How Much Screentime

[Anonymous]

Make me feel better. How much screen time (tv, ipad, phone together) does your 4 year old get in a day when not in daycare? We can do almost no time when they are in daycare because they are home for such a short duration, but they are home for the summer and it is hot.

[Anonymous]

45-60 min during the week and 0 min on weekends (I’m a SAHM though).

[Anonymous]

This goes counter to conventional DCUM wisdom, but I don’t think the amount of screen time matters nearly as much as the quality. My kids are grown now, but when they were 4, screen time was basically unlimited. We watched a lot of PBS kids shows, Magic School Bus, Disney movies, etc. We’d often watch together and talk about the shows. Sometimes the TV would be on in the background while they did other things. DH is a techie who made sure they had a plethora of software available for their use (Reading Rabbit and KidPix, I think were the favorites at that age).

Although they spent a lot of time with screens, they also did a lot of non-screen things (gymnastics, soccer, crafts/art projects, books, games, puzzles, family outings, play of all kinds, etc.). Screens broadened their exposure to and encouraged their interest in a wide array of subjects. They went on to excel academically and became, while far from perfect, pretty great people. One DC chose their career in an area they felt they could best help others. The other is in college, pursuing a computer science degree. One DC is introverted, but the other is extremely extroverted and has a natural charisma.

Most things have good points and bad points, and too much of anything can be a problem. I don’t think screens are intrinsically a problem, but it’s how they’re used that determines their impact.

[Anonymous]

None. We waited to introduce screens until he was three and now he has zero interest. I wish he would watch a little something!

[jsmith123]

OP is your day care not year round? Do you have any child care during the summer?

If we had no child care, our 4 year old would probably spend at least a few hours on screens because DH and I both have full time jobs.

[Anonymous]

30-60 min. Less weekenda. They are up at 6am. Its PBs kids and similar. We do engage about it and daily the 5 year old runs in with something on the Wild Kratts are doing and we talk about it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Make me feel better. How much screen time (tv, ipad, phone together) does your 4 year old get in a day when not in daycare? We can do almost no time when they are in daycare because they are home for such a short duration, but they are home for the summer and it is hot.

1.5-2 hours per day for the four year old. About 20-30 min for the two year old.

[Anonymous]

Both husband snd I work full time I’m second trimester pregnant and we have no nanny daycare or family nearby.

Our 3.5 year old watched almost 3 hours of nature cat today because I had meetings at same time. Does it suck yes? Do I wish we didn’t have to yes? So there’s that.

[Anonymous]

At 4, just Facetiming with relatives across the country a couple times a week.

We did no screen time until 7 beyond that. At 7 it was an hour per week.

[Anonymous]

jsmith123 wrote:OP is your day care not year round? Do you have any child care during the summer?

If we had no child care, our 4 year old would probably spend at least a few hours on screens because DH and I both have full time jobs.

I have the choice to pull them in the summer and not pay. I’m a teacher so I did.

[Anonymous]

SAHM here.

4 year old gets around 1.5 a day. She watches Nick Jr/Disney+/Netflix when I am nursing or putting the baby down for naps. And sometimes so I can shower, or put away dishes, or just have a moment to myself. Don't feel the slightest bit of guilt about letting your child watch something.

I do keep a very tight leash on YouTube or YouTube Kids. Some of those videos are just strange.

[Anonymous]

I limit devices as much as possible - like maybe an hour a week at most, and that's usually Khan Academy Kids - but have always been very liberal with TV. He can watch PBS kids shows, educational nature stuff, and sometimes Shark Tank, PBS cooking shows, or Antiques Roadshow. He's 3 1/2 now and pretty good at self-regulating with TV time. Definitely not addicted.

[Anonymous]

My 4yo twins watch a 25min show every evening before going to bed. I am actually quite impressed how much they learn from the show. They tell me how skate boards are made or about the importance of recycling. I know I could have waited longer to introduce screens, but I am fine with how things turned out.

[jsmith123]

Anonymous wrote:

jsmith123 wrote:OP is your day care not year round? Do you have any child care during the summer?

If we had no child care, our 4 year old would probably spend at least a few hours on screens because DH and I both have full time jobs.

I have the choice to pull them in the summer and not pay. I’m a teacher so I did.

Ah, gotcha.

I wouldn't really worry about it tbh. Maybe next summer just put them in a half day camp for a few weeks to vary it up a bit.

[Anonymous]

OP I’m a teacher and don’t send my kids to daycare/camps in the summer either. It’s cost prohibitive for us.
At that age, my goal was to make it to dinner prep before the tv came on. Then they got about an hour (2 Disney jr/nick jr/pbs kids shows). We picked one night a week as a movie night.