How many of you turn on the TV for your kids or hand them a mobile phone to get them to eat or just sit in one place? I know it the easiest thing to do especially when they refuse to eat and you are running against the clock or when you are at the mall trying on stuff and your child throws a tantrum right then. But actually I am totally against it.
Yes I know you are already judging me and you’ll think I am lying. The truth is I am not against screens and engaging over screens. What we need to fight is screens as a baby sitter. I would be a hypocrite if I said my kids have no screen time, given they have either seen me right from their womb days in front of a computer, on my phone whether I am exercising, reading , listening to music or cooking. I have an app for everything. Oops missed @googlemaps & @uber_india . (Not sponsored)
So How Do I Do It?
✔ï¸_x008f_ My kids can watch TV only with a family member. So we watch movies, cooking shows, documentaries, animal planets, David Attenborough shows and more.
✔ï¸_x008f_ We never emphasised screens are bad. Screens are good if you use them for productively. E.g. We use AR Apps as family time together. You can read our reviews on them here.
✔ï¸_x008f_Use screens to your advantage: I remember when my daughter was just about a year and a half old and I had to travel for work, she wouldn’t eat without me telling her a story over lunch. I recorded 5 stories, 1 for each day so her Grandma could play it at lunch for her. I have a video for that as well – How to travel without your kids and still keep everyone around sane. You can watch it here..
✔ï¸_x008f_Don’t make it desirable: When you tell your kids you get only so much or your screen time is gone, you are making it desirable. I never told them it’s so good that you need to have it in limited quantities.
✔ï¸_x008f_Mobile phones are not babysitters: My kids never get the phone at mealtimes, while we are travelling or aimlessly. They get it to listen to music, to research, to learn, to explore, to understand, engage and connect. ( Facetime with cousins is our biggest screen time)
We are #raisingkids who need to be constant learners and technology is going to be their biggest competitor. They must know it’s advantages and limitations. I’ve shared a lot more about this in our weekly podcast #KeepItReal. Do listen to it on Apple Podcast, Spotify or the Kidsstoppress App.
If you agree or don't agree with me do, that's ok. If you don’t, I would love to know your reasons. We love hearing from fellow mommies
Mansi Zaveri
Parul Gupta
