It was recently shared by the World Health Organisation that children under 2 shouldn’t have any screen time, and children over 2 shouldn’t have more than 1 hour. This is because it can affect their development as they grow.
We know that screen time can sometimes be unavoidable as its most usually the cheapest and easiest babysitter to acquire on short notice when you’re juggling 10 other things!
In reality, this hurts you more in the long run.
Over exposure to blue light waves, like through our technological devices, can result in over stimulation. Getting outdoors is particularly beneficial for your child's development as it presents an opportunity to observe with (almost) all their senses and get some exercise.
They will learn to focus their attention on certain things and become aware of their surroundings. Encourage exploration by traveling at their pace and asking them questions about different things.
A great idea is to ask them with different sensory questions, for example:
- What does that feel like?
- What does that smell like?
- Can you hear that? What sounds are they?
- Can you see that? What does that look like? What shape is that? What colour is that?
All these questions promote engagement and thinking. If something happens to grab your child's attention more so than something else, it is a great opportunity to learn more about it!
Getting outside and away from these blue wave artificial lights will not only benefit you during the day but it will have a positive effect on your sleep at night-time. Exposure to all these different factors that affect our natural melatonin production, our circadian rhythm is affected.
Our circadian rhythm is what influences our sleep and wake cycles – essentially when our bodies know to release our sleep hormone, melatonin, that sends us off into a peaceful slumber.
Red Light Therapy, like that found with the Glow Dreaming, is the only artificial light source that helps naturally stimulate the production of melatonin, in turn helping keep our circadian rhythm on track.
When possible, ditch the iPad for some sunshine, it will make for a better day and a better night!