Pediatrician recommended screen time

My baby is 11 weeks old and I can honestly say I can’t see us getting through the next 2 years with zero screen time. I’m a single mum with very limited social interaction right now, so for my sanity I have the tv on in the background during the day. At times when I need to get things done I might put a nature documentary on to catch my little one’s attention for a bit. I certainly wouldn’t plonk him in front of a screen for no reason, but needs must sometimes 🤷🏼‍♀️

We tried with our first but he got screen time from different bar style restraunts and even fast food ones had screens playing junk tv. Also staying at a friend's house that has tv on 24/7 for background noise and he wouldn't turn it off until bedtime.
Now my second gets it from watching movies we play for our first. We didn't directly give screen time to either of them before 2, but there's been a lot of exposure.

I followed it, it was not remotely difficult.

I think if it’s a short episode or two of something low stimulating and/or educational it’s not doing the harm they’re trying to prevent, I think the problem is parents who buy their babies tablets and that’s basically the extent of their parenting, like iPad at the table, in the car, on the couch. They don’t play, they don’t go outside, they don’t use toys or teach independent play or navigating boredom or exploring imagination. THAT type of screen time is what’s creating these little monsters. The occasional episode or movie is not.

I don’t know why we consider screen time to be such a solitary activity. I, of course gave my kids screen time before 2 because I wanted to show them all the cool stuff I loved as a kid. Dumbo and Winnie the Pooh and Zaboomafoo! My husband and I hooked up the steam deck to the big screen so we could show them games we loved as children like Tomb Raider and Monkey Island. We bond over evening cuddles and Bluey. It’s just a thing. Why are we making it evil?

We do screen time but we also do dedicated play time, outdoor time and book time too. Balance!!

I wish I could say I did but I've just been so exhausted and overwhelmed. Playing educational YouTube kid channels on the TVs helps me get through rough days.

I don’t see how brief bits would be harmful or if it is on on the background.
I think it is so hard to avoid now.

I frequently have the fire place on Netflix on and my baby watches that or hey bear. But we do others stuff too. Mainly so I can’t get stuff done like cook or wash up. Sometimes my head needs a break as well and brief screen time allows me to refresh.

Or if it’s just on in the background. I don’t place or plan to place him in front of it for hours or in place of other stuff. I don’t like it when kids have iPads at the table or watch if all day but you got to do what you can.

We did no screen time before 2, then only 20 minutes twice a week since then. Other than that the tv is off is she’s awake. We don’t have pediatricians like that here but I followed health organisations recommendations. It’s completely doable, just take it off the table as an option.

So my son is 3 next month and we did except for 1 weeks (he was 2 years 4 months - for about 4 days- and 2 years 11 months for about 3 days ) because he had croup and we couldn’t keep him still and he would get winded and go into coughing spurts where he wouldn’t breathe.

He never grew up with it so he doesn’t have any interest in it so we don’t see any reason to introduce it. His younger brother is 5 months and still hasn’t watched any screens.

We think we will introduce his first movie night on his fourth birthday but unsure about regular tv

Sort of. I did no screen time with my first child til 18 months when she got her first cold and I needed to distract her to help her stop feeling miserable and ill.
My second child has had maybe an hour of screen time total and she is almost 18 months.

We mostly just do passive screen time. No kid shows but just something on for background noise. My son is 7 months old and doesn’t really pay attention to it unless any music plays. Then he looks and listens.

He is obsessed with phones even though we try to limit use around him. He does FaceTime my mom a lot, and I do therapy through video calls that he hangs out for. However, the no screens guidance doesn’t apply to socializing via video calls.

'Its completely doable' - mums of one child.