Honestly I need 30 minutes of peace to make dinner without a kid hanging on my leg. I put on some educational YouTube or let them play a tablet game and it's a game changer. I feel guilty about it sometimes but other parents I know do the same thing. My kids are 4 and 6. What's the consensus here on screen time as a parenting tool?
30 minutes of peace is legitimate. We do the same thing - my daughter watches some stuff while I'm making dinner and honestly it keeps her safe and happy. The key is picking actual educational stuff, not just random YouTube rabbit holes. We stick with PBS Kids and that feels fine to me.
Three kids here and I do the exact same thing. Screen time during dinner prep is survival mode parenting and that's okay. You're doing what works for your family.
30 minutes of peace while you make dinner is not messing them up at all. My kids do the same thing and honestly it keeps them safe and happy while I'm not distracted. You're being smart about it.
Look, some screen time so you can actually cook a meal is totally fine. Educational stuff, letting them play a game - that's not failing as a parent. You're taking care of dinner and they're occupied. Win-win.
This is the exact situation where I break out the iPad. I'd rather have my kid watch 30 minutes of educational content than have me stressed out and burnt while trying to cook, or resort to ordering takeout three times a week. You're not messing them up.
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I used to feel guilty about this but then I realized that supervised screen time while you're literally in the next room is not the same as just handing them a device to zone out. You're cooking a healthy meal for your family. That's good parenting. The iPad is just the tool that lets you do it.