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Preschoolers

small child watering indoor plants
How can my kids experience nature during lockdown?
 How can my kids experience nature during lockdown? 1024 443 Mediatrics

Q: I live in a high-rise apartment and am the father of two girls, ages 4 and 7. Before living in lockdown due to COVID-19, the girls and I would play outside nearly every day at a local park, and often go on nature adventures on weekends. The lockdown was recently extended and I worry that…

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Media Forbidden Fruit
How can I avoid making media into a “forbidden fruit” for my kids?
 How can I avoid making media into a “forbidden fruit” for my kids? 750 315 Mediatrics

Q: I was able to attend a community presentation you gave about children and screen time. During your talk, you discouraged parents from setting screen time limits because doing so makes media into “forbidden fruit”, or increasingly tempting for kids. In my house, we often take away TV or iPad time from our kids (ages…

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toddler smartphone
Is it wrong for me to give my three-year-old my tablet or smartphone to use unsupervised?
 Is it wrong for me to give my three-year-old my tablet or smartphone to use unsupervised? 750 315 Mediatrics

Q: I recently read the New York Times article discussing young children using high tech devices unsupervised before they turn 4. Admittedly, I give my three year old daughter my iPad to play with on long car trips and I’ll occasionally hand her my smartphone while in line at the grocery store (she usually melts…

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mom daughter TV
What can I do about the adult commercials shown during children and family programming?
 What can I do about the adult commercials shown during children and family programming? 750 315 Mediatrics

Q: I am fed up with all of the adult content in commercials that are shown during children and family programming. I have witnessed them across every network and have now started a Facebook page in hopes of gathering as many people as I can to petition for showing only G-rated commercials during children and…

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Three teen girls looking at a fashion magazine
What Can I do to Protect My Kids from Seeing Inappropriate Fashion Catalogues?
 What Can I do to Protect My Kids from Seeing Inappropriate Fashion Catalogues? 750 315 Mediatrics

Q: I recently received the Spring 2015 Catalog from the department store Barneys New York. The catalog was sent to my house without any envelope or sleeve to protect it from being opened by kids, even though it contains pictures that I believe are inappropriate for young children. What can be done to prevent such…

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preschooler dad tablet
What is the best way to introduce screen media to our three-and-a-half-year-old?
 What is the best way to introduce screen media to our three-and-a-half-year-old? 750 250 Mediatrics

Q: What is the appropriate way to introduce screen media to our three-and-a-half-year-old son? We don’t own a TV, and our son’s exposure to screens has been limited to occasionally taking photos and video and watching Curious George on our smartphones once or twice a week, as a reward, for 10-30 minutes. He’s a very happy…

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Mediatrician Family Movie Tips 2014
The Mediatrician’s Holiday Tips for Making the Most out of Family Movie Time
 The Mediatrician’s Holiday Tips for Making the Most out of Family Movie Time 750 250 Mediatrics

It’s that time of year once again when school vacations and holidays bring many friends and family together. It can also be a great time to continue or start a tradition of cozying up on the couch, or going out as a group to watch a movie. This year, theaters are offering movie versions of…

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Boys playing DS
I’m part of a mom’s group that discusses family media management – How should I answer questions about whether or not to expose kids to video games?
 I’m part of a mom’s group that discusses family media management – How should I answer questions about whether or not to expose kids to video games? 750 250 Mediatrics

Q: I am part of a moms’ group that puts on monthly parent meetings in an effort to educate parents about the issues surrounding screen time in the home. In our next meeting, we will be focusing on video gaming, and I would like your advice on how to handle the inevitable parental question: “If…

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How can I use screen media mindfully with a four-year-old and six-year-old twins?
 How can I use screen media mindfully with a four-year-old and six-year-old twins? 150 150 Mediatrics

Q: My wife and I have twin 6-year-old boys and a 4-year-old boy. Many of the strategies I’ve seen about responsible screen use, digital media, TV, etc. seem herculean for a family like ours. My wife will use commercial-free videos so she can take a break to cook, as well as online videos of volcanoes, jet…

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Should apps be part of a library’s story time?
 Should apps be part of a library’s story time? 150 150 Mediatrics

Q: There is a discussion among children’s librarians about including tablets and apps in story times at the library for children ages 2-5 or even younger. The assumption is that apps can and should be one more type of material that supports early literacy development (vocabulary, narrative skills, letter knowledge, phonological awareness, etc.). Some think…

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