Help with minimal screen time

I would love my 3 year old to not be so obsessed with his tablet but if you take that thing away from him indoors that's it all he'll breaks lose for the rest of the day. If you say your going out then he doesn't mind you taking it off him

@Libby Florence oh that's tough! Can I ask what he has access to on the tablet? Is it just e-books or also games and videos?

Exactly the same happened to me and I notice a massive difference with screen time. My 22 month old stopped saying any new words the last month. A week ago I cut back to my usual 45 mins screen time, low stimulation, once a day limit. He’s said so many new words in the week, along with a full sentence! Personally I couldn’t go to zero screens as I really need that time to make dinner as I have a clinger toddler and it’s the only time I get in the day. He barely plays independently (even less with more screen time) either so I need the tv! If you want to do screen time, I definitely think that what you show makes a difference. As well as having a set time for when you have it on, so it’s almost like a routine and then after about a week they stop asking to it because they understand when it’s over, it’s over! Those fisher price story projectors could be good if u want to get rid of the screen altogether. If u do then I’d go cold turkey and plan a really fun week so he forgets tv!

For me I've found that having a consistent time has helped with tv. We only do tv, and only in the mornings after breakfast and we've done it often enough that if she asks for it out of her normal time then she accepts the no pretty easily. Most of the time 😅 Same with turning it off, I use her tv time to relax, finish my breakfast, and then get ready for an outing. So she is keen to get out and happy to turn the tv off every morning. We tried doing tv in the evenings but that resulted in lots of tantrums so we cut that out after only a few nights. I think it's whatever works for your family, but with consistency.

Turn it off, go cold turkey. At age 2 they will form new habits pretty quickly. We still only do 40 mins of screen time a week, our daughter is 5. Especially to combat the initial tantrums, get outdoors, go for walks, a nature trail, to the park, get him on a balance bike/ a scooter. I really don’t think you need any device at all, allow your child to pretend and play with whatever they want to.

We really don’t know all of the effects of the blue light on kids long term. We do know that it absolutely alters and “rewrites” the brain. I did do the cold turkey method. And mine were 14 and 16. So you can imagine…….. After 3 weeks of hell, screaming, holes in walls, etc, they were like completely different kids. Seriously. If you can make it through the tough part it will be so worth it. I say just rip the band aid off ❤️. Good luck mama

Not to mention the EMF and effects of the radiation it is putting off.

You could also plan activities out of home, on that way the TV is out of sight. Or new activities that are likely to engage him (messy play, new toys, kinetic sand, play doh, paint, etc).

Up until he was 3 and started kinder 3 days a week we were out every day, that’s how I limit screen time. He has storytime at the library 3 days a week (used to be Baby bounce until 18m) He gets an hr in the evenings w Daddy before bedtime but after we’ve done some ABC 123 work. Look for groups and sessions and places to go in your area and take him out. If I’m not home, he can’t watch tv. And it gets my steps in, our VITD for the day in. We spend days at the library, parks, (skate park and water parks also) malls, sahm meetups and friends houses. Or he’s jumping on his trampoline for an hr. There’s no cons of going out. It socialises him.

If you’re looking for a device to show books the little tikes dream machine projects stories and reads them onto a wall/ anything blank you point it at. A different way to look at books but avoids screens x

A great schedule I’ve heard be successful is doing “it’s allowed every other day!” (Been recommended by my sisters pedestrian for her kids)

Yoto player is pretty neat. Cost a penny though

I don’t see any benefit to the reader tablet. I would go back to no/minimal tv cold turkey and see what happens. It’s only been 4 months - I think you can fully recover!

For me screen time has always been a big thing in my house as it was the was I got my autistic toddler to communicate and I do get where your coming from as he is stuck to his tablet like glue and the tantrums are diabolical. We’ve started a timer system where each day my younger two and him will have a set amount of time to watch tv an we put a timer on for them (kids timer that’s very visual and easy understood) And they have that 3 times a day. My eldest spends more time on his iPad that they do but he also communicates through it so I just try and redirect him to something educational If he is on it. My children are ages 5,2,1 and newborn and we’re still trialling the timer but it seems to be working well as we use a timer for when they have they’re quiet time so they already know the idea behind it x

He has access to YouTube kids. Games that I have to approve as I have parental stuff on there and then a game that him and his older sister play. These days it's hard to keep the younger ones away from what the older ones play.

I saw advice once that kids like predictable tv times like it’s only at lunch hour then you turn it off. Or it’s only on the weekends. If it’s a predictable rule it’s easier to enforce. Also we give warning that we will be turning off tv after this episode so she knows to expect it.