Up until not very long, the American Association of Pediatrics (AAP) recommended NO screen time for children under two. Zero! While this has changed a bit and it is not recommended not to expose kids to screens until 18 months, I still do not think that this was a rule that we needed to apply in our home.

Lennox did not watch cartoons for the first year of his life. I read the suggestion and I agreed that my focus should be communication with him during those quieter times. I honestly did not think much about exposing him to it once I made that decision.

Then, at around one and when he started to be really verbal, I started showing him cartoons sporadically. Very quickly, I noticed that he was learning how to say words that he would not say for me no matter how hard I tried. For example, he learned all the animal sounds by watching cartoons. I had tried and tried to teach him and, while I think that he probably remembered what I had taught him, I am 100% sure that the more attractive presentation was what ended making it ‘CLICK’ for him.

Since then, I have allowed some screen time for him in the mornings before we get started with our day. I have been so strict when it comes to that that there is zero expectation to watch any other time. It is part of our routine and once it is done, he knows it is not happening again until the next morning.

Also, I closely monitor what he watches. If the show does not have educational value, it is not for us. (The PBS Kids App is a great way to control that, for English speakers.) Lastly, we watch together most of the time or I am close enough to still keep him engaged. I ask him what can he see, what is the name of the characters, etc. Believe me, you can use that screen as a learning tool!

Being the rule follower that I tend to be, I am even surprised that I so calmly ignored the AAP’s guideline and simply followed my instict. Why? Because for my son screen time allows him to have a morning ritual (and I am all about structure) and it has helped him EXPLODE his vocabulary. It also gives me a chance to start my working day while he enjoys his cartoons. Today, I can gladly say that I was right to ignore the experts about screen time.