I said I would not.. (long post) *edited*

..give my daughter screentime. Here I am, feeling guilty every day because I am doing just that. She is only 14 month 😞😭

It all started when she was 11 month. Husband had to be away from home for about 3/4 weeks. We live far away from family so it just came down to me. It started out with giving her some minutes so I can just go to the toilet without hearing her scream. Later on I noticed she would eat twice - if not more- as much as normal if she was watching a cartoon. She is always on the go, even more when she started walking around 11,5 months. It seems like she thinks food is a waste of time, instead she would just keep "snacking" - that is breastfeeding veryy often just for a few minutes and eating very little food multiple times a day. I tried for several days to offer her less often food in the hope she would eat more, but to no effect. She just became very quiet and lost her energy. So I then turned back to using the cartoons and she just is a different child when she is eating well. Her weightgain is very good and she's developing very fast. But I just hateeee the screentime.😒 Sometimes I think it's better that I use it (healthwise) and that I can break the habit later on when she starts to understand and communicate better. And sometimes I think I should stop now that she's still little, because it does more harm to her on the long run + it may be so much more harder to take it away later on.😔😔

What do you think? What is your experience, what do you recommend me to do?

I give her screentime three times a day for about 10-15 min each time. And on some days more when she's being very fussy and when I'm not feeling well.

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*Edit:

@Birdie

The reason why I hate it is because I am aware of the negative impact that it has on their learning abilities. I didn't ask for any facts, because I know them. Just asking how to limit it and eventually to eliminate it altogether. Stating that I am "wasting her most important years", is totall bull. Sorry but if you try to help someone, you should not throw statements like these. The most you can say is that I am not maximazing it 100%. "Unless you dont care or concern yourself blabla" If you just wouldve taken a few more seconds, to stop thinking about how you are the perfect parent, you would've understand that if I wouldnt care I wouldnt have posted this in the first place. What you also fail to understand is that health also impacts her brain development etc. Hence the reason why I have given in, because that percentage that she has screentime and eats proper, impacted the other 90% that she doesn't have screentime, for the better. Besides that, I got more time to engage her to learn new things because I am not wasting 30+ minutes several times a day, begging her to eat a little and afterwards still dealing with a fussy toddler who isnt in the mood for anything. Hence why I am having this dilemma. I see you just recently became a mom? Or do you have a toddler and are you expecting #2 this december?

@Laura

Thank you! I really appreciate your comment. Besides those 3 times a day I also give her food on the go. But without the eating while having screentime, the food on the go doesnt satisfy her enough. The past week I have managed to lessen the screentime, but some days are still tricky. It really bothers me because since she was a newborn I would not hold my phone in her eyesight (unless I was talking with family abroad) just to not make it appealing to her. I keep myself busy with her a lot. I engage her even in the house chores that I havent managed to do when she's asleep. They take more time but just like you mentioned, she enjoys it a lot when she gets tasks.

@everyone else

Thank you all for taking the time to reply. They may be just some words but knowing that other moms understand me, is just comforting.