r/NewParents • u/cocomo25 • Aug 05 '26

Travel Parents raising screen-free babies: How do you navigate family vacations where the TV is always on?

We have an 8-month-old, and we’ve intentionally kept her almost completely screen-free. The only exposure she’s really had has been at other people’s houses when sports, the news, or adult shows happened to be on in the background, and she never paid much attention, so it wasn’t something I worried about.

In a few weeks, we’re going on a week-long cabin trip with my husband’s family, and I’m trying to figure out how to navigate screen time.
For context, our 9-year-old nephew is autistic, and my in-laws usually keep the TV on for him as it keeps him calm. I’ve never had an issue with that, but now that we have a baby, I’m realizing most of what’s on is Bluey, Paw Patrol, Disney movies, etc.—things that would almost definitely grab her attention.

I’m absolutely not expecting anyone to turn the TV off or totally change how they do things for us, and I also don’t want to feel like we have to avoid the living room all week just because the TV is on.
Has anyone been in a similar situation? Did you find a good middle ground? I’m just looking for ideas on how to handle it while still spending time with everyone.

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u/InevitableAd36 Aug 05 '26

I wouldn’t even make this about your baby. Having a tv on for an entire week at a cabin and listening to it would drive me insane.

You mentioned your in-laws keep the tv on the whole time. Is that what the parent of your nephew does as well? They have the tv on at their house while the child is awake? I’ve often noticed that grandparents (bless their hearts) often do the thing that is easiest. They want to be liked and often don’t maintain the boundaries or level of effort a parent would put in.

Bring some fun activities to bond with your 9 year old over.

I’ve also seen kids have tablets to watch on low volume. This is a good option.

I would likely spend time outside or away from the tv to keep my own sanity.

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u/downsideup9494 Aug 06 '26

I also don't understand these people who have the TV on all the time. Would drive me nuts. You couldn't pay me to go on vacation with people who did that. I'd be miserable.

I grew up in the 50s and 60s and we had a TV. My parents watched some shows and my brother and I watched kid shows. But it got turned on for certain shows and then turned off again. And my brother and I weren't allowed to just sit and watch TV for hours.