Do you Feel Guilty Each Time You Handover your Smartphone to your Toddler to Keep Him Engage? Here's The Help

Did you ever hear words like Techno-guilt and Techno-shaming? Well, we can understand, being a working parent, and juggling to strike a right balance you might have simply shrugged off these “unwanted” Internet jargon! But, you need to know just because you a parent to a child born in internet and technology world.

Techno-guilt is when a parent feels guilty because he uses technology like television, laptop, Smartphone to keep his kids occupied, more like using technology as a babysitter! Techno-shaming is when a parent feels the guilt on allowing his child to use technology in a public space. Have you ever noticed the frowning faces of elderly people and the stare they give you as if saying… How can you do this to your child?

So are you the one who can relate to above situation? Well, then here is the solution…

I want my Toddler to be active physically rather than being a couch potato straining his eyes!

We completely understand you to want your toddler to be away from the screen and be more active physically, playing, jumping, dancing and blah blah blah! Are these your expectations from a child?  If you said a YES, then even child would have same expectation from you… or better to say child imitates what parents do…isn’t? So do you.

·         Read a book before going to sleep or browse your smartphone or watch your favorite serial on television?

·         In your free time, you go out to a park and meet friends or simply play Candy Crush on your phone?

·         Which mode of communication you opt … postal mails [hand written] or emails?

·         To unwind yourself, you play music and dance/workout or hold your Kindle to read your favorite book.

If you chose the latter option, you are yourself using “technology”. Your child just knows that “the toy” used by my mummy and papa is quite tempting, and he tries to imitate you. So unless you throw out technology from your home and neighborhood, you do not have a way to prevent your toddler with charms of technology!

Okay, I got it! So what’s the Solution?

These technologies would exist, and your child would have to grow with these around him. So rather than feeling guilty about allowing your children to use them look out for ways to direct him to RIGHT CONTENT for a LIMITED TIME.

In fact few of the studies have shown that the screen time enhances kid’s skill when compared to television viewing, for one simple reason being – on a tablet/smartphone kid is more interactive, the kid is expected to perform an action and understand the logic. On the other hand, television is a simple idiot box that does not need a response, and a continuous stare could strain kid’s eyes.

Here are quick tips to divert your kid’s time to fun and interactive learning -

· Teach them to handle the devices carefully, rather than always to say NO. When you say NO to him, it surprises him as he is unable to understand why that NO when you yourself are using the same thing.

·Choose content that are designed for your toddler, even if they are paid, it’s worth the money

·  Do not always use “technology” as a babysitter [ Well, agreed unless you hand over your toddler your iPad, he will not let you take a bath or cook food] but make sure to let him know what he is dealing with, like Wheels on the Bus a superbly animated and highly interactive app. From spinning the wheels to swishing the wipers, there is plenty for children to poke and slide and they'll love the music, almost as much as you'll hate it.

·  Limit the time. Okay, we will watch your favorite rhyme for ten minutes and then we’ll have dinner.

      Your kid needs you and you need him, so lets make efforts from our side to make this relationship a beautiful one. 

      Happy Parenting!

Keep Faith
Chakoli :)