Amazon Fire TV Tips & Tricks for Parents

3 Ways Fire TV Can Help You Be a Super Dad (or Mom, If That’s More Your Thing)

Just set your kid in front of cartoons all day. Then go do whatever you want. That’s it!

I’m kidding. Please don’t do that. I have a *ahem* “spirited” 2 ½-month-old baby girl named Ruby, so I know it can be tempting 😅. In all seriousness, here are 3 actual ways I use Amazon Fire TV to be a Super Dad…

1. As a Video Baby Monitor

Easter Egg #1: That little glow worm on the TV really is Ruby, but that’s not me on the couch. Shhh!

Fire TV & Alexa have integrated with an ever-growing list of compatible smart home cameras including the Amazon Cloud Cam, Ring, Arlo, Nest, & EZVIZ (I have the Mini O). What does that mean? I can simply pick up my Alexa Voice Remote & say, “Alexa, show me the nursery.” Alexa brings up the live video feed on my Fire TV. I start down my To-Do list, & know as soon as she wakes up from her nap. I also have a Fire TV Stick set up at the office, & I love being able to watch her from my desk.

Want to set this up yourself? Check out our help page on how to Use Smart Home Cameras with Alexa.

Got an Echo Show? “Alexa, show me the nursery” works there too!

2. To Wind Down After a Long Day

Easter Egg #2: This is my Watchlist, but I don’t know these people. The dog either — no idea.

For me, part of being a Super Dad is being a Super Husband to my beautiful wife. Once Ruby goes down for the night, we have precious little time before we start to nod off too. So whenever I find a good show or movie, I add it to our Fire TV Watchlist for easy access. Then, within a few button presses, I’ve got something lined up for us to watch together. My wife lies down in my lap, & I brush her hair lovingly. (TMI?)

3. For Age-Appropriate Entertainment & Education

Asphalt 8: Airborne in a swanky apartment. Vintage record collection? So hip.

Once Ruby’s old enough, we plan to introduce screens into her life in healthy ways. For example, as catalysts for learning & for spending quality time with friends & family. Lucky for me, Amazon Video has a Kids & Family genre of TV Shows & Movies we can watch for free with Prime. And if I can’t bear to re-watch her favorite episode of Wishenpoof for the 17th time in a weekend, the Amazon Appstore has a Kids category of Apps & Games. Our friends’ kids love coming over to play games like Asphalt 8: Airborne, Leo’s Fortune & MMX Racing, & I can’t wait to have that experience with Ruby.

Pro Tip: Gaming on Fire TV is even better with a Game Controller. You may even already own a compatible controller.

• Vikings: Just started Season 5. It looks very different than Season 4 (I can’t tell you why without a spoiler), but still very intense in a REALLY good way. Watch on Amazon Video, HISTORY, or Hulu.
• The Walking Dead: Fresh off Season 8’s mid-season finale. Holy cow. February can’t come soon enough. Watch on Amazon Video or AMC.
• This Is Us: This is mine & my wife’s favorite show in years. I wish it was on every single day. Stop whatever you’re doing & watch on Amazon Video, NBC, or Hulu.

Worried about the kids getting into something they shouldn’t? Turn on Parental Controls via Settings > Preferences > Parental Controls.

We use our Echo Dot as a white noise machine to help Ruby sleep better. We even take it with us now when we visit relatives.