Babies Under 2 years old
They're surprisingly adept at tapping and swiping, but keep the phone and tablet away as much as possible (chats with Grandma are O.K.).
One second you're holding your cooing, happy baby and the next she's bawling in the restaurant. Hand over a smartphone, though, and all is well again. It's no wonder parents often resort to electronic devices to distract. With their endless array of dazzling apps and cartoons on YouTube, gadgets grab babies' attention.
The problem is, a child's brain grows fastest in the first three years of life, which makes this period the most critical one for lingual, emotional, social and motor skills development. Being able to experience the real world with all of her senses and through live interaction with others will be far more beneficial to a baby than interacting with a screen. A picture of a ball, even if it bounces and makes a sound on the screen, isn't as rich an experience as playing with an actual ball.
It's O.K. to introduce your children to technology, but it should be a tiny percentage of their time at this age and ideally be shared with you since babies are social learners. The majority of their awake time should be spent doing what babies do best: Absorbing everything around them and developing their big brains.
For Any Screen Time, Focus on Quality
The jury's still out on the long-standing debate of "How much screen time is too much?" In 2016, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) revised its previous recommendation of no screen time for children under 2. The new guidelines were broadened a bit, with recommendations for:
Only video chatting for children under 18 months
Co-watching high-quality programs, such as the classic Sesame Street, for children ages 18 to 24 months
One hour a day of screen time for children ages 2 to 5 years
"Consistent limits" on screen time for children ages 6 and above.
While these recommendations are looser than the group’s 2010 ones, they might still be too restrictive for many families—and possibly unnecessary. A study from Oxford University published in December 2017 found no consistent correlation between parents who followed the A.A.P. screen time guidelines and young children's well being. That study’s lead author, Dr. Andrew Pryzbylski, said in a statement, "If anything, our findings suggest the broader family context, how parents set rules about digital screen time, and if they’re actively engaged in exploring the digital world together, are more important than the raw screen time."
Here are some tips for finding the right balance for your baby:
Limit tech usage to the bare minimum. The A.A.P. recommends limiting tech use to video chatting — for example with a traveling parent or relatives who are far away. The one-to-one conversations, even on screen, can help babies as they develop critical language skills.
Skip the "educational" videos. Products like Baby Einstein DVDs and other videos marketed as helping babies' brains grow have been linked to developmental issues, sleep problems and delays in learning essential skills like vocabulary.
Co-view and co-play. Parents are busier than ever, with work, meals to make, household chores, and taking care of other family members. Still, instead of using technology as an electronic pacifier or babysitter, if you're unable to tend to the baby for a moment, give the baby toys or books that will help her use all her senses. When using a tablet or phone with your baby, talk, read, sing or play with them to nourish their brain development. Interactive books can be engaging, as can musical apps or ones that teach children to recognize letters, numbers, colors, and shapes. (Best Kids Apps offers a curated list.)
Protect Your Devices
While too much technology exposure can be dangerous for your baby, your baby can also be hazardous for your technology. The best protection is prevention: Lock down your devices so kids can't accidentally make in-app purchases or destroy your devices.
Kid-proof your phone and tablet with protective cases that have thick padding, are easy to clean, and are easy for small hands to hold.
Set up parental controls on your devices. For Android, use the Family Link app to manage apps and set screen time limits. For iOS, go to Settings > General > Restrictions to limit apps and features.
Once your child is old enough to understand basic instructions, start teaching how to take care of these devices, with rules like: "Don't eat or drink around the computer,” “Don't leave the iPad on the floor, “ “Your phone is not a coaster.” And when they are older, consider when it’s appropriate to ask them to help pay for any damage that results when they disregard your warnings.
Set tech-free times and spaces
Establish rules for when the family should not be on their devices, such as two hours before bedtime and during meal times. Similarly, set up screen-free zones in your home. For example, mobile devices, computers and TVs are not allowed in the dining room or bedrooms. Firm rules like these — that everyone in the family follows — make sure everyone gets tech breaks and family time.