Parents love mum's hack to stop children demanding to watch TV in lockdown

Months into lockdown and many parents are facing the same battle to keep their little ones entertained while trying to limit their screen time.

Coming up with new activities while juggling an endless list of other jobs can feel like an impossible task, especially when the only thing children seem to want to do is sit down in front of the TV or play on the iPad.

One mum who was fed up of the daily fight to drag her toddler away from the screen has shared her genius solution to remove the stress altogether.

She said: "I couldn’t STAND to have my 2.5 yr old son asking to watch TV / movies not only first thing in the AM, but also throughout the day.

"Tantrums. Begging. I hated it. So, I put up curtains to hide it for, out of sight, out of mind - except for the late evenings here and there that we watch it.

"This weekend he mostly asked to go outside & go to the yard, and even when we DID watch TV, he played with his toys instead of staring at the screen!! YAY!!"

The mum added a photo to show a temporary curtain hanging over the TV, which is hidden away throughout the day.

Her son's new found love of play means even when the screen is unveiled again, he's too distracted playing with his toys or heading outside to notice.

Parents facing similar struggles loved the idea on Reddit, with many sharing their own tricks in the comments below.

One replied: "My son is four. He’s only allowed to watch TV when it’s dark outside. It doesn’t work when it's sunny out."

Another suggested: "Just chuck a blanket over it and say it’s napping."

A third said: "We have a projector and I didn't realise how great it is that when it's off, it's off...like 'the wall just isn't on right now' lol."