*Disclosure: This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of NETFLIX. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.
The reality of my life as a work at home mom with little kids is that my kids pretty much get some screen time every day. But, that doesn’t mean that they just have unlimited access to shows and movies all day long. We have some routines in place, which we will also be using this summer when my daughter is off of school, that help us to manage our kids’ screen time.
Managing Screen Time for Young Kids
• Chores Done First
There are chores around the house that my kids help with on a daily basis including helping me to unload the dishwasher, clearing the table after meals, and picking up the floors around the house and in their room. All of these chores must be finished before they can sit down with a show. This also motivates them and helps them to complete things like picking up that they otherwise would drag their feet about.
• Reading Time
Even though my older two kids no longer nap, they still need down time to relax and rest. Watching a show is part of that down time, but we also want to encourage them to relax with books and reading. So, I set the timer for 20-30 minutes for them to read or look at books before we turn on a show for them.
• When the Baby Naps
My youngest daughter still naps twice a day, and while she is a heavy sleeper because she’s used to hearing kids in the background, telling the kids that they can only watch a show or movie while the baby is sleeping accomplishes two things – it creates a regular time when they know they will be able to watch TV, so they’re not asking about watching all day long. It also helps to keep the baby from seeing the TV on a regular basis, since TV watching isn’t recommended for children under 2.
• Choosing Shows and Movies on Netflix
Using Netflix instead of cable for our kids’ TV viewing also helps us to manage what they watch and the amount they watch. Netflix offers instant streaming access to family friendly TV, with new movies and shows being added all the time. We were excited to find Jake and the Neverland Pirates was recently added to Netflix, which is one their favorites!
With Netflix, there are no commercials, no “What’s on Next” that pulls them into the next show before it’s even on, and a dedicated kids section that helps us to make informed decisions by offering ratings, reviews and information about the family friendly shows and movies available.
The other great thing about Netflix is that you can watch it from anywhere. We have the Netflix apps on our iPhones, iPad and Kindle Fire, or you can also watch on your computer at Netflix.com. Streaming Netflix videos is so easy that my kids have figured out how to do it all on their own! Of course, we still always monitor what they choose to watch!
We also plan to have regular family movie nights this summer when we’ll make popcorn, bring out the sleeping bags, pillows and blankets, and enjoy some of our favorite family movies like 101 Dalmatians or The Lorax together. With Netflix, we have access to hundreds of great movies to choose from, so we’ll always have a fun movie to watch together on family movie night!
As we move into the summer months, it’s important to manage your children’s screen time in a way that works for your family. Setting up some guidelines around screen time is a great place to start. Make sure you communicate your family’s guidelines to your children so they know what to expect. And don’t forget to add some fun to the mix with family movie nights!
What are you watching on TV with your family? Netflix has family favorites from Disney, Disney Jr., Hasbro, Cartoon Network and Dreamworks that are available to stream anytime, anywhere.
And streaming is easier than you think! Download the free app on your iPad, click on the Netflix app on any gaming device, go to the website on your computer – and you’re in business. Check it out here!
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of NETFLIX. We have used and loved Netflix long before this opportunity became available to me!
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Love these tips, Emily — especially having them watch while the baby naps! 🙂
Great advice! I’m so glad you’re being careful to keep your baby away from TV and limit your older kids’ screen time; it really is important for their healthy development. When I was in college, I helped run a research study on 5-month-olds’ visual attention, and I could actually SEE the difference in babies who were regular TV watchers, even before coding the data! TV exposure was not a variable we were supposed to be studying, but we had some babies who at that early age were already so accustomed to flashing lights and moving colors that they did not react at all to our experimental stimuli but just sat there like little couch potatoes–it was scary, and even scarier that their parents seemed to think it was funny and would even brag that their babies were “good” TV watchers!
These are such great tips, Emily! It is so applicable to me since we are in the same season–3 littles ones and working from home! Thanks for sharing! Love this post! I am pinning it for the future!
Emily, I have been getting into a routine more and more about having my kids clean up ALL of their messes before they are allowed to turn the tv on, so glad I am not the only one working on this and am going to make a daily schedule so they know what time they are allowed to watch tv… my son is the one who will ask all day long lol!
Netflix may not have commercial, but it DOES have the “What’s on Next” in the form of three suggestion if one watches a movie or suggesting the next episode in a series which can create the very problem you are suggesting we can avoid by watching Netflix. This feature was available at the time this article was written.
With that said, yes, it is much better than regular TV seeing there is more control over what can’t be viewed if there is to be screen time.