We produce sensory videos. You should factor that in when reading this. Here is the honest position anyway.
What the guidance says. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends avoiding screen media for children under 18 to 24 months, other than video chatting. The World Health Organization gives similar advice for under-2s. That is the baseline, and we are not going to pretend otherwise.
Why the guidance exists. The research behind it is mostly about two things: displacement and interaction. Screen time in infancy is associated with poorer language outcomes largely because it replaces the back-and-forth interaction with a caregiver that drives language development. A screen does not respond to your baby. You do.
Where sensory video sits. A slow, high-contrast, non-narrative visual is a different object from fast-cut entertainment programming. It is closer in function to a mobile above the cot or a black and white card. But "different from cartoons" is not the same as "recommended," and no one should tell you the guidance does not apply.
The honest framing: these videos are a tool for specific moments — a screaming baby at the end of a hard evening, a tummy time session that needs one more minute of attention, a parent who has run out of hands. Used that way, occasionally and briefly, most pediatricians we are aware of treat it as a reasonable trade-off. Used as a default babysitter for hours a day, it is not.
Rules we would apply to our own content:
- Keep the screen at least 30cm away, further if possible.
- Keep sessions short — 10 to 15 minutes, not open-ended.
- Stay with your baby. This is the one that matters most. A screen with a parent narrating and responding is a completely different experience from a screen alone.
- Never in the cot, never as a sleep prop the baby depends on, never unsupervised.
- Keep the volume low, around 50 dB.
- Stop when your baby looks away, arches or fusses. Turning away means enough.
Printables are better where they work. For tummy time and visual stimulation specifically, printed high-contrast cards do the same job with no screen involved. If you have the hands free, use the cards. We would rather you used the free printable pack than the video.
If you have any concern about your baby's development, screen exposure, or vision, your pediatrician is the right person to ask — not us, and not a video channel.