Digital Parenting: Battle of the Gadgets

The Digital Parenting Divide

Technology helps us in many ways, but it can also hurt us. Ask a parent what they think of their toddler’s–or fast forward, their teen’s–use of cell phones or tablets and you’re sure to spark a controversial debate. Are these devices helping our children learn faster or are they limiting their social skills? Or both? As with most things in life, our home has found a balance.

Before I explain more about how we manage our toddler’s tech time, let’s acknowledge that computers will be part of every child’s schoolwork and career. Many private (and public) schools provide an iPad or computer in the first grade—or not long after. Computers and other mobile devices come with a responsibility, which is great to instill at a young age!

Asher’s recent 3-year-old portraits featured our iPad.

I try to take advantage of every positive opportunity our smartphones and computers have available for young minds. We have an ABC subscription and easily access phonics videos on YouTube.

Our ‘digital parenting’ style is not overly rigid, but some things must be enforced. For a bit of balance, we’ve established no-tech times while we have the parental control over our toddler’s access to devices:

• No devices between lunchtime and naptime
• No digital after dinner

Our son probably gets about one cumulative hour of tech time per day. With the exception of an occasional Disney movie or live surfing contest in the evening with Mom and Dad. By limiting our toddler’s screen time, we hope he gets the educational benefit and the cognitive development of ‘old school’ flash cards and other activities, like playing with stickers or a Polaroid camera. Check out our earlier post on creative non-digital gifts for toddlers. Plus, for birthdays and holidays, I encourage him to handwrite thank you and holiday cards.

Although it seems like parents will eventually surrender to the Gadget Battle, for now we try to use it as a bargaining chip. It is much easier to offer five minutes on an iPad and avoid a 30-minute meltdown. (Don’t let our little one know this!)

Curious how you answer a question that is still a few years off for us: How old will your child be when they get a mobile phone?

Modern Working Mom

Parents today have more digital shortcuts and tools than ever before, but do you really need to rely on your smartphone? Modern working mothers, like myself, have our own routines and support systems. Whether you work from home or your job offers a flexible schedule out of the home, balancing professional and familial responsibilities is an art.

How do you juggle priorities, keep little ones happy and healthy, plus take care of yourself? I’m one of those individuals who feels guilty for pleasure reading. I always feel like I should be productive and contributing to my home and work. Here are a few (mostly low-tech) ways I’ve been able to make days more fluid, less stressful, and manage to get it all done:

1. Handwritten lists. Yes, there are plenty of apps for organizing tasks, but I prefer to rely on handwritten lists. Reminders and tasks with pen and paper are familiar to me, and they also keep me away from further distractions on digital devices. How many times have you gone to your phone for one thing and found yourself scrolling and replying to emails 20 minutes later? As a last resort, if I don’t have any hard copy note-taking supplies with me I will text myself a note. I’ll be sure to see it later in the day since I clear out all my personal texts daily!
2. Routine for all. Although common and simple, picking out our clothes the night before helps the next day run smoothly. My toddler has an outfit for the day, one for naptime, and others dependent upon his activities. Having those lined up and ready when we need them moves the day along. Many parents are overwhelmed with keeping a clean house and get distracted by straightening up. Now that my son is three, he’s much more independent and his nap times are shrinking. As he has grown responsible enough to clean up his toys, I use that time to start dinner or basic household clean up. While he finishes his meal, we wipe down the kitchen counters and load the dishwasher. Together we do laundry and he learns color sorting and basic measuring. No big cleaning time is taken away from our day when we piecemeal it throughout our normal routine and the bonus is the learning included along the way!
3. Autopilot. Of course, the trick is to stay with your routine! I do rely on technology in this way. Our neighborhood grocery store Harris Teeter offers online shopping. This allows me to shop from my phone or computer and set a pickup time. I can pick up the groceries after a meeting and not have to make two separate trips—plus avoid food shopping with a toddler, which could eat up a lot of time! I also love Amazon Prime Subscribe and Save and newest addition, Pantry. Their subscription service offers reduced prices and lets me set dates when our items are automatically re-ordered and dropped at our doorstep. Huge help and it is often much less expensive then me walking into any large retailer…with or without a list!

