How to Limit Kid’s Screen Time without the Battle!

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I haven’t met a child yet, who doesn’t like watching TV or playing on a tablet or throw a tantrum when screens get turned off. But we all know it’s important to limit kid’s screen time.

And as a stay at home mom, it’s so easy to just turn on the TV when you are at home with your little one all day. It’s nearly impossible to entertain a toddler every minute of the day.

And actually, you shouldn’t entertain them all day. They need times of boredom and independent play to learn independence and build their creativity.

But at our house, we still watch some TV each day and I don’t feel bad about it because we balance TV time with so many other activities.

These tips even helped me limit my screen time as an adult.

You see, when I first became a stay at home mom, I had a hard time transitioning from working outside the home to being home all day, and I often had the TV on.

Because the TV was on so much, I found myself watching a LOT of television and not getting housework done, or taking care of myself like I should have.

And as my son got older and started watching television too, we found that excessive screen time was having a negative effect on him also.

That’s when I put an end to my excessive screen time and my children’s.

So if you are like me, and you want more of a balance in your toddler’s life, here’s what works in our house.

How to Limit Kid’s Screen Time

1. Get honest about the amount of TV time is really being watched.

Do you know how much time you and your kids actually spend in front of the TV each day?

In today’s world we use our devices constantly to stay connected, organized, and basically run our lives! You pretty much have to have at least some screen time every day.

I don’t want you to feel guilty for watching TV or allowing your kids some TV time ether, but I do want you to find a balance.

So let’s get honest. Do your kids have a good balance doing things other than watching TV?

Spend a day really assessing the amount of time you and your children spend in front of a screen.

Here’s a couple of questions to ask.

  • Are my kids getting enough exercise, independent time, time for creativity?
  • Do my children engage with others or do they constantly have a screen in their face?

My husband and I make an effort to limit the amount of screen time our children have because we noticed how angry they would get when the TV was turned off or how they felt entitled to watch “kid shows”.

When we saw that behavior, we knew that we needed to make changes. Getting honest with yourself about how much time your children actually spend in front of the TV and the effects it has on them is the first step.

Here are 4 Things My Kids Do Before Watching TV.

2. Be intentional when the TV gets turned on.

Nothing will change, unless you intentionally change your habits. One of the first things we did was simply stop turning the TV on. That sounds so simplistic, but it truly worked for us!

Up until that point it was a habit in our home to turn the TV on each morning without thinking about it. 

Once the TV was on, it stayed on and we didn’t really think about the time that was spent watching it. Or in some cases it was on and no one was even watching it!

So the first thing that we did was break the habit of turning the TV on without a purpose. Instead, I plan specific times for my toddler to watch TV. He knows that he can watch TV when he eats his morning and afternoon snacks. I set a timer or let him know that he can watch one show, and I choose the show he watches. That way there is an end time.

Do you turn on the TV without intention? Take some time to purposefully schedule it in to your days and determine how much time they are allowed to spend in front of screens. One way to do that is by following a simple stay at home mom schedule.

That brings me to the next point…

3. Be strong and follow through.

Your toddler is probably not going to like you limiting their TV time. You will most likely hear some complaining, unless of course your kids are perfect angels. Ha!

Be STRONG!

Don’t give in. Remember you are the parent and you make the decisions for the well being of your kids. It may seem like torture to them at first, but in the long run you are doing the right thing and your kids will get used to it. But only if you stay strong and follow through with your decision!

Here’s how that looks at our house.

Before I turn the TV on, I tell my son that as soon as the timer goes off, I will turn the TV off. I tell him that if he whines, he won’t be allowed to watch TV during his afternoon snack time. Honestly, this has stopped ALL whining when it comes to TV and it’s because I followed through the very first time that he whined about the TV going off.

He also knows that watching TV is a privilege and he is not entitled to watch whatever he wants whenever he wants. Early on, he whined about the show I put on, so I simply turned the TV off. He could either watch what I put on or not watch it at all. Now he is happy with whatever show I put on and we rarely have a struggle.

We also do specific movie times. Usually on the weekends when he gets to stay up a little later than usual, we will put on a family movie. We make this a big event for him to look forward to. That way he knows that movies and TV time are a bonus and he doesn’t think he is entitled to watching TV and movies every day.

4. Find alternatives and allow boredom.

If you are limiting TV time, that means your toddler will have time to do other things, and I think that is where parents, struggle. They don’t know what to do with their kids and they don’t let them get bored.

You can balance this by coming up with a list of activities so that you always have ideas. I made a lit of non-screen activities for my son, so that I have ideas to choose from instead of turning on the television.

  • Puzzles
  • Coloring
  • Craft with mom
  • Homeschool activity
  • Play outside
  • Legos
  • Cars
  • Ride 4 wheeler
  • Play dough
  • Play a game with mom
  • Read books
  • Bubbles
  • Help mom with chores
  • Independent play

Having a list to refer to was helpful. I usually give my son one or two ideas and either engage in the activity with him or let him play by himself. Here are 9 Things to Do with a Toddler at Home.

But also let your kids get bored sometimes. I love playing with my kids, but I let them have independent play time too. Often they will stay focused playing when I’ve simply let them get bored eventually find something to do on their own.

Is your toddler watching too much TV? Don’t make it complicated. Make sure you are intentional and follow through with the boundaries that you set.

 

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2 thoughts on “How to Limit Kid’s Screen Time without the Battle!

  1. My favorite tip is to be strong because you are the parent! I have to remind myself of that with all aspects of parenting😆

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