Like many people before they have kids, I thought I knew exactly how I would parent. And for the first year of my daughter's life, I was pretty strict. No added sugar, no screens, lots of outdoor activities , music classes, and library visits.

I was trying to be the "perfect mom" I saw on Instagram, but it was exhausting. Just as her first birthday came in March 2020, so did a global pandemic. Being home all the time meant more cleaning, more cooking, and a lot less to do outside of the house.

As she got older, I loosened my restrictions because, frankly, I was tired and needed a break. I think the early days of COVID-19 were hard on everyone, and the uncertainty of the world filled me with anxiety. She also was learning less from outside sources, so I used educational programming on an iPad to fill that gap.

At age 2, we only watched "Sesame Street." But as she got older, more shows started being added to the devices, and screen time increased well past the recommended one-hour-per-day limit, many doctors suggest. Her day is now filled with a mix of watching educational programs like " Emily's Wonder Lab " on Netflix, learning a new language on Duolingo , playing games on an app like Noggin , and video chatting with long-distance family.

Now I know what you're thinking, and yes, having a child spend too much time in front of a screen is never the move. But fortunately, experts say being an iPad kid isn't entirely unhealthy. Joel "Gator" Warsh , MD, is a pediatrician in Studi.