Switch off screens and play!
Did you know? Too much screen time can keep your baby from being active, and may interfere with their sleep.
Some parents believe watching screens can be educational, while others use screens for entertainment to keep their littles ones occupied. However, media usage keeps babies from being active and playing. It may also interfere with your baby’s sleep.
What are the guidelines?
- The Canadian Paediatric Society recommends no screen time for children under two years of age.
- Screen time refers to time spent with any screen, including smart phones, tablets, television, video games, computers or wearable technology. Toddlers learn intensely through face-to-face interaction with parents and caregivers. Early learning is easier, more enriching and developmentally more efficient when experienced live, interactively, in real time and space, and with real people.
Simple, active play is far more beneficial than screen time for your baby, from their very first days and weeks. You don’t need expensive toys or equipment to encourage your baby to be active. Make time for brief periods of play and interaction with your baby each day.
Sources
Canadian Paediatric Society. Position Statement. Screen time and young children: promoting health and development in a digial world. Paediatr Child Health 2017;22(8):461-468.
Last revised: November, 2016
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