A realistic guide to a screen-free first year

A screen-free first year has two halves. The first is your baby's own screens, and that half is very doable, because babies do not ask for tablets. The second is your phone, which is harder, because you still need it. The realistic plan: no TV or tablet time for your baby, fewer visible phone pickups for you, and plenty of books, talk and floor time in between.

What the guidelines say

The major health bodies agree on the first year.

Most advice makes one exception: video calls with family. A call with Grandma is two people talking, which is exactly the kind of interaction babies learn from.

The easy half: your baby's screens

In year one, your baby will not ask for a show. That makes this the best window to set the pattern. A few habits cover most of it.

Keep the TV off unless someone is watching it. A TV running all day for company adds up, and a baby on the floor can see it too.

Skip the tablet as a soother. It works fast, which is why it is tempting. Other soothers work too: a walk, a song, a change of room, a book to chew on.

Say yes to video calls. Hold your baby on your lap and let family talk to them. That is connection, not screen time.

The hard half: your phone

This is where most parents struggle, and it is not because they are doing anything wrong. Phones run our lives. Work, groceries, the pediatrician's office, the group chat with your partner about who is picking up diapers.

Your baby is not reading your screen. But they are watching what you do, and babies start copying the people around them early. The AAP's advice is short: "Kids notice what we do. Put your own phone down during meals and bedtime."

So the aim is not zero phone. It is fewer pickups your baby sees. A few ways to get there:

  • Give the phone a home on a shelf or in another room, instead of your pocket.
  • Check in windows, like naps and after bedtime, instead of all day.
  • Turn off every notification that is not a person. Our guide to landline mode sets this up in five minutes.

What it looks like through the year

The newborn months. Long feeds, especially at night, are when the phone comes out. That is understandable. You are awake at 3am and need something. Audiobooks, podcasts or music with the phone face down on a table give you company without the screen. Some parents keep a paperback by the chair for the same reason.

Around 3 to 6 months. Your baby is awake more and watching you closely. Floor time becomes the center of the day. This is a good moment to set up the phone's home and your check-in windows, before the habits harden.

Around 6 to 12 months. Your baby is sitting, crawling, grabbing and copying. They will start reaching for whatever you pick up most. If that is your phone, the reaching can get intense. If books are around and they see you pick them up, the reach has somewhere better to go.

What to fill the time with

Screen-free is easier when the day has good things in it. None of these need to be fancy.

  • Talk. Narrate what you are doing. "Now we are folding the towels." Your baby is learning the sound of language.
  • Read. Board books from the first weeks. The words matter less than the time together.
  • Floor time. A blanket, a few safe objects, and you nearby.
  • Sing. Anything. Your baby does not care if you are in tune.
  • Go outside. A walk changes the scene for both of you.

When it does not go to plan

Some days the TV will be on. Some days you will be on your phone more than you wanted. That is a normal week with a baby, not a failure.

Screen-free is the ideal worth aiming at, and it is hard in a world that runs on phones. Every day with a little less screen in it counts. Start again tomorrow.

Where the Hideaway Book fits

My sister tried to keep her phone out of her baby's sight for that whole first year. It was the right goal, and it was close to impossible, because life still needed her phone. So I designed her a place to put it.

The Hideaway Book is a book for the parent with a hidden, foam-lined compartment that holds a phone. It sits on the shelf, and your phone lives inside it. When a message has to be answered, your baby sees you open a book. When you are done, the book goes back and the phone is out of sight again.

It comes as a set with Drift: Journey to Mount Chilly, a children's storybook for the day your baby starts reaching for your book. It is not a substitute for being present, and it is not a way to use your phone more. It is a tool for the phone moments you cannot avoid. You can see how the set works here, and it also makes a thoughtful baby shower gift for screen-conscious parents.

Keep reading

Frequently asked questions

Should babies have any screen time in the first year?
The World Health Organization says screen time is not recommended for babies under 1, and Canada's early years guidelines say the same for children under 2. Video calls with family are widely treated as the exception.

Is a screen-free first year realistic?
Keeping your baby off their own screens is very doable in year one, because babies do not ask for them. The harder half is your own phone. Aim for fewer visible pickups rather than perfection.

Does my own phone use count as screen time for my baby?
It is not the same as your baby watching a screen. But babies learn from what they see you do again and again, and the American Academy of Pediatrics advises parents to model healthy habits, including putting phones down at meals and bedtime.

What should I do with my baby instead of screens?
Talk to them, read board books together, give them floor time, sing, and take them outside. Babies learn best from real-world time with the people who care for them.

This is general information for parents, not medical advice. For concerns specific to your child, speak with your pediatrician.

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