Replace Screen Time with Me Time

When you use computers, smart phones, IPads, televisions, DVDs, and video games it is described as having "screen time." Electronic devices are everywhere and you might be tempted to share them with your baby. But instead of putting baby in front of a television or video, let baby be an active learner. That means let baby explore the environment and interact with you and others. That is how baby will learn to walk, talk, play, be social and solve problems!

 

Learn more about screen time for your baby here

 

Brain Science for Your Baby

 

The American Academy of Pediatrics reviewed the research on screen time, and recommends that babies under two years don't have any!  After age two, screen time needs to be limited to no more than one to two hours per day.  Why no screen time?  Research shows that babies don't learn language from TV or educational videos.  They learn it from you.  Too much screen time has been associated with sleep problems, learning problems, and behavior problems too!  

 

Click here for more on the problems with screen time and TV
A Baby Buffer Prescription for Your Baby
  • Experts in child development recommend that babies have zero screen time before the age of two. Try your best to limit or eliminate any kind of screen time for your baby.

 Instead of screen time try to:

  • Interact, talk and play with your baby
  • Listen to soft music, read and look at books, play outside, take a walk
  • Encourage your child to be active and move around their environment as much as possible.

A baby Buffer Prescription for You        

 

  • Talk to your doctor about a healthy diet, sleep and exercise program for you. When you take care of yourself, you are best able to take care of your baby!
  • Talk to your doctor about how to adjust to the change of parenting a new baby to enable you to positively talk to your baby with your words and actions every day.
 
 
 

What Your Baby Can Do - Developmental Milestones 

 

Your baby is changing quickly during this period. Know what to look for to make sure your baby is growing and changing in a healthy way.  Click on the links below for information from the CDC on what your baby can do now.  
Baby Buffer Blog
Our friend Gene*

Your Crying Baby

Greetings and salutations from the center of your living world - and, of course I mean your BABY! That Special Kid, or TSK for short. 


I'm Gene, a special advisor for you, and I live in every cell of your body and your baby's (TSK's) body!  I live in the DNA parts which are the instructions that tell all the rest of your body what to do. I'm a little bossy that way! 

 

Today I want to talk to you about one of the most helpless feelings in the world; being a sleep-deprived parent of a crying infant!  This is pretty common and can lead to depression for parents or anyone in the household. 


Read Gene's full blog here

*Gene's blog and website content written by Greta McFarland, MD, FAAP 

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