Upcycle Your Halloween

Being creative with Halloween costumes can be eco-friendly.

There aren’t too many kids these days who would be thrilled with a ghost costume made by cutting two holes out of an old bed sheet. Not to worry, there are still plenty of simple things you can do to give your kids a unique costume for Halloween this year. Whether your little ones want to make people scream or giggle, the choice to upcycle and repurpose materials this Halloween is sure to be wallet-friendly.

Not only are repurposed costumes and recycled materials good for your wallet, it’s also great for the earth. According to Hearts.com, over 41 million pounds of waste is created on Halloween alone every year. Halloween is also a great time to teach your kids about the environmental impact and significance of their actions.

How to make your Halloween greener than your Frankenstein décor?

Of course the best option is to make your children’s costumes from scratch using materials you already own. However, this isn’t always possible:

Twist on Traditional. You might think that it’s counterproductive to buy the main part of your child’s upcycled costume from a store, but unless you’re secretly a master seamstress, buying simple costume like a plain witch dress or wizard’s robe will save you a lot of time, and allow you to customize the outfit to your child’s specific needs. Make creative props and accessories to change the theme of a traditional costume. Princess costume? Upcycle one of your pumpkins with a few wheels and your princess is now Cinderella!

Your pumpkin can enjoy new life as a costume prop.

Children’s Department. An even better option is getting them something from a traditional clothing section, which likely will not have the same price increase as the seasonal Halloween products. With a few extra accessories and stitching, and a little help with some added details (an activity your kids could get involved in) your little ones could end up with a memorable costume. See a formal girl’s gown on clearance? Take an old deck of cards and paste them on for an Alice in Wonderland Queen costume.

Costume Swap. Where’s your little one’s costume from last year? If it is collecting dust, take it out and let another child enjoy it for Halloween. Hosting a party at home this fall? Ask guests to bring an old costume. Let them swap it for another, or simply donate leftover outfits to GoodWill. Did you find a skeleton costume in the swap? Upcycle it by dying white parts green, create “bloody” hanging “flesh” with painted paper towels, and the skeleton costume is now a zombie!

You can even have your kids save some of the candy wrappers that they (and you!) will go through this season, and give them to TerraCycle, an organization that recycles specialty items that your local government organizations might consider trash, such as candy wrappers or snack pouches. At a time where kids (and let’s be honest, adults too) are ingesting more processed, sugary treats than ever, it’s nice to know that there’s some part of the holiday that you can still feel good about!

Here’s wishing you all a happy, safe, and eco-friendly Halloween that you and your loved ones will remember for years to come!

Party in Pictures

So the two year old birthday party has come and gone.  It was absolutely worth the “fussing” and prep work as outlined last week here. I still can’t believe another year has past and I am officially mommy to a two-year-old toddler!

Welcome

Saturday started off as most other Saturdays do with the typical morning books, potty and breakfast routine.  However, when 11:30AM rolled around I began to panic.  I realized I had a ton to do and needed to get my little bug down for his nap earlier than normal so he would be able to greet his guests with a chipper smile at 4PM.   Thank goodness Daddy came to the rescue with some outdoor play time which allowed me to loose my little shadow (at least for an hour) and complete my indoor responsibilities.  It was also a blessing to have aunties Marissa and Rachel around for the weekend festivities.  Sister time, a little wine, great food, completely entertaining conversations and birthday help = perfect combo! Here’s another thank you to you two:-)

Marissa Enjoying Chocolate Milk

Someone must have been looking out for us as my other concern was completely eliminated when the weather literally changed overnight!  It went from 40’s and rainy to 60’s and sunny.  It offered the perfect day for an indoor/outdoor gathering.  The rest of the afternoon was enjoyed with windows and doors propped wide open.

Perfect Weather

Here are a couple of images chronicling our get together.  Thank you to everyone for making it a memorable second birthday and for the fantastic company.  We are truly blessed with great friends and family!  Cheers…to birthday number two;-)  xoxo

Table

Cupcakes

Always need a “Potty” sign 🙂

Milk Anyone?

Cake

Treat Bar

Gift Time

Best Friends

Treat Bags

What Was Daddy’s Surprise Gift…Perhaps a Future Post?