A former grade school teacher-turned-stay-at-home mom of 2 was looking for some ’90s kids shows to relieve her childhood but apparently found something else: They chilled her kids right out.
The northern Virginia-based mommy blogger behind the Instagram page Mamas and Messes told the Daily Mail that she noticed a change right away in Ollie, 3, and Jack, 9 months, when she traded modern kids shows for throwback episodes of Little Bear, Clifford, Arthur, Franklin and The Magic School Bus.
Lauren, who didn’t reveal her last name, explained that her youngest was born with “some medical complications,” and “we relied on TV a lot” at times.
“Before switching to 90s shows, my toddler struggled with turning the TV off,” Lauren admitted, saying screen-time sign offs were usually met with meltdowns from her oldest. However, “When we started watching 90s kids shows, Ollie really enjoyed the show, but when it was time to turn it off and play he didn’t put up a fight at all!”
There was another benefit, too, Lauren insisted. “Ollie was struggling with waking up in the middle of the night saying he was scared,” she explained. “I really think it was based on the movies and shows he was watching on tv, that was causing him to wake up feeling scared.”
She said of the retro programs, “The shows were made to teach kids lessons, not just provide entertainment. They don’t have all the flashy graphics or high stimulation like today’s kids shows.”
She added, “Today’s shows just have so much stimulation and could even be considered ‘addictive.'”