We all need to distract our babies with screens at times, but how is that affecting their development long-term? Unii Babies host Dr. Saranya Ravindran asked senior consultant paediatrician Dr. Su Laurent in the latest episode of Unii Babies. “I think the answer is we don't really know enough. But while you can only guess, it just seems instinctively wrong for them to be on so much screen time, partly because they're not doing other things. I'm always shocked by how many babies know how to use a phone. They can swipe things, and they can find things. They can take a photograph of themselves. I mean, it's very scary, isn't it?”

Still, Dr. Su is sympathetic about busy parents’ tendency to set babies up with an iPad at times. “I have to say that as a parent of young children, there would be times when mine were tiny and I'd need to cook or do something, and I'd plunk them down for half an hour or so in front of something on TV that was distracting. There will be times when screens will be really helpful, but not to rely on screens all day and every day for your children. There's actually lots of useful educational content, so not all screen time is bad. I think there is some good stuff for that development, but we have to be careful, and it's important that you know exactly what your child is watching because there's also a lot of [questionable and inappropriate] content.”

Check out Dr. Su’s Baby Development Journey with Unii for more advice on nurturing your child’s healthy development.

And don’t forget to tune in for a new episode of Unii Babies with Dr. Saranya Ravindran every Friday.

Unii Babies is created and owned by London-based family wellbeing educational platform Unii.com, which offers hundreds of episodes of expert-led video courses and a library of medically reviewed articles devoted to improving both baby and child health and your parenting journey. We can also have your parenting questions expertly answered. Contact us with what you want to know, and you may see one of our experts discuss it on our podcast or Unii.com: Because Family Matters.

This podcast is for reference and entertainment purposes only. It does not constitute medical advice and should not be relied upon as such. Specific medical advice about your specific circumstances should always be sought separately before taking or deciding not to take any action.

Unii Baby Development Expert Dr. Su: “Screen Time Can Be Useful For Babies... Just Be Careful.”

Unii Baby Development Expert Dr. Su: “Screen Time Can Be Useful For Babies... Just Be Careful.”