At Rockmybaby® Nanny Agency we are aware that babies and toddlers love playing with Smartphone’s and tablets, and they get the hang of them very quickly.

When you’re a busy parent or carer, it’s an easy way to keep your baby or young child entertained while you’re busy.  You may also want your child to get a head start on learning digital skills.  Although many experts worry that too much screen time may be harmful for babies and children, even at a very young age.

The professional body for pediatricians, the Royal College of Pediatrics and Child Health, believe that children are exposed to screens for longer amounts of time than ever before. This widespread access to tablets, Smartphone’s, TVs and laptops is causing concern amongst doctors in the UK and internationally.

So how much screen time should a child have?

It is advised for under-twos to allow no screen time at all. For slightly older children, doctors suggest a limit of one or two hours of total screen time a day. This includes TV, computers and mobile devices.

If you do let your baby or toddler play with your device, try limiting it to 15 or 20 minutes at a time, when their attention is likely to fade anyway. Be ready with something new and exciting to do instead.  Although children may learn some concepts from watching educational programmes, they learn best from interactive, hands-on experiences; touching, feeling, shaking, stacking and problem solving with people they care about.

At Rockmybaby® Nanny Agency we know that on occasion using a tablet or mobile device is the only way to get through a car journey, shopping or to settle them when they’re having a difficult moment, therefore try and use educational apps that teach your child something whilst keeping them occupied at the same time. There are lots of fun and engaging phonics, numbers and colour apps available that have the added benefit of helping your child learn.