How grandparents can stay close from far away
Video calls with family count as relationship time, even for babies. Here's what research says and ideas that make calls work.
The short answer
Video calls with family are the exception to "no screens" for babies and toddlers: the AAP treats them as relationship time because a real person responds. Toddlers can learn words and recognize someone from live video chat, which pre-recorded video doesn't do. Short, regular calls built around a shared activity, with a parent helping, work best.
What research shows
- The AAP advises avoiding media under 18 months except video chatting, and says video chat can count as relationship time. Toddlers start to understand the person on screen is real around 18 to 24 months.
- "Baby FaceTime" (Myers et al., 2016): 60 toddlers aged 12 to 25 months responded to and learned from a live video-chat partner, and recognized that person afterward. Pre-recorded video didn't have the same effect. It was a small, one-week study.
- Grandparents are online. Pew Research Center (2026) found 78% of adults 65 and older own a smartphone.
- It adds to visits. Grandparents in touch both digitally and in person report higher life satisfaction; digital-only contact didn't show the same benefit. Read the research.
Ideas that work
- Set a regular call time, like Sunday breakfast.
- Give Grandma a job: read the same book on both ends, sing a song, or show the dog.
- Keep toddler calls short, with a parent sitting alongside and pointing things out.
- Fill the days between calls with photos and voice notes.
- Mail something small to show on the next call.
- Play a daily puzzle together and compare results. OurDot's family games are built for this.
- Set up the grandparent's device ahead of time, with bigger text if it helps.
Sources
- AAP Center of Excellence, Tips for video chatting with infants and toddlers (updated Mar 24, 2026)
- HealthyChildren.org, Where We Stand: Screen Time (updated Dec 13, 2023)
- Newswise, New study of toddlers sheds light on value of FaceTime (Myers et al., Jul 2016)
- Pew Research Center, Internet use, smartphone ownership and digital divides (Jan 8, 2026)