How to keep your toddler away from mobile phones
With smartphones becoming an integral part of our lives, it is nearly impossible to keep our toddlers away from them. This increasing usage of smartphones among little children is causing them to become unsocial, inactive, cranky, other than causing damage to their young eyes. Staying glued to smartphones can affect the brain development of children, and also lead to early obesity.
Set a strong password that your toddler cannot determine
Using unlock patterns on smartphones is an easy way for us to go about, and so is it for a toddler. They might not be able to decode passwords yet, but patterns are easy to remember. Children often unlock their parents' phones and play games or make accidental calls. Set a password so that your kid is unable to use it in your absence.
Limit using smartphone in front of your kid
Children tend to mirror adult behavior; if they see you using a phone, they will do so too. It is not uncommon for children to pretend to talk over a phone with their hands on their ears and blabbering. It looks cute, but it reflects what they are learning from you. Set a good example and minimize mobile phone use in front of kids.
Encourage outdoor activities
Encourage your toddler to play outdoors; take them to nearby parks to play with other kids. Physical activity is important for kids and the best way to do that is just to let them run around. If that is not possible due to lack of space or time, involve them in activities like gardening, feeding pets, or doing small household chores.
Talk to and play with your kid
The vibrant onscreen images attract children. To counter or limit that, get your child to tell you the stories about things they watch or what they did throughout the day. Encourage them to tell stories about the things they like. Pay attention when children try to describe something. To keep them immersed in the experience, encourage them to enact their favorite characters.
Engage them in creative things
Get your child some colors and coloring books and let them get creative. Drawing random lines and scribbling on the paper might seem like they aren't doing anything, but this is how creativity begins. Once they get used to doing this daily, they won't ask for the phone. Online games and social media are known to kill the early seeds of creativity.
