Apps trump teddies in mums’ battle to keep kids entertained
Mums are regularly turning to their smartphones to keep their children quite or entertained, a new study has revealed. Eager for their kids to have some down time, 9% of the 1,662 mums polled by Asda said they use a dummy, 21% a teddy and 27% said they favour their smartphone. Demands to stop children making a fuss when mums are busy, in a restaurant or while in the car is said to have popularised parents’ reliance on smartphones. One in 10 mums admitted to allowing their children to play on their phone for up to two hours. The majority (40%) said they only allow their kids 10 minutes a day on the device. Across the UK the figures increase with 40% of Scottish mums revealing their phone often doubles up as a child’s toy. The app market for mums and families is buoyant too, with baby monitors utilising smartphone technology as well as pregnancy calculators, doctor appointment organisers and recipe apps proving popular. We’ve short-listed our top 30 family-friendly apps.
