'Sittervising' is a Viral TikTok Parenting Trend — But What Is It?
Sittervising is a parenting trend we can all get behind. The idea, made popular by Susie Allison, who has a Master’s in Early Childhood Education and runs the beloved Instagram account @busytoddler, allows parents to give their kids space to play — and builds in time for some much-needed relaxation.
“Sit👏🏻ter👏🏻vis👏🏻ing,” Allison wrote in a recent Instagram post. “You do not need to hover over kids while they play OR feel like you absolutely must be playing with them at all times. You can supervise kids from a seated position 👏🏻.”
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Allison explained that Sittervising works for both parties. “Kids need play without adults,” she noted. “Adults need time to recharge from kids.” We have to say, this logic sounds pretty damn compelling.
Parents made their way to the comments section to throw their support behind this trend. “Absolutely, I try to have a cup of coffee and a book or at least a word search puzzle while I do so 😍 kids need to see us recuperating as well,” one commenter wrote. Another added: “I need to hear this often! I feel so much guilt when I sit and let my 1 year old independently play 🤦🏻♀️.”
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Allison expanded on Sittervising in a recent post on her blog BusyToddler and explained just how helpful it can be for child development. Too much hovering, she said, can impede on a child’s ability to learn important skills.
“With an adult playing, play no longer has its full benefits and the life lessons children might have developed in this play activity diminish,” she wrote. “The growth and development of skills, which include problem solving, risk management, communication skills, imagination, divergent thinking, and cooperation are disrupted (again, unintentionally) by an adult’s presence in play.”
Sittervising, by the way, doesn’t always have to involve sitting. Sometimes, Allison said, she does “laundry-vising” or “dishes-vising.” Whatever task she’s getting done, she embraces the fact that her kids are doing their own thing. Read: no mom guilt here. “I know that in playtime without me, the most amazing skill building is happening,” Allison wrote.
Child development skills + some much-needed time for us? That’s an equation we can definitely get excited about.
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