EXCLUSIVE I'm a pediatric nurse... here is the common parenting practice that is extremely harmful to children
Mother-of-two Mary Catherine, 36, from Louisville, Kentucky, has had over 13 years of experience working with children in the medical field.
Over the course of her lengthy career, she has learned a lot about what's good and bad for kids.
And according to the expert, there's one thing that tons of moms and dads do that she believes is extremely harmful: scheduling kids for a ton of activities at a young age.
While chatting exclusively with the Daily Mail, she explained that parents love to put their kids in art classes or get them involved in sports really early.
But she warned that 'overscheduling' a toddler can 'impact both their physical and emotional health.'
'Young kids, I'm talking prior to elementary school, need unstructured free play every single day,' she stressed.
'This is how they "learn" and develop their mind and bodies. In their free play they learn how to label and express emotions.
'Young children also need rest and downtime. Their bodies are rapidly growing physically and they need the rest (hence why most of this age group still naps daily).'
The pediatric nurse added that being busy all the times often means parents 'miss out' on chances to 'connect' with their kids.
'We are meant to sit down and eat dinner together as a family most nights, not be running from one ball field to another or from work to gymnastics to home just in time to bathe and get in bed,' she continued.
'This is stressful for most kids, and adults, when you slow down to actually think about this impact.'
If you want your child to try out an activity, Mary suggested focusing on one thing at a time so it really gives them a chance to discover whether or not the enjoy the hobby.
And when it comes to sports, she reminded parents that it's meant to be 'fun' and should not be about winning when they're young.
'I also think travel sports (and the intensity that comes with them) should not be allowed until kids are much older, middle school to high school age,' she added.
She encouraged embracing a 'slower-paced life,' and if your child is getting bored at home she suggested getting them involved in household chores as they make them feel important and can even be fun to young kids.
When it comes to sports, she reminded parents that it's meant to be 'fun' and should not be about winning when they're young (stock image)
'Involve [them] in the tasks at home like laundry and cleaning,' she recommended.
'I'm not saying we all have to be homebodies and never schedule events, but having something on the calendar nightly should not be the norm.
'We've created a culture of overstimulation, even us adults, we can't sit down without scrolling our phones.
'The current busy culture tells us it's not okay to rest. We as parents have to learn to rest and slow down too, so we can model that for our kids.'
She also spoke to the Daily Mail about how dangerous 'unsupervised screen time' could be for kids.
'I think using screens to pacify kids' boredom is a huge issue,' she said. 'I constantly see kids scrolling their parents' phones on TikTok or YouTube in my clinic and it pains me.
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