Phone Down Time

Okay, so you're a PBY mum who has made the decision to end the controlling relationship with her Smartphone.  It's going to be a struggle but so worth it.  Gradually family time will become spontaneous and fun and your Smartphone will no longer be your bestie.

Try having a phone down time every day.  Start small and be determined!  Put your phone away so that you're not tempted.

Sit down with your child and watch a favourite show.  Talk about what is happening. Perhaps, then you could pretend to be characters from the show.  Maybe  you could draw a picture together and make up a story as you draw.  Build Duplo or lego together to make something fantastic.

          No phones at the dinner table...or iPads!

If your children find it hard to sit at the table, persevere and don't reach for your bestie. 

As they say, Rome wasn't built in a day!  Get your children involved, even young children like to help.  You could try stickers.  In my experience working with young children, you can never have enough stickers! Kids love them!

You could try making a Talking Jar.

Fill a jar with pictures of things or places that you and your children are interested in.  Take turns choosing a picture from the jar to talk about at meal times.

During phone down time your children could cut out pictures from magazines, draw or write messages to go into the jar.


Taking your children out to eat will be hard initially, if you have all relied on screens.  Children  though have always had to learn about social rules, without gadgets!  Prepare your children beforehand by explaining what is expected from them.  Maybe offer an award for good behaviour. 

Taking a Talking Jar with you is a good idea and your children can help prepare something special, like sweets at the bottom of the jar for when the meal has finished.

Play I Spy, tell jokes ( get everyone to research their own jokes before you go) play the Spot Man/Lady wearing particular items of clothing game, Just get your children involved.

Colouring books help too, as long as you show interest!

Taking small children out to a restaurant can be stressful, so I can understand why an iPad might come too!...Be Strong though and don't do it!  Again children have to learn to behave and interact in different environments.  It takes practice and a lot of patience.

Choose your venue carefully, a restaurant that is child friendly, where staff don't give you dirty looks  when the mess on the floor is increasing and the noise levels go up!   We've had a couple of lovely meals with Soli, at Zizzi's, and he is a very vocal little boy.  Browns and Patisserie Valerie have also been very welcoming and Soli's mummy takes him out for coffee often, so he is learning all the time.

Grandma and Soli enjoying a family meal out.

It's a good idea to have with you some distraction toys.   Soli enjoys exploring empty lipsticks holders, ( make sure they're empty, but then again! ha) compact mirrors and jewellery.  Choose something that your child doesn't normally play with. 

You could take a small treasure basket or bag, lots to talk about there!

I love small story characters too.

I think the thing to remember ,when you take a young child out to eat, is that the meal has to be very child centred and that you won't be discussing politics!  So get with it and talk about Peppa Pig.🐷


Make sharing books at home a big part of phone down time.  Books and children go together, and there are lots of lovely books to choose from.  Children love repetition, so don't bother if they keep asking for the same book.  Peter Rabbit is popular right now,  I think because there is a new film version out soon and because it's a fun book!  Children love the scary Mr. Mcgregor.

Good luck with phone down time and remember that big smile when you greet your children from school. 💙🌝