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My little guy can be a TV addict. Whenever he gets the smallest amount of TV time, that’s all he wants. I have ADHD and I like to have distractions. It might sound counterintuitive, but I am more productive at work when I have an audiobook or a TV show playing in the background. This is just how I operate. So, when my maternity leave ended, I did what I did before my son came, watched shows, and listened to music or an audiobook while I worked. It didn’t even occur to me how this behavior might affect my son. Then one day it hit me. My son woke up from his nap, I got him out of his crib, and he ran into the family room, pointed at the TV, and said, “Help!”. I realized then and there that I created a monster who was addicted to TV. 

Since that day, I have done everything I could to wean him off of TV. We definitely have relapses like when we are sick, it’s been a rough day, or I need him to be quiet during one of my meetings. However, my husband and I make a conscientious effort to limit his screen time. On average, he maybe gets two hours of TV a week. I feel pretty proud of that! Especially considering that I work full-time from home. 

The first thing I noticed about my son’s behavior with the TV was that he wasn’t actively watching it. He played with his toys or did other activities I had out for him. However, if I turned off the TV, he would immediately ask for it back on. I tested my theory by playing music on my speaker and muting the TV show. My son didn’t even notice. After a day or two of having the TV on but using music from my Bluetooth speaker, I started turning off the TV. I would wait until my son was distracted by his toys and then turn the TV off. It generally took him 30+ minutes to even realize it was off. Most of the time he didn’t even care. Sometimes he would ask for it back on and I would tell him no. Eventually, he stopped asking for the TV. He would get up from his nap and I would put on my audiobook or some music for him and he was fine. At this point, he generally doesn’t need background noise. Some days he needs more and sometimes he doesn’t need it at all.

When I was sick last week, my son watched a lot of TV because I didn’t have the energy to chase him around. Because of this, every time he went into the family room he asked for the TV. To help revert the TV-filled week, I am firm and tell him no. Then I’ll either distract him by playing with some of his toys or I’ll offer to play music for him. He is still a toddler so some days he has meltdowns over not watching the TV. Despite the meltdowns, you need to stay firm in your parenting and your decisions regarding screen time. 

Every family and situation is different so screen time can look different for your kids. That is okay! Just find what works best for you and stick with it. Even though we try our best to not let our little guy watch TV at home, when we travel, he can have unlimited screen time. For us, that’s better than him screaming on the airplane! We also will use it as a last resort if we are trying to eat at a restaurant and he is just not having it. I encourage you to try and limit screen time for your children but also find what works for you.

How else do you keep your kids from watching too much TV? Let me know in the comments!