I can manage zero screens on some days, but during the evening rush I sometimes need 20–30 quiet minutes. I am looking for realistic family routines, not perfect-parent answers. What boundaries have been sustainable for you?
We had better luck changing one thing at a time instead of starting a full new routine overnight. Toddlers somehow notice every change at once. It took us a couple of weeks before the new routine felt normal. We only reached that conclusion after trying the other approach first.
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Interesting — we had assumed the opposite. Helpful to hear a first-hand experience. It took us a couple of weeks before the new routine felt normal. We are in Gurugram, so local logistics may be a little different.
Thank you. I like that this does not require changing everything at once. The daycare and home using the same language helped us. We only reached that conclusion after trying the other approach first.
Did your child take time to adjust, or was the improvement fairly quick? It took us a couple of weeks before the new routine felt normal. In our house, the practical routine mattered more than the ideal plan.
A visual routine with two or three pictures worked surprisingly well at this age. The child liked knowing what came next. We are in Bengaluru and this came up for us last year.
We had better luck changing one thing at a time instead of starting a full new routine overnight. Toddlers somehow notice every change at once. We had to repeat the same boundary many times before it clicked. I would still test it for a short period before making a long commitment.
Can I ask roughly what age/class your child was when you tried this? It took us a couple of weeks before the new routine felt normal. We are in Nagpur, so local logistics may be a little different.
Same here. The logistics are what make the 'ideal' option difficult in real life. The first few days were definitely messier than the later ones. I would still test it for a short period before making a long commitment.
Good point about asking for the details in writing. I had not thought of that. We had to repeat the same boundary many times before it clicked. We are in Madurai, so local logistics may be a little different.
Consistency between the adults mattered more than the exact method for us. When one person gave in and another held the boundary, the whole thing took twice as long. We changed our approach after about a month because the first plan was too hard to sustain.