Is my 4 year old watching too much iPad?

Apr 30·1 min read

Real talk, between work meetings and trying to get dinner made, my son ends up with the iPad for like 2-3 hours some days. He watches YouTube Kids and some educational apps. My parents say I'm ruining him but he seems fine, talks well, plays with toys too. Am I actually messing him up or is this normal pandemic parenting? What's the actual recommended limit because I feel like I'm getting judged a lot.

3 comments213 views

Comments(3)

MMark A.RegularApr 30

With four kids, I've learned that survival days happen and that's okay. YouTube Kids is better than a lot of other options out there. The fact that you're even asking this question tells me you care about getting the balance right.

MMatt W.RegularApr 30

Man, I get it. Some days I'm just trying to keep the chaos at bay while I handle work stuff. 2-3 hours isn't ideal, but it's also not the end of the world if the rest of his day is solid. Maybe set a target you can actually hit instead of beating yourself up over it?

EEricNew DadApr 30

We do the iPad thing when life gets hectic too. The key is making sure he's still getting outside time and active play when you can swing it. That helps offset the screen time pretty well in my experience.