When Ollie was born, Ben and I made a simple decision: we wanted to go screen-free for as long as felt right. Not as a rule or a philosophy we were committed to defending, just as a personal choice rooted in something we both wanted for our family: to be present with each other, to prioritize playing together, and to create a home that felt calm and connected in those early years.
There are plenty of years ahead for Ollie to fall in love with a show or a movie. But these early years feel so specific and so unrepeatable that we want to be fully in them. We didn’t want a screen to take up space that her own curiosity and imagination could fill instead.
Every family is unique. This is just what felt right for us, and it’s a choice that has brought us so much joy.
What It’s Looked Like in Practice
What I didn’t fully anticipate when we made this decision was how much fun the process of finding screen-free alternatives would be. We’ve spent two and a half years discovering toys, activities, and everyday moments that Ollie genuinely loves. Watching her gravitate toward things based entirely on her own interests and curiosity has been one of the most wonderful and magical parts of early parenthood.
She loves cooking in the kitchen with me, and she is right there alongside me whenever something needs mixing. She loves doing laundry together — the sorting, the folding, the dance party when the washer finishes its jingle. She loves books so much; she began reading at 17 months old and was reading independently by 23 months. We’re in awe of her curiosity.
She asks questions about everything. She makes up songs about what she sees. She notices things I would have walked past. She has a strong and specific inner voice that guides what she wants to do and how she wants to do it, and I hope that voice has been able to develop so clearly because we encouraged the space and the quiet for it to grow.
How We Play Together
I want to be honest that screen-free in our home doesn’t mean Ollie is left to her own devices all day. We are usually right there with her — playing alongside her, cooking together, reading together, doing the ordinary things of everyday life together. The screen-free choice was as much about our presence as a family as it was about anything else. It’s about being in the same room, paying attention to each other, having the conversations that happen naturally when nobody is watching anything.
That said, Ollie does have moments of genuine independent play — and some of her most focused, concentrated play happens when she, in her sweet little voice, asks for “privacy please.” She’ll take herself somewhere quiet with her slime or her KiwiCo Wind Play Lab, set everything up, and work through it completely on her own terms. There is something so amazing about a child who knows when she wants company and when she wants space to figure something out by herself.
The Toys and Activities We Love
We’ve always been genuinely enthusiastic about finding the right things to have around — toys that invite curiosity, support independence, and grow with a child rather than getting outgrown quickly. Here are the ones that have earned a real and lasting place in our home.
The Toniebox
Ollie places a character figurine on top of her Toniebox (Her favorite is Minnie Mouse!) and it plays music, stories, and podcasts associated with that character. She operates it entirely independently, which she loves. Our days often start with a Toniebox dance party, and that ritual is one of my favorite things about our days.
KiwiCo
KiwiCo is a brand I trust completely for quality and intention. The Wind Play Lab — a mini wind tunnel with a kid-safe fan, foam balls, a pinwheel, and more — is one of Ollie’s current favorites and one of the toys she specifically asks for privacy to use. She sets it up, experiments, observes, tries again. It’s early STEM learning happening completely organically through play, and it’s wonderful to watch. KiwiCo has screen-free options across a wide range of ages and interests and is absolutely worth exploring.
Earth Grown KidDoughs
These playdough sets are taste-safe, beautifully scented, and come with wonderful accessories that make the whole experience feel really special. Ollie can sit with playdough for a genuinely impressive stretch of time — completely absorbed, using her hands and her imagination at the same time. Slime is another one she loves deeply.
The Joyreal Montessori Busy Board
This busy board has zippers, buckles, locks, lights, and a little music box. It’s a wonderful hands-on toy that keeps a toddler genuinely engaged while developing fine motor skills quietly and naturally.
Lovevery Books
I recommend Lovevery books to every mom I know. These books have been part of Ollie’s life since she was born, and her Early Reader Club books are ones she returns to again and again. We read together through the course of every day, and the books she loves have become part of the language of our family in a way that is genuinely one of my favorite things about this season of life.
A Note Before You Go
Once again, being screen-free is always a personal choice, unique to every family. I share about it only because I think there’s something genuinely beautiful in choosing presence — for our kids and for ourselves. Not every family will make the same choice, and that is completely right. There are a million unique ways to raise a curious, loved, creative child.
If you’ve been thinking about creating more screen-free time in your home — even just a little more — I hope this gives you some encouragement and some ideas to start with. The toys and the activities matter less than the intention behind them. The intention, for us, has always been simple: be here, together, paying attention. It has been one of the greatest gifts of Ollie’s early years — and ours.
