Young children and technology

BabyCarryingVessel · December 2013

Where do you stand on letting your kid play with devices? I'm asking because we have a friend who is giving her 17 month old an ipad for Christmas. My man and I are planning to keep devices away from the girls until they're old enough to respect and take care of them properly, plus I want them to use their imaginations and play like kids should. I'm afraid playing on a tablet will take away from their social development, and who knows what else. But on the other hand, I don't want them to be "behind" the curve when they start school. Who knows, tablets and other devices may be the norm in schools by the time they get there. I really don't know what a good balance would be. Thoughts?

AMT1107 · December 2013

DS has a Nook, it was on sale and he always steals my cell phone. This was our best option, it has Wi-fi so he can watch Sesame Street or Yo Gabba Gabba when we really need him to sit still

BabyCarryingVessel · December 2013

Call me a crotchety old woman, but I'm sad about seeing 4 year olds with their noses glued to a tablet. I get what you're all saying about the balance, but times have definately changed. I used to have an outdoor "cooking show" where I'd gather leaves, twigs, mud and whatever else to create culinary masterpieces. I really want my girls to learn to entertain themselves when they're bored, not play games on a tablet or watch a movie. Haha, now I sound like I'm 100 years old!

pb_bride · December 2013

I'm pretty strict about no screen time before 2. We don't have iPhones, but DS aren't allowed to get hold of our old-fashioned cell phones anyway. I have an iPad but he doesn't get to use/watch/touch it either, except for 5-10 minutes of Facetime once a week with my parents.

I SAH but I don't have the TV on. He is totally capable of entertaining himself with his toys. He gets whiny when I make dinner; if I can't distract him with his toys, I plop him on the clip-on high chair at the kitchen peninsula and give him the mail/circular to sort through.

The only TV time he gets is 5 minutes of Curious George 2x a week when I need to clip his nails, but even then, he rarely stays still. In the evening I watch 15-20 minutes of opera on DVR when I nurse DS, but he has his back to the TV so he only gets a glimpse of it or two at the start & end of the nursing session.

Wally3 · December 2013

DS at 4 got a nabi for Christmas last year as a gift from his aunt. He uses it mostly when we go on flights. LO has less interest. Will watch tv for a few moments but not really involved yet. He loves my phone but more as a chew toy then a play thing. He will run his finger over it and "talk" on it but no interest in it being on or not. DS1 screen time was getting out of control we started limiting and he watch about 30 - 45 minutes of tv in the morning depending on how fast he gets ready for school. TV in the evening only if DH or myself are working late. Etra 30 minutes on weekends and video games on fridays.

I feel like kids will learn how to use computers quickly it is not something they need a lot of exposure to to figure out how to work. Also, they do not have a fear that older adults have of "breaking the computer" they will push buttons, touch screens, figure things out. My 5 year old can switch from a touch pad, to touch screen, to mouse without skipping a beat. Computers are designed to be easy to use.

wesleycrusher · December 2013

we're getting a tablet this year as a family present from the ILs. like @wally3 said- it will be used for flights and car trips home mostly. She knows how to pick a video to watch on daddy's phone already. she's addicted to youtube!

StefanieM522 · December 2013

I have the fisher price apps on my kindle fire for Welsey for when we are on flights or when mommy needs a few minutes of mommy time. He does watch about 15 minutes of zumy, zumy in the morning while I am getting ready for work and he watches a few minutes of the news at night with daddy but he doesn't notice the TV is on most of the time. He love dancing to the music from some of the holiday commercials though.

CnAnA · December 2013

Alice loves my phone but to make phone calls. She brings it to me and says "Nana!"

AOBtahoe · December 2013

I started letting DD1 use my ipad when she was pretty little. Not for long periods of time, but there are a lot of educational games, and I usually prefer she plays them over watching tv.

CnAnA · December 2013

We do keep the tv on during the day, but she doesn't sit and stare. She watches the intros, then plays with her toys. As far as my phone, she only uses it to have me call whoever she wants to talk to that day. Usually her nana.

Mrs.G123 · December 2013

An iPad for a 17 month old??? Give me a fucking break.

Ziegeficker · December 2013

piffle42 said:

I'm with you. Also, the ADHD screen link is no joke.
I read an article recently about howbTV is even overstimulating for adults. If I can find it I'll post the link.

I have definitely noticed my own attention span has gotten shorter over the years, and I blame TV. I have no problem believing that television affects impressionable young minds even more than adults'. I have no intention of buying my children electronic devices of their own for a while, but I will occasionally (very rarely, really) let Henry play a kids game on mine.

My MIL recently moved in and really wants cable, but I worry that having cable will lead to the TV being on constantly. But the way our house is set up, Henry plays in the rooms without TVs, so I guess it'll be fine...in the end I just believe in moderation and am not really against TV or iPads, just the unfettered use of these items. I agree with @rachelmichelle1 and worry about stifling imagination with too much exposure to electronic devices.

There is a debate going on now on the May BMB about putting TVs in nurseries...

Ziegeficker · December 2013

angelacz87 said:

piffle42 said:

I'm with you. Also, the ADHD screen link is no joke.
I read an article recently about howbTV is even overstimulating for adults. If I can find it I'll post the link.

I have definitely noticed my own attention span has gotten shorter over the years, and I blame TV. I have no problem believing that television affects impressionable young minds even more than adults'. I have no intention of buying my children electronic devices of their own for a while, but I will occasionally (very rarely, really) let Henry play a kids game on mine.

My MIL recently moved in and really wants cable, but I worry that having cable will lead to the TV being on constantly. But the way our house is set up, Henry plays in the rooms without TVs, so I guess it'll be fine...in the end I just believe in moderation and am not really against TV or iPads, just the unfettered use of these items. I agree with @rachelmichelle1 and worry about stifling imagination with too much exposure to electronic devices.

There is a debate going on now on the May BMB about putting TVs in nurseries...
....... What? I just... what?

It's true! But for the most part the consensus is that it's a bad idea. I nursed Henry in the living room with the TV on for the first few weeks, though, so I don't have much of a leg to stand on in that arena.

BabyCarryingVessel · December 2013

Come to think of it, I think my attention span is going downhill, too! For instance, when we watch our shows at night, I'll look at something on my phone every so often, then it's hard to just watch a 30 minute show. Geesh, maybe I need a technology break, but I don't see that happening just yet. New Year resolution, maybe?

My mom pointed something out about the screen time/ADHD connection. Like with a music video on TV, for instance, count how many seconds there are between screen shots and it's usually not more than a second or two. I never really paid attention, but now I do and it drives me nuts!

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