Screen Time

When I took Addison (my three-year-old) for her most recent well-visit, one of the questions the pediatrician asked me was how much screen time I give her each day. I quickly responded with "one hour." Whoops. That was a lie. What I meant to say was that she had watched one hour of TV that day, because that was how long she had been awake before we needed to leave for her appointment.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends zero screen time for kids under the age of 2. When I first heard this, I laughed, because I thought it was a joke. We failed to meet that recommendation with Montgomerie while we were still in the hospital! If she's being a fussy pants for no good reason (i.e. hungry, tired, dirty diaper) and the only thing that will get her to be quiet for twenty minutes is to watch The Lion King with her big sister, then guess what? Hakuna Matata.

This photo of my girls watching TV together also showcases my inability to follow safety guidelines, as the bumbo seat is on a raised surface. Aren't they sweet with the hand-holding though?!

We do make some attempt to follow AAP guidelines. As a result, Addison generally gets to watch TV any time her little sister goes down for a nap. You may be thinking that seems like an excellent opportunity for some one-on-one time with my oldest daughter, but I prefer to spend that hour pretending neither of my kids exist.

Here are the top 5 things I like to do while Addison watches TV:

1. Watch my own show on the iPad (we tried it reverse once, but I was watching some medical drama like House and i looked over to find her staring at the TV in horror as a man's insides were being dissected...)
2. Check my email, stalk people on facebook, or write a blog post such as this one
3. Take a nap
4. Take a shower (I usually choose a nap over a shower though)
5. Housework (I always choose any or all of the above over this)