How Things Will Change for the Third Baby: Screen Edition

Remember before we had any kids and we had all sorts of ideas about things we were going to do? And things we’d never, ever do? Haha! Like how I was never going to use food as a bribe, or use bribes at all. Or use screens ever at all. Or raise my voice at my children. Oh, I laugh at pre-baby me and her ideas!

I’m expecting my third son this summer, and what I’ve learned from my first son is that kids are really, really challenging to parent. Boy! Are kids hard to parent. When my second son was born, I had a rough time nursing the baby while we were out and about because I never knew if my older kid would run away.

(Spoiler: He usually did run away.)

One time, I ran through the Children’s Museum with my boobs hanging out, sort of nursing the baby, in search of my 3-year-old who most certainly had not stayed right beside me like we’d discussed. Even at home, where he wasn’t really a flight risk, he always seemed to pick the moment baby brother needed a meal to have his big-kid disasters heap upon us, all at once. 

So, I told my husband that I wanted to get an iPad in anticipation of the third baby’s arrival. He was still skeptical. After all, we still don’t use screens too, too much (except during the polar vortex this past winter). We try to use television and our smart phones as tools to help us do things like take showers, make phone calls to schedule doctor’s visits, that sort of thing.

After all, we did pick a house with a flat, fenced back yard. Our boys love to go out there and find entertainment/mess/insects.

But I just feel like all bets are off once I’m in charge of three little boys. If there’s even a minute chance the iPad will calm the masses so I can deal with explosive poo and nursing marathons, then yes. We will use it. We will strap the machine into its mom-recommended Griffin Survivor case and sit together through episodes of Daniel Tiger, or even Calliou if it means nobody fights for a few minutes while I straighten out the baby’s latch.

I don’t even feel…anything about how much our approach to screens and other parenting philosophies have morphed as we have more kids. I know things are going to be crazy for a few years. We’ll be buying a bigger house and a new vehicle and there will just be so many changes for my older kiddos. I’m glad this little glass machine is here to help us all make the transition a tad easier.

Did your views on screens change after you actually had kids? Leave us a comment to share your experiences.