Screen time

I'm sure this has been discussed, but I haven't been here in a LONG time. My 9 year old girls are obsessed with anything that involves a screen. They want to flip from iPad to t.v. to computer. I have enforced the 1 hour of screen time per day rule, but I'm selfishly finding that it might not be enough for this Mom who needs a break. What are your rules and how to do you stick to them?

 

My kids are pretty self-controlled when it comes to screen time so we don't have too many rules. The big one is that no screens are allowed till homework is done. If they want to play outside, play w/legos or toys, fine. But no screens come on until the homework is done.

The only other firm limit we have is 2 30min. Kindle turns per day. We bought one for some traveling this summer and once that was done we had to crack down on it because the kids wanted to play it all the time. Now that they are back in school, they haven't been using all of that time.

Past that, the kids don't ask for much more. There is one show that Timothy likes to watch each week. Sarah likes a little bit of Netflix.

Marissa

 

30 minutes in the morning while they are eating breakfast and I'm packing lunches and 30 minutes before bed. 5 year olds only watch a show - no games/iPads/etc for them. 9 year old can choose a show or a game on the iPad.

 

No screen time on week days, unless its for school, and 2 hours on weekends. However, if they have to be with me at a meeting or something, they can play on the iPad or if it's Friday afternoon and all homework, chores etc are done they can have some screen time before dinner. Weekend screen time can be lost in 15minute increments during the course of the week. We don't have TV so it's iPad or computer.

 

We don't allow TV during the week. They have Meeps and I let them play on the ipad, but no TV.

When my kids are allowed TV they ignore us and don't do what they're supposed to so it's just easier.

 

Well it's still the vacations so I'm pretty lax about it. I use it as a reward/threat pretty much. Once they go to school though, they'll be allowed to watch it during breakfast (but only if they actually eat, if I have to rush them through the door and don't get ready in time it will be off), then only when their homework is done and until dinner. They have one mobigo (broke the other) that doesn't have batteries most of the time so tv is pretty much the only screen time they get at this point... I have no plan to give them access to a tablet of any kind for another year at least.

 

No TV during the school week except Friday nights for "Family Movie Night." Most of the kid friendly movies we watch are under 90 minutes. On the weekend, up to an hour of total screen time is okay with me. I do not want them logging much more than that.

 

My boys are on vacation now so I have been pretty bad about it. We try to go out as long as it's not too hot or raining. We've been going to inside play places (bouncy houses gyms, etc..), and movies on hot or rainy days, but otherwise, we'll go off to the park or do something else outsidey like run in the sprinklers or just run around out front. But on the lazy inside days, I'm afraid the TV gets on at some point and they'll watch around 2 hours of stuff. A movie or a couple of TV shows. Sometimes they'll play a few video games. That we are bad on. DH insists they only play an hour, but then he'll come play with them and somehow their hour of play becomes 2 or 3 hours or sometimes more. Oh well, the intentions were there.

During school time, the hours are enforced and they can only have their 2 hours of TV time during the weekends. They can choose 1 hour of video games or TV if their homework is done during the week. Homework doesn't take long in kindergarten, but it's good practice and they've been very good about following those rules. There have been a few days they actually prefer to read a book or play with their Legos or other toys instead of TV during the week after homework is done.

 

My girls are 6 and don't have their own devices yet. iPads are reserved for things like waiting at the doctor's office or when we travel. They usually watch a half hour of TV a day while I make dinner and then we sometimes have slumber party evenings on the weekends when we watch a movie together. This isn't too difficult for us because we dont have the tv on unless we have something we plan to watch. Once they go back to school next week their screen time will increase because they have computer lab and use computers and smart boards in the classroom. But this will be balanced by probably no TV during the week because there won't be time in the evenings... They will need to work on homework while I'm cooking dinner instead of watching a half hour of magic school bus

 

We do no video games during the week, and non-cartoon TV time during the week. So they'll watch the History Channel, Discovery, Animal Planet, if something appropriate is on. I don't have a specific limit but it's usually less than an hour a day during the week, a lot of times even less than that. We are lucky because they have several friends in our neighborhood so they do play outside a lot. I use the timer thingie on their Kindles so that works without me having to think about it!

 

We watch very little TV- in fact less than 20 hours this entire summer...I am thinking two movies and very occasional (when feeling ill) 20 min show they like that was prerecorded.

BUT they do get about 30 min of screen time on Ipad every other day (one DD has some medical issues that she is allowed to use Ipad during treatment) and random Dr. appointments.

They watch mostly educational stuff and/or high interest (not pop culture-y). We do not have TV on during the day unless DH is watching golf.



Screentime will increase due to use at school....but we use it very little at home. Although in the winter our amount goes up-- in the summer, we simply are outside more often!



We dont have a set amount a day because then they would get all huffy if they did not 'get' it and/or it would become a daily thing. At 7, they are old enough to amuse themselves while I make dinner (or they help!).


Our highest screen time age was probably 4-- when I needed time to make phone call, meals,etc and had them home 24/7 but no naps. With the short preschool attention span-- it was helpful for 20 min here and there to do things between the hours of 9-5!

 

They have no screen time on weekdays. On weekends though, we've been awful. We spent a lot of the end of my pregnancy trying to do major projects (redecorate my office to be their bedroom, major purges, etc.) and resorted to Netflix often to keep them occupied. Now that the baby has been born, this weekend has been awful for screen time. Saturday we just did our standard family movie night. Yesterday though, we spent like 5 hours watching movies as a family. I'm going to give myself a pass. We will be better in a few weeks when I'm healed and the baby is more settled.

 

I think any sane person would give you a pass. Add a baby into the mix and its all survival mode!

 

Everyone who is pregnant or who has an infant gets a pass! Sometimes, movie weekends are just what a family needs!