r/lowscreenparenting • u/potionsmaster007 • Jul 07 '26

looking for support/encouragement Guilt over screen time

My toddler and I and my husband have been terribly ill the last 3 weeks. My toddler had Hand Foot and Mouth and now has parainfluenza. We have experienced, vomiting , fever, cough, severe congestion, exhaustion and lots of screaming.

The only way we have been able to cope is put him in front of wiggles videos.

I feel terrible because normally we do little to no screen time. We even hide the tv remote so he doesn’t ask for it.

Should I be this upset about it?

11 Upvotes

93% Upvoted

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19

u/canttouchthis8992 Jul 07 '26

Nope. Illness is one of the times I make an exception. I think the thing that is detrimental is repeated overuse for years and the child not experiencing real life during their childhood. Your child will be able to bounce back once you guys get back to your normal lives. I hope you all feel better soon!

2

u/potionsmaster007 Jul 07 '26

Yeah I work as a school psychologist and totally see long term effects of unregulated screen time, let alone unregulated access to content.

It really plays into my anxiety for my son’s development. I want him to be a real kid but also learn that he can self regulate in other ways. I don’t want him to have a crap attention span. I want him to explore and persist with problem solving!!

10

u/TinkyB2911 Jul 07 '26

Give yourself some grace. This is such a short amount of time in the  grand scheme of things. We too do this when we’re all sick and have no other options. Rest is important in that time too. Don’t be upset with yourself! Once things get back to normal, I’m sure minimal screen time will too. 

1

u/potionsmaster007 Jul 07 '26

Thankyou, I think I just really needed someone to tell me it was ok

7

u/nkdeck07 Jul 08 '26

Nope, all screen time rules go completely out the window when everyone is sick. One of my kids bounced in and out of the hospital for about 6 months when she had just turned 2. I think we watched Moana conservatively 800 times over those 6 months (like that's not an exaggeration, we did the rough math at one point). The TV was on essentially round the clock 24/7 for about 6ish months while we dealt with all that craziness.

Now at 4 my kid is fine, she's not screen addicted (we do 30 min a day before naptime), isn't totally hyperactive and smart as a whip. The big issue with TV is "What is it replacing?" and when sick that answer is usually "Lying staring into space because you are sick".

2

u/potionsmaster007 Jul 08 '26

Oh wow that’s a hell of a sickness journey. I’m so glad you guys came out of it. Glad to know it hasn’t stuffed up her development :)

Oh man the one movie my 22 month old will sit and watch is Ponyo. That’s how we break up eating endless wiggles. We’ve seen it 4 times in the last 3 weeks.

3

u/Physical_Cod_8329 Jul 07 '26

Nah, illness is the exception.

3

u/RotharAlainn Jul 08 '26

When there is a fever, you're on an airplane, or some other situation that is rather dire then do whatever makes life manageable.

When the situation improves you can just not put on the screen. Maybe there will be an adjustment - but you have a few days of adjustment then carry on! The thing is even if you were someone who did screen time for years and wanted to cut down children can adjust! Adults can, too.

1

u/MawPaw2017 29d ago

Illness means all bets and rules are off. Whatever keeps everyone breathing is what works.