For most children between 2- 5 years of age the most common rule of thumb is to have one hour of recreational screen time each day. I personally think that this is just a recommended time limit and one can flex it based on their own daily routines. For me I know it’s time to unplug when I see my toddler being darty and jumpy which is an indicator for me that she’s done with screen time for the day.
Kids tend to watch with greater concentration at the beginning with laser focus initially. This gradually wears out turning into a daze and eventually all the stimulation results in neurons firing up and making them jittery to the point they can’t sit straight any more. Look for such cues in your child to tell you when it’s time to power off the screen in front of them.
What are some clues your toddler gives that indicate they’re done with screen time for the day? Share with us in comments below.
My son will tune me out when I am calling his name to see if he has to use the restroom. There have been days where he's been on the iPad longer than an hour, with breaks in-between, and he'd have an accident on himself. He's closer to 4 years old now so this doesn't happen as often but that was an issue and I could tell it was time to end screen time for the day.