'I tried a week of no screen time with my preschooler. Here’s what I never expected.'

I’m not anti-screen. In fact, I’d say I’m actively pro-screen. 

I work as Chief of Staff at Mamamia, part-time and partially remote to fit around my life as a mum of three under six. Screens aren’t just a part of my job, they're my lifeline. Screens help me stay in contact with every team in the business wherever I’m working.

Screens also mean we can drive four hours to see the in-laws, without collectively losing our minds or ditching one of the kids at a petrol station because they just won’t stop fighting.

Honestly, I’m fine with the kids turning into TV zombies for the occasional long drive, flight or fancy restaurant meal. It’s a special occasion thing. Like having chips and ice-cream every day on holiday. Anything for a bit of peace and ideally with earphones in so I can live my life without a Paw Patrol backing track.

Everything seemed in balance until we took a two-week holiday this winter. Lots of travel, three timezones, different routines, long lunches and LOTS of screen time to keep everyone happy, still and quiet.

I found that 14 days was just long enough for new habits to take hold. My four-year-old came home with a concrete conviction that screens are the new normal. Constantly asking to watch a show or use my phone. Obsessed with filling my camera roll with blurry selfies and endlessly scrolling for shows.

I think it gives her a sense of control. As a four-year-old middle child, she doesn’t get a lot of time being in charge. I’ll give it to Apple — they’ve made a very intuitive device — but it scares me how confidently children (especially mine) can navigate an iPhone or iPad. They’re only a few clicks away from accidentally seeing something they can’t unsee.

"No" was met with epic tantrums, snotty tears and full-on face plants into the sofa. Four years old much?

It was clear we needed a reset. So, I tried something radical: a week without screens.

Friday

I started on Friday night, figuring the weekend would be the hardest. Eat the frog in the morning and all that. I wasn’t relying on willpower alone though. I had a secret weapon. Or actually, a squishy weapon. 

The Toniebox. Not just a speaker, not just a toy; it’s a screen-free, kid-friendly audio player for children aged 3 and up. 

The padded box is soft, tumble-proof and looks... cute... if that’s possible for a cube? It plays stories and songs using small (and equally cute) figurines called Tonies instead of an old-school cassette. Each Tonie is themed around a character, like Peppa Pig or Peter Rabbit. Kids just pop a Tonie on top of the Toniebox, and tap, tilt and squeeze to navigate through the songs and stories relating to that character. No screens, no cables, no reading, and (critically important for a four-nager) no parents needed.

Despite the kid-friendly features, I knew I needed to pitch it strategically to complete a successful screen swap.

"Mummy’s work is sending you a special present... It’s SQUISHY."

If you have a 3 to 7-year-old in your life, you’ll know the obsession with all things squishy. Squishmallows, squishy bath toys, squishy slime. I don’t know why, I don’t know how, I just know they love squish. My four-year-old was immediately sold.

Together we chose the Tonies (there are 50+ to choose from). We picked: Ben and Holly’s Tiny Kingdom, a cute sleepy bunny, Peppa Pig and The Little Mermaid, a recent favourite.

Image: Supplied.

On Friday nights I normally let the girls watch a show while I make dinner and my husband goes to the gym. Not tonight. We had the Toniebox, and the girls couldn't wait to try it out.

Setup took about ten minutes, mostly spent connecting to our Wi-Fi. After popping Holly from Ben and Holly’s Tiny Kingdom into place, the girls were giddy with excitement when the Toniebox came to life. The stories are designed to be audio plays, with all the best characters like Nanny Plum and Wise Old Elf, so it’s just like TV except the kids get to imagine the visuals in their heads. My 18-month-old was baffled and kept yelling "turn it on", but pretty quickly they all settled in and blissful peace descended. 

The Toniebox kept them hooked right through dinner, bathtime and teeth brushing. The girls then switched the Tonie to Peppa Pig for bedtime stories. I normally read them a book, but with three bedtimes to manage solo, I was pretty grateful for this little helper.

Image: Supplied.

Saturday

Saturday mornings are a test of wills, especially at brunch with friends. Normally, I’d cave and hand over a screen to keep the peace, but this time I held firm. 

We survived the meal without screens, but it wasn’t exactly a triumph. Before long, all the kids were off their seats, getting in the way of waitstaff and generally putting a stop to any sort of adult conversation. We relocated to the park as soon as the food was eaten so we could actually catch up.

