all things in moderation (moderation included)

I've said it before and I'm sure I'll say it again but I really was a truly wonderful mom before I had kids. Simon and I were actually great parents! We had it all figured out before our firstborn came on the scene. Our kitchen would be stocked with only the healthiest foods that the kids would love, obedience would never be an issue because how difficult could navigating the raising of tiny humans really be? And! Screen time? That's fine for other people but won't be for us, thank you very much.

And of course then the kids came along and the reality is that our youngest child would live off fruit snacks if we let him, we are constantly adjusting behavior/incentive charts for all the different temperaments under our roof, and we've found a happy balance with screens in our home. 

While we spend tons of time outside and go on walks as a family almost every night ...

... we've learned that sometimes a little supervised screen time is good for all parties involved.

However! I do have to admit that as the kids' tastes mature and they want to watch shows beyond the typical toddler favorites - Simon and I have a long and growing list of shows we won't allow for various reasons (bratty character behavior is a big one) which is why we were excited to try Toca TV.

The kids love and still play with their Sago Mini (Toca Boca's sister studio!) play set because it does such a great job of fostering imaginative play and I knew the creators of Toca TV would come up with exciting content that encourages learning and engagement. And they did!

Can you find Bosco?

There are kid-hosted shows, DIY crafts and recipes (right up Julia's alley) ...

"We're going to make that chocolate cake, Bash" ...

... silly songs (Phoebe's favorite), and tons more.

I love that the app doesn't rely on an algorithm to curate the content but uses a score card and a member of their team watches every single show to make sure it's right for kids. There's never any third party advertising or sponsored content and the app has been tested by hundreds of kids globally to ensure that all kids will love Toca TV.

You can try it for three free sessions by downloading the app here, subscriptions cost $4.99 a month and are easy to cancel at any point in time.

Toca TV was created for kids ages 5-9 (Sebastian will be 5 in two weeks!) so while I let the younger kids take a gander at the fun, the app is used predominately during the little kids' naps after the older kids' homework is done. I was excited to show them the recording and silly filter functions because if there's one thing my kids love it's recording long documentaries on my phone's video camera.

I know there are plenty of other preconceived parenting notions that we'll have to negotiate and adjust as the kids get older but it's nice to have a found a happy medium on the screen front for the time being.

Now if only we could convince Phoebe sitting back in the stroller is much more fun than bolting from her family on our nightly walks. If only.

A big thank you to Toca TV for sponsoring this post and to my brother, Andrew, for taking the photos!

Happy Tuesday!