.

Oh like pp just said - music really helps here too! We have tonie boxes and I have a Spotify playlist of their favourite songs that I put on our smart speaker in the kitchen while I’m cooking/washing up!

Those who don't have any screens, will you introduce it when they are older.

Mine are older (10 and 7) and I don't restrict screen time on TVs. We were on holiday all week so they are wrecked it's lashing rain today and I let them veg out in front of cartoons on TV before going back to school tomorrow. I can't imagine getting them to entertain themselves for 11 hours without watching a TV.

All the girls in my oldest class are watching a specific TV program and they talk about it a lot

This is the difficult thing for me. I actually grew up without a tv myself and my mum ended up getting one when I was being bullied for not watching Blue Peter! 😅

My oldest toddler is now asking who Peppa pig is and out of everything I particularly don’t want to introduce that programme into his life but I also don’t want him to be left out of popular culture! It’s such a hard balance!

Yeah it's hard @LoveHearts69 the program they are all watching is a really great positive one that we can all watch as a family and I don't want her to be left out
I have never restricted TV but don't allow YouTube at all (removed the app from TV) and they have a tablet that has Netflix and Disney but they don't really use that only long journeys.
Stay strong on the Peppa though, she's a pain

When my two were little we always went out or played music in the house. If I needed to get jobs done they would either sit in the high chair with toys or sit on the floor with pots pans and wooden spoons. Having said that my house was always a bit disorganised and not necessarily as immaculate as some of my friends who used screens but you can’t have everything.
my children are now 8 and 10, we have zero screen time Monday to Thursday due to after school activities and they automatically come home from school and play. Friday they may watch an hour after school as they are tired and then it depends on what we do on the weekend to how much screen time they have but tv is never on in the morning.
we do have a family game console but we only play as a family usually on a rainy weekend afternoon.
we don’t have screens outside of the house so have never had tv in the car or at restaurants. To be honest, they never question it as it’s how we have naturally done it and it’s the same way I was brought up.
You need to do what works for you and keeps you going though without worrying what everyone thinks.
I have had negative comments about how we do things as a family but I have never really policed screen time, it’s just happened naturally.

Personally don't use screens because the behaviour after they're turned off isn't worth it. Super charged energy, zero impulse control, common sense and calm all goes completely out of the window and I personally can't handle it. People hear that I don't do screens and they think it's some sort of pedestal goal post to aim for, but for some people it really is the easier option. I'm also often solo so I feel you there!

Instead we have quiet time after lunch, where they can either listen to audiobooks, colour, play with things like Lego, look at books etc. Have been doing this since the youngest was born (when the oldest was 2) and it works for me. I started off with a box of things which only came out when I needed to get the baby to nap or something and it kind of went from there. Some days are easier than others. When DS was 3 I bought him a yoto player and that's an incredible tool. Quiet time means I can either get chores done or also enjoy some reading time or something. They're also really good at playing together/independently by now (they're 6 and almost 4).

A few weeks ago we were all together in the lounge. I was reading, DH had a snooze on the sofa, DS had his yoto and DD was colouring, all in the same room together for about 30 minutes and it was so relaxing. Made all the effort feel worth it!

We’ve never had a TV or an iPad so we are just sort of accidentally screen free! We do need to get a TV at some point because it would be nice to watch films or something together as a family, but children are only 4 and 2 so probably couldn’t sit still for that long yet.

The tv is often on but it'll be tv shows i want to watch, they soon get bored. We just don't offer kids tv, they don't ask. If at someone else's home it's fine, but not in ours

We don’t have TV during the week, and it’s relatively limited at weekends. No tablets at all, except for a very specific speech and language therapy app. For my oldest (6) the Yoto was a godsend for when she needed a bit of screen free downtime. She’s very good at entertaining herself now. My younger one has SEN so it’s harder but to be honest she gets very fixated with particular programmes so when we give in it’s a bigger issue in the long run. We use Alexa to play music for her instead. I’m a big believer in letting kids be bored…