Screen time for babies under 2: the guideline and a plan

Screen time for babies under 2 is best kept to video calls with people who love them. The World Health Organization guideline for children under five says screen time is not recommended under age 1 or for 1 year olds, and no more than 1 hour a day at age 2, less being better. The American Academy of Pediatrics agrees for babies and makes one exception: live video chat. If you already use some screens, you are not starting from zero. You are deciding which ones to keep.

What does the guideline say for babies under two?

No regular screen time before 2, with one exception: a live video call.

The World Health Organization puts it plainly. For a baby under 1, screen time is not recommended. For a one year old, sitting and watching a screen is not recommended either. At 2, it is no more than an hour a day, and less is better. In place of screens, it encourages reading and storytelling with a caregiver.

The American Academy of Pediatrics says much the same for babies. Its guidance for parents on infants and screens says cartoons and nursery rhyme videos are not recommended, because a baby cannot learn much from a screen at this age. Video chat is the one it calls out as helpful.

Why are video calls treated differently?

Because a video call has a real person on the other end who answers back.

The American Academy of Pediatrics notes on video chat for babies say that for babies under 18 months, FaceTime, Skype and other video chats can help build relationships with loved ones. A grandmother who waits for your baby to smile, then smiles back, is doing something a cartoon cannot. She responds to your baby. A show just keeps playing.

So video calls with grandparents for babies are fine, and often lovely. They work best when you are in the call too:

• Hold your baby on your lap, facing the screen, so the call is something you do together.

• Keep it short. A few minutes of waving and peekaboo is plenty for a young baby.

• Let Grandma lead with her face and voice. Songs, names and silly noises land better than holding up objects.

• End before your baby fusses, so the call stays a happy thing.

What does a baby lose when a screen replaces play?

The time itself. Every minute in front of a show is a minute not spent being talked to, held, or moving.

A baby learns from people and from their own hands. Your face, your voice, the back and forth when you copy their babble, a spoon to bang, a floor to roll on. The AAP's infant guidance warns that screens, whether on in the background, on a parent's phone, or on a tablet in front of the baby, crowd out exactly these things.

That last part matters. Your own phone counts. A baby whose parent is looking down at a screen loses the same conversation as a baby watching one. Nobody can be off their phone all day. Short stretches where you put it in another room and get on the floor are enough to change the day.

If you want ideas for that floor time, play ideas for a 6 month old has simple ones that need nothing bought.

How do you cut screens back without a battle?

Swap one screen moment at a time, starting with the easiest, and keep the ones that are live people.

Here is an example week, the kind many families recognise. It is not a real family. It is a way of sorting your own week. For each screen moment, ask two questions: is there a live person who answers back, and is an adult in it with the baby? If both are yes, keep it. If not, swap it.

• Monday, the morning show while you make coffee. Swapped. Baby goes in the high chair with a wooden spoon and a cup, and you narrate the kettle.

• Monday, the call with Grandma after lunch. Kept. Baby on your lap, five minutes of peekaboo.

• Tuesday, the TV on in the background all afternoon. Swapped for music or a podcast at low volume. The room still has sound, and nobody is facing a screen.

• Wednesday, the tablet in the waiting room. Swapped for a small bag of three things kept just for waiting: a board book, a soft block, a set of keys on a ring.

• Thursday, the video call with Dad while he is away. Kept. Bedtime songs over the phone, with you holding the baby.

• Friday, the phone in your hand during the bottle. Swapped. The phone stays face down on the counter for feeds, and you talk or hum instead.

• Saturday, the nursery rhyme video to stop the crying. Swapped for holding, rocking, a walk to the window, or the same song sung by you. The AAP asks parents not to make a screen the way a baby is calmed.

• Sunday, a show so you can shower. See the next section. This one is real, and it gets a plan rather than guilt.

Two things make this easier. Change one moment per week, not seven. And move the screens, not the rules: a TV that is off by default and a tablet kept in a drawer get used less without anyone having to say no.

If your baby seems slow to babble, respond, or make eye contact, whatever the screen time has been, talk to your pediatrician.

What if a screen is the only way you can shower or cook?

Then you need a different safe place, not a screen. A baby who is safe and a little bored for ten minutes is fine.

• Put your baby in a safe spot you can see: a play yard or bouncer in the bathroom doorway or the kitchen, with a couple of toys.

• Talk to them while you work. Your voice from across the room still counts as company.

• Save one toy or basket just for these minutes, so it stays interesting.

• Shower during a nap or when another adult is home, where you can.

• If you do use a show, use it on purpose: one short one, the same time each day, and turn it off when you are done. That is a far smaller thing than a TV left on all afternoon.

For the wider picture of development, see baby milestones and when to worry.

Frequently asked questions

Is background television a problem for a baby? It can be, because it pulls your attention and fills the room even when nobody is watching. The AAP lists screens on in the background among the things that crowd out talk and play with a baby. Turn the TV off when nobody is watching it, or swap it for music.

Are educational videos for babies any different? Not for a baby. The AAP says cartoons and nursery rhyme videos are not recommended for infants, because a baby cannot learn much from a screen at this age. Reading a board book together, pointing at the pictures and naming them, does what those videos promise.

What about screens in the car or on a flight? On a short car trip, songs, a toy on a strap and your voice from the front seat are usually enough. A long flight is a special case, and a short show there is not a habit. Keep the volume low and close it once your baby settles, and bring a few new small toys first.

How do you handle screen time at a grandparent's house? Say what you would like rather than what they did wrong: video calls yes, TV off when the baby is awake, books and walks instead. Bring a bag of toys and books so the swap is easy. A grandparent who sees an afternoon without the TV is often the easiest one to convince.

If you would like a simple list to check your baby against as the months go by, get the free Milestone checklist (0 to 24 months) from the HelianWell learning center.