This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Netflix.

My primary aim at Stuff Parents Need is to show you ways to make your life easier as a parent of young children. Today I’m excited to share with you how Netflix does just that for me.

Our Netflix Journey

My household has been a member of Netflix since 2005. We’ve taken a few breaks along the way (which is easy to do! Gotta love that about the program!). And we’ve even drastically changed what our membership looks like over time. Before we had kids, we subscribed to the 3 DVDs at a time program through the mail, which we absolutely adored. But as soon as Darah hit the scene, we realized we didn’t have as much time to spend in front of the television, so we took it down to 1 DVD at a time.

And finally, we switched to what we currently have, which is a subscription service I refer to as “the steal of the century”. We don’t get any DVDs in the mail now, and only subscribe to Netflix instant videos. This subscription is $7.99/month. When you track that over a year, the cost of a Netflix instant membership is less than the cost of two trips to the movies for a family of 5. And that’s NOT counting any concessions you might want to buy! Here’s what we spent last night watching a movie at home (by the way, the movie cost is the $7.99 divided by 30, since we usually watch one show or movie each day in our home).

Flexible to Meet Changing Needs

I really appreciate that as the digital world has so rapidly changed, and as the needs of our family have changed, Netflix has been ready to serve us. We get so much value out of having instant access to so many great viewing options available at the push of a button. I also value the reviews offered by other members. This is especially important for anything I might let Darah watch; I want to know if other parents think it is age appropriate for a preschooler!

I use Netflix Instant every single day. Seriously! Darah has video time every day at 3pm (assuming she isn’t engrossed in another activity at that time). She gets her afternoon snack and gets to select one video. She and I both appreciate that none of that time gets wasted with commercials, as everything on Netflix is commercial-free!

How We Watch Netflix

Netflix is hooked up to our television through the Wii, and we just hop on, select either something that is new to her, or one of her favorites (shout out, Tinkerbell!) and set the timer for 30 minutes. If you have a smart phone, tablet, laptop, Smart TV, Sony PlayStation, Microsoft Xbox or like us, a Nintendo Wii, then you’ve already got the equipment you need to start watching Netflix!

Netflix Families

Netflix has pretty much thought of everything when it comes to ease of use. I am able to find videos extremely quickly for Darah, and that is largely thanks to a new curated list of options Netflix offers. Check out Netflix.com/Families. This page has great lists of movies and TV shows, and right now those lists are geared toward specific summer needs you might have. I’m especially fond of the “Are We There Yet? Great Titles to Take on Vacation” list. We can quickly browse those on the iPad or iPhone while we are on the road (oh yes, you can watch Netflix in your vehicle!). We’ve had a few trips this summer, and getting to watch a video in the middle of the trip definitely helps break it up for Darah. This list is available for both members and non-members, so even if you don’t have an account, you should check out their recommended list!

Family Movie Night

We are also developing a tradition of a weekend movie night with mom, dad and Darah after little sister goes to sleep. Truly, this is one of the highlights of the week for our oldest, and it is for us, as well. Netflix makes it easy to find great movies to watch with Darah thanks to their movie night list. Yesterday we spent part of the afternoon at the International Towing and Recovery Museum (how’s that for random?) and for that reason, decided to watch Mater’s Tall Tales, featuring Tow Mater, America’s best-loved tow truck!

Do you use Netflix? Did you know about the Netflix Families page? What are your little ones watching these days? 

A message from Netflix:

Netflix.com/Families is a new destination designed to meet your family’s summertime entertainment needs. On Netflix.com/Families, parents can find lists of movies and TV shows for all kinds of special summer moments.

Visit www.Netflix.com/Families for more information on the best ways to stream as well as videos from families using Netflix.

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Netflix.