r/lowscreenparenting

I have a 3yo and 5yo and weekends are becoming chaos every single time i let them use the ipad.

It always starts peacefully then suddenly one wants “5 more minutes”, the other starts crying, then they both want the same game/video at the same time and somehow i end up negotiating like a hostage mediator 😂

I tried timers but the transition feels brutal. especially for the younger one when the ipad suddenly gets taken away.

I started looking for apps that focus more on fair sharing / taking turns peacefully but honestly all i find are heavy parental control apps, blocking apps, tracking apps etc

Maybe im searching wrong but i cant find something simple made specifically for siblings sharing one device

Does anyone know an app for this ?

otherwise im seriously starting to think about building one myself lol

would really appreciate getting real life experience from parents who've successfully done zero screen time with their kids. Am seriously looking for inspiration on how I can reduce screen time for my kiddo. She’s watching about 3 hours a day in total combining all devices like the tv, phone and ipad (She spends a lot more time on Ipad). It may not be possible to rid off screens completely but if I can limit and be intentional with them the better.

We are bouncing around between hot humid and rainy cold weather here in Ontario, and it's driving my kids a little bonkers. They want to get outside, and 50% of the time it's just not possible, and after a blistering week of lots of outdoor play... they are bereft. Best ways to keep my kids busy when they are cooped up?

We recently had a 3-hour flight and I decided to introduce iPad to my son, who just turned 2.5. I downloaded several shows for the flight, including many short forms ones but it failed completely. He only watched show for 1 minute before throwing the iPad onto the floor.

My son only had weekly Facetime before 2, and after 2, I sometimes let him watch his own videos on my phone. Before the trip, we only tried to introduce My Neighbor Totoro twice and he didn't last long, so we stopped introducing shows.

During the trip, the things that kept him occupied are snacks, watch his own video on my phone, climbing onto his seat and jumping down, open close window blind, but none of his toys can keep him engaged at all. He is a super active kid. He prefer spends most of his time outdoor when weather allows, and doesn't play with toys much at home. I feel like most of the things that people recommend for traveling, like drawing (both color and the water type), stickers, magna tiles, and unwrap new toys, do not work for him.

After the trip, I started to introduce cartoons more intentionally. Now I let him watch 3 to 4 low stimulation shorts shows (8 minutes each) in the evening. I found out he's only interested in topics that he's familiar with, and he prefer to watch the same shows over and over. He often refuse a new episode when I try to introduce. We do a movie night on the weekend, putting on the projector and play Totoro. Now he can last 30 minutes.

The thing is, I really want to bring him to China (where I'm from and all my family live). But the flight is 17 hours. Most suggestion I've seen is unlimited screen time during long flight. But I seriously wonder how it works if screen time is limited normally and the toddler is not used to watch for long hours. I literally canceled my summer plan to visit my hometown after this trip, because I think there's no way he can survive a long flight. But I really want to make the trip next year, when he's close to 4. But I also think it's silly to keep increasing his screen exposure just to build up this tolerance for a future trip.

Do low-screen family postpone their long trips once the kids are older? I'm also curious about how do you introduce screens in general, and how often do you let your toddler watches shows.

I’m looking for advice from parents of older children about reducing screen time after allowing quite a bit at home. Both of my children (7 and 11) are very active in school and activities, so we’ve gotten pretty lax with screen time when they are at home because it feels like their chance to relax. However, summer is coming and they are about to have nice long days with no practices or schoolwork to worry about. I do NOT want this to turn into mindlessly watching tv every day, but I also am not looking forward to a summer of arguing about whether or not they can watch tv.

I have already started prepping them by telling them that when summer comes, we will have more limits on screen time, but I’m looking for some practical ways to help this transition be less miserable for all of us.

Hey everybody!

Coming up on our kids last week of school (two boys 4 and 6) and need some help filling their days preferably without the iPad or tv. What activities has your family done to keep the kids busy? Looking for things to do at home/in the neighborhood as we can’t afford to go to the zoo everyday or do several weeks of summer camp.

Would appreciate anyone’s insights and please feel free to share any resources that worked for your fam.

Thank you!

Today, my 2.5 yr old had a well check. I asked her pediatrician , “ am I harming her development by keeping her screen free ?” Her response, “ Absolutely not! You are doing the right thing! I hate the screens they do nothing but cause problems and behaviors. Keep her off the screens and she will be well ahead of her peers!”

For the parents who worry are we doing the right thing! We are ! Keep going you’re doing awesome!!!!!