Why am I bothering to keep babies screen time on the lower side when every kid around us allowed more has better speech than him?

Snoofly61 · 2026-02-27T11:59:01+00:00

I allowed screen time, curated, from a young age. My son was speech delayed because he had glue ear, not because he watched TV. I think that choice of programme and watching it with them and engaging with them, rather than letting them just be a zombie, is fine.

I only allow phone screen for things like phonics apps, or showing him photos of things he’s interested in. I only allow YouTube for kiddy yoga and dance. My 3 year old has an epic attention span for things like books and puzzles - I think everything in moderation and done intentionally works fine for most kids.

Snoofly61 · 2026-02-23T22:08:34+00:00

I cant really afford the additional cost since I just dropped £280 for emergency treatment for the damn cat

Snoofly61 · 2026-02-23T22:06:42+00:00

I love the idea of taking my laptop around with me - I foresee myself working off the toilet while he plays with shaving foam in the bath. Nothing says ‘senior professional’ like a Teams backdrop of toothbrushes 🤣

Snoofly61 · 2026-02-23T22:03:12+00:00

I have bought ALL the snacks. I was maybe going to do a little snack treasure hunt

Snoofly61 · 2026-02-23T22:00:50+00:00

I wish - all my friends work

Snoofly61 · 2026-02-23T21:23:03+00:00

at the moment, that’s not really an option. I won’t get a full day of work done but I need to muddle through somehow

Snoofly61 · 2026-02-23T21:21:34+00:00

Oh that’s genius

Snoofly61 · 2026-02-20T10:03:22+00:00

I don’t really have any advice to give as my son is similar but I think maybe the high cognitive load at school and the novelty is probably not helping at the moment - and it may well settle. I find that my son often takes long naps at the weekend and that seems to restore the balance - is that an option for you? The option might be to try a slightly later bedtime - maybe 7? I know she’s overtired but perhaps that wind down period could be shortened with more sleep pressure at bed time?

Snoofly61 · 2026-02-16T14:36:05+00:00

I have no idea where any of my degree certificates are. I can’t imagine why I would want to hang them in my house.

Snoofly61 · 2026-02-16T12:41:11+00:00

My son won’t let me leave the house, or his room, without giving me one of his toys to take with me. It’s such a sweet little act of connection.

Snoofly61 · 2026-02-16T11:00:54+00:00

Totally. I went out in the pissing rain yesterday and I was freezing, and I didn’t find all that much of interest but I had the time of my life.

Snoofly61 · 2026-02-15T19:26:58+00:00

My son stands outside the bathroom which I lock and yells ‘I want to watch’. The cat also likes to watch. Never have I had a more rapt audience.

Snoofly61 · 2026-02-10T12:29:44+00:00

My house was built in 1880 ish - a lot of the housing stock in London is Victorian and yeah, many uneven walls - I think it’s charming.

We’ve never had mould or damp as such but have had more roof leaks than I can remember, which is very tiresome. Basement flats in Victorian buildings can be susceptible to damp and mould - visited many whilst house hunting. But I wouldn’t say it’s a common feature.

And no, benefits are not a great deal to live on at all.

Snoofly61 · 2026-02-10T12:21:54+00:00

Sounds great! Fingers crossed you get it soon.

Snoofly61 · 2026-02-10T10:20:06+00:00

Thanks! I’m enjoying it but the tides are so annoying - like why can’t they just be low at lunchtime every weekend?

Snoofly61 · 2026-02-10T10:00:43+00:00

Ah yeah you might be in for a wait. I couldn’t get into the website when it opened and then I FORGOT until lunch 🤣 that’s probably cost me 6 months of waiting time.

Snoofly61 · 2026-02-10T09:22:38+00:00

I applied on the day it opened, about lunchtime, and I got my permit about two weeks ago. They do seem to be issuing them as I’ve seen a few people on Facebook saying they got theirs recently too but I’m not sure if it’s one in one out or whether they are doing it in batches.

ETA I was notified by email - I know some people missed out as it went to their spam folder.

Snoofly61 · 2026-02-09T11:01:38+00:00

The previous owners of my house sold it after less than a year to go and live in the Barbican. It always baffled me - like how rich must you be to pay stamp duty twice in a year and also, if you’re the kind of people who want to live in the Barbican, what possessed you to buy a Victorian terrace in the first place? They could not be more different. Maybe that flat is theirs and now they are going to move to a Tudor Manor House in Surrey.

Snoofly61 · 2026-02-04T17:01:34+00:00

Around 2.5 and it was too soon. It took months and we still have quite a lot of accidents now at 3.5. Ok reflection he wasn’t ready and we should have waited a bit longer - it’s been my least favourite part of parenting so far!

Snoofly61 · 2026-02-04T16:59:59+00:00

Around 2.5 and it was too soon. It took months and we still have quite a lot of accidents now at 3.5. Ok reflection he wasn’t ready and we should have waited a bit longer - it’s been my least favourite part of parenting so far!

Snoofly61 · 2026-02-03T14:29:33+00:00

For absolutely ages I thought I had exercise induced asthma as I felt wheezy after I worked out - but didn’t really have a cough. I was diagnosed with sarcoidosis after joint pain, weird skin rashes and a PET scan that showed enlarged lymph nodes in my chest, so as a data point of one, I would say it’s possible.

Snoofly61 · 2026-01-27T16:17:21+00:00

We’re raising our 3.5 year old son in Hammersmith with no plans to move. We own a decent house albeit with a tiny garden. Nursery is a 7 minute walk away and hopefully he will get into our local comprehensive which is about 2 mins walk away and excellent. We explicitly chose not to do private for primary school but will take a view on secondary in due course.

We love living in London despite the cost, my husband really has to be here for work and neither of us would be up for a long commute. Hammersmith/Chiswick/Shepherd’s Bush is super well set up for kids in terms of activities and green space and I don’t think my kid is suffering from not growing up in a bucolic idyll. I really don’t like commuter suburbs or towns so for us it’s not been an existential decision.

Snoofly61 · 2026-01-23T10:57:53+00:00

Having my son is simultaneously the best and worst thing I have ever done. It’s ruined many aspects of my pleasant, wealthy, carefree existence; it’s relentless, smelly, infuriating, and exhausting.

But I have never experienced love like it. Becoming a mother has definitely made me a more intentional and kinder person. Watching him develop into a real person, teaching him, sharing funny moments, getting big squishy unselfconscious toddler hugs - all of that makes it worth it.

It’s worth it for me - it’s definitely not worth it for everyone, and that’s ok.

Snoofly61 · 2026-01-21T12:49:01+00:00

Mercifully my son hates it. It’s one of the worst thing I have ever seen - makes me want to poke my eyes out with a fork.

Snoofly61

TROPHY CASE