We're trying to be reasonable about this but honestly some days I just need the kids to be occupied so I can get stuff done. My 5 year old gets maybe 90 minutes of tablet time on school days and more on weekends. We do mostly educational apps and shows but I see other parents judging. Am I failing here or is this normal? What does everyone else do?
I used to feel guilty about this constantly. Then I realized my parents had us watching way more TV and we turned out fine. Some screen time when you need a break is normal parenting not lazy parenting.
Dude, nap time screen time is the only guilt-free hour for me. If a movie gets my kid to rest while I decompress for 90 minutes, that's a win in my book. You're doing fine with 5 hours a day.
Some days my kids watch way more than I planned for. I used to feel bad about it but honestly, balanced parenting means taking care of yourself too so you don't lose it. As long as they're getting outside and active time, you're not doing anything wrong.
What matters more is what they're watching and that you're not using it as a total replacement for other stuff. An hour of a documentary is different than an hour of random YouTube. Context actually matters.
Yeah there's no shame in the game here. Some days my kids get more screen time than I'd like to admit. The key is being intentional about it instead of just zoning them out all day every day. That's the difference.
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The American Academy of Pediatrics says something like 1-2 hours of quality content per day for older kids but honestly that's not always realistic. I aim for that but if they hit 3 hours because I'm trying to survive, I don't beat myself up.