PopPopLolliop t1_izzmv5l wrote on December 13, 2022 at 12:36 AM

Reply to comment by healthierlurker in Frequently using digital devices to soothe young children may backfire. The habit of using devices to manage difficult behavior strengthens over time as media demands strengthen as well. The more often devices are used, the less practice children - get to use other coping strategies by Wagamaga

Please come back in 3 years and tell us if you made it…

TheRiverOtter t1_j022gb6 wrote on December 13, 2022 at 2:55 PM

It's brutal, and sometimes it feels like having one arm tied behind your back.

Our twins will be 6 soon. Starting at about 4 and a half they get 30-60 minutes free time on their iPad a week, but in the last few months they can also use reading apps on them with mom or dad daily if they'd like. We've been consistent, and they rarely ask / whine about getting more time. We don't watch TV (aside from Planet Earth and similar shows every couple weeks), and we are just now starting to introduce movies.

The movie thing is mostly because that's almost certainly going to be a part of sleep-overs and we want them to have the concept of long-form entertainment during social gatherings. It may have backfired a bit with one of them, he's very emotional and isn't desensitized, so he can just about handle the tension in Disney's 1961 Incredible Journey.

healthierlurker t1_j026pt0 wrote on December 13, 2022 at 3:27 PM

This sounds like how I’d like to do things with my twins. I don’t want them to be repressed and weird, and I also think it’s important they are familiar with technology, but I don’t want to cross the line of giving them unfettered access or plopping a screen in front of them to just shut them up either.

Tbh I think the way my parents handled us wasn’t right either and I would spend hours and hours on video games but there were other games I think were appropriate too (Freddy Fish, Pajama Sam, for instance).