Screen time for my LO (4yo) is very limited, and it’s given as a reward, or for a specific purpose eg. HBL/kids church programme/video calls with family. During meals, we engage in conversations and singing, and when she was younger and needed to hold onto something, it was usually a small toy (we told her she could choose a “friend” to bring with her to the table). Your husband and MIL probably want to either make the meal move faster (they open their mouths more easily when they’re watching something)/don’t want to deal with tantrums, or they don’t want to put in the effort to engage with your kids. But, just my personal opinion here, it’s worth it to start engaging your kids now.. otherwise when they’re older, they won’t think of ever wanting to talk to you about their day or their problems over meals, even if you want to. Sometimes I do play music (kids songs) on my phone during meals, but the kids are only allowed to listen.. and sing 😂
Navya