When we got home, the big girls eagerly took their Toniebox to their room. They spent the next two hours listening to The Little Mermaid while playing with toys, completely absorbed. Converted already or still basking in the novelty? Either way: I’ll take it.

Keeping the busy vibes going, in the afternoon we made chocolate brownies and dusted off the roller skates from Christmas. Distracting, delicious and slightly dangerous.

Image: Supplied.

Sunday

We’re in our birthday party era, and this weekend was no exception. With two parties to keep us busy, there was less time to think about screens and I packed colouring books just in case.

A busy morning still gets us a decent nap on the weekend, so to wind down, we picked out the Sleepy Rabbit Tonie, and within minutes, the soothing story had everyone fast asleep.

Image: Supplied.

Monday

On Monday I was at home with the two little girls. Things were going suspiciously well, so I decided to push my luck by introducing my four-year-old to chores. Her older sister already helps out, so I figured it was time for her to start, too. To my surprise, she unpacked the dishwasher with no complaints. I also got her to pack the lunchboxes, which she loved.

Image: Supplied.

Mondays are busy, with ballet and swimming, but we managed to squeeze in one more screen-free activity and finally cracked open the pavement chalk we were given about 600 birthdays ago — great success.

That night, I realised she hadn’t had a TV-related tantrum in 48 hours.

Tuesday

Finally, a daycare day for the youngest two. Someone else could stop them watching a screen. 

We’d made it over the hump... or so I thought. After spending nine hours in organised fun, they were exhausted and cranky. The four-year-old immediately asked to watch a show. I suggested making a fort. Her look was withering. Clearly, I needed to lift my game.

"What about making a fort AND you can bring the cups and plates inside the fort?"

"I can use Mummy and Daddy’s plates?" she countered.

“Sure,” I sighed. It’s much more exciting if she can include a 'semi-dangerous' element with breakable dinnerware. So the couch was deconstructed, the fort got made, and somehow no crockery got broken. For good measure, the Toniebox went into the fort too.

Wednesday

On Wednesday morning, I escaped all parenting responsibility and went to the gym, but ONLY after extracting a solemn vow from my husband that he would at no stage let a screen be used.

Instead, he made pre-daycare pancakes (ambitious). Inspired/not to be outdone, I decided the after-school activity would be make-your-own pizza faces. With no time to make dough (or interest in doing it), we used tortillas, pasta sauce, olives, cheese and ham. The Italians would not have recognised our efforts, but the kids were thrilled.

This was the first day that no one asked for a screen all day. I would have felt smug if I wasn’t so utterly exhausted. The reality of screens is that they don’t need much supervision. I’ve definitely been using ours as a babysitter, and the trial made me realise just how often. I thought we were "screens on special occasions" people, but actually, I’m a "screens when I need to get sh*t done" person. So I wasn’t getting any of that sh*t done until the kids went to bed = an exhausting week. I felt burnt out.

Thursday

After my pity party, I resolved to lean into activities the kids could do themselves for the rest of the week. So after breakfast, I said they could get colouring books out and off I went to get dressed. When I came back, all three girls were sitting at the table colouring, and they’d even set up the Toniebox.

The same thing happened after school, I didn’t try and facilitate fun and they amused themselves while I made dinner. 

Friday

Friday, the final day of the trial, was more of the same. I actively avoided suggesting activities, instead letting the kids decide how they filled time once essential tasks were done. This culminated in the big girls going into full-on performance mode. In a good way. They transformed their bedroom into an arena, getting their diva on to 'Poor Unfortunate Souls' from The Little Mermaid. There was a toy audience, hairbrushes as microphones and lots of attitude.

Image: Supplied.

This impromptu dance party was more than just play — it felt like a real creative expression, a burst of imagination that had been unleashed thanks to their screen-free week. 

Oh yes. Now I felt smug. 

What’s next?

Looking back, I was amazed at how quickly the kids, and especially my incredibly stubborn four-nager, embraced the new routine. It only took a few days of effort to break the pattern.

Will we go back to screens? Absolutely. But this week has shown me that we can cut back and let the kids create their own fun. It’s reminded me that there’s a middle ground between endless screen time and me being the constant play director. 

My kids are growing up, their imaginations are flourishing, and they’re perfectly capable of independent play. Toys like the Toniebox help spark their creativity and that's something I’m excited to continue — thank goodness because they’re obsessed with their new favourite "squishy".

Find Tonies in-store at a local retailer or shop online from Amazon.

Feature Image: Supplied.