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What You Need to Know about Screen Time for Toddlers {plus a FREE printable chart}

Parenting Research · December 28, 2017

Screen time for toddlers is a hot topic for parents. Parents face ridicule, guilt and pressure from family members all related to the role that screen time plays in their toddler’s development. Let’s face it–there are many demands on our time and our children’s time. For us, it’s work, chores and daily care of our kids. For our children, it’s school, playtime, sports, and screen time all vying for their attention.

With all these competing demands, it’s difficult to manage sleep, movement and screen time guidelines for our kids, especially toddlers. The new screen time recommendations chart based on guidelines from Canada just helped parents get a full picture of how all these guidelines fit together. As parents know, how toddlers spend their time sleeping, moving and using screens are all related. A tired kid is more likely to gravitate towards a screen than go outside to play. Similarly, an active child is more likely to sleep better.

screen time for toddlers
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Finally, an organization has combined all the guidelines together into one comprehensive guide for parents. This screen time recommendations chart offers recommendations for what a healthy 24-hours looks like for a child under the age of 4.

Circle by Disney–parental controls 

 

Related reading: Research Reveals the Real Reason You Lost Your Temper with Your Toddler

Personally, I was excited to see such a comprehensive guide. Before this, all the guidelines were separate and not related to one another. Now, with one look, parents can see how all these recommendations relate.screen time recommendations chart

How a Screen Time Recommendations Chart Helps Parents

This type of guide is not meant to make parents feel guilty, but rather to help us all understand the needs of our kids. Most of us instinctively know when our kids get too little sleep, just based on their grumpy behavior, but keeping these guidelines in mind can still help. There are always days when these plans go array, but understanding what type of routine help meets toddlers’ needs best is always helpful. One of the authors described it this way,

“There’s no need to fret over these exceptions, Tremblay says. But what we do need to do is think more fully and clearly about everything in our children’s lives that make up a healthy day. That’s what the new guidelines are there for.”

I was so excited about this that I made a helpful PRINTABLE screen time recommendations chart that parents can post on their fridge to remind ourselves of these guidelines. It might even help our kids to see it too!

Grab your helpful guide by clicking below:

 

 

More resources for limiting screen time and keeping toddlers active:

Hands-On Activities for Toddlers

hands-on activities for toddlers
 
 
 
Time Tokens–Easy Fun Way to Manage Kids’ Screen Time
 
Little Passports–a wonderful alternative to screen time

How Toddlers Thrive

 
 

tech-free activities for kids

5 Technology-Free Activities for Kids

 

 

Perfect for Pinning:

screen time recommendations chart

 

 

 

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Filed Under: Parenting Research Tagged With: children, newborns, preschoolers, research, resources, statistics, technology, television, toddlers

Amy Webb

Writer and mom of two who brings academic child development and parenting information into the lives of ordinary parents who can use it in their daily lives.

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Amy Webb
As a mom of two young boys, I've seen first-hand how research-based child development information, combined with intuition, can guide you through your parenting journey. Although I have a Ph.D.in Human Development and Family Sciences, many of my real parenting discoveries have come through my experience. I believe parenting with confidence comes from knowledge; parenting with grace comes from insight. Join me on this parenting journey of learning and discovery

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