is it just my 2 year old....

milliebear00001

As a teacher, I would say there is little benefit to your child from any screen at this age, so you might want to ask yourself why you're thinking of providing him with one.

From three upwards, there is perhaps some value in educational websites (games included) like 'Poisson Rouge', but even then, screentime (in particular TV) should be limited to a minimum, and used in conjunction with mummy chatting with him about what he's doing/watching.

I am sure your LO spends minimal time in front of a screen, but I see far too many four year olds enter school who can't string a sentence together, can't count past ten, can't tell you any letter sounds, can't build, glue, cut, fold, colour in etc etc. many of those are a 'whizz' on a handheld gaming device too.

cutestkids

A two year old does not need any type of gadget at all and certainly not an ipod.

What two year olds really need is to be painting, playing with playdoh, building bricks, simple jigsaws, being read to and talking about everything and anything.
They need to be going outside to play, going to the park and learning about social interaction with their peers through toddler groups playdates etc.

I can not see any need at all for a two year old to have access to ipods etc.
Even some of the so called childrens tablets, games consoles are questionable at such a young age.

mummyroysof3

i dont even let my 6 year old play on my laptop (we dont have any apple products in our house), we dont have the money to be replacing expensive things that might get broken

daska

As a parent to a child who had plenty of non-screen based stimulation I'd just like to point out that there are kids who can really benefit from ipads etc. DS2 is a case in point: sensory modulation disorder, probable autism/add, severe language difficulties etc. The combination of having to try to manage a pencil and learn his letters is too much, but ABC PocketPhonics came to the rescue and he caught up with his classmates. Everything has it's place and to automatically dismiss things simply because they don't fit with a rosy tinted view of how children 'should' learn does some a disservice.

BJV

Don't you think that in today's age we have to encourage a little bit of everything.

Reading, writing the basics but also not to be afraid of tech. Like it or not it will be a large part of our children's lives. Totally agree with boundaries and age app but surly the best way to stimulate a young mind is to expose it to a wide range mediums.

My son has his own blog which he writes on his laptop, my daughter has an Ipod. ( we can and do limit their usage and access.) Their favourite pass time, is writing their own musicals and shows? Being tone deaf in the musical front not quiet sure where that came from. lol

hemophobic

minimoneysaver wrote: »

My iphone is password protected and kept locked at all times.

So is mine but my little (3) sister knows my password lol. She always asks though and sits on my lap while she uses it so I can see what she's doing, she mostly likes taking photos. In total she is on it about 30 mins a week so I don't see a problem.

shellsuit

My son is 2, almost 3 and doesn't know how to use an iphone, ipod or ipad.

Mainly because I don't own any of them

He is fantastic with numbers (we call him little rainman), and knows his alphabet if that counts? Oh and he's crazy about vehicles of any kind. I love seeing kids play with proper toys (pens, books, jigsaws etc) rather than electrical stuff.

Mind you, talking about pens...I was in the kitchen last week and could hear him saying, "Up, down, up, down, up, down...etc". If you've seen 'Get Squiggling' you'll know exactly what I found. On a wall in the front room :eek::eek::eek:

clays_mummy

lol wow im sure some of you people think i let my son have the ipod 24/7 and dont let him paint/play/go kids clubs etc etc lol....when i was a kid (im 28) then yeah, we had smaller tvs and not many gadgets but this is 2012 and its what life is like now and i personally think that the ipod is ok for him to use...alphabet, sign language apps etc...and he knows exactly what hes looking for on youtube, normally phonics, alphabet, numbers or he started yesterday on his months.

every mother is biased of course, but my son is very clever for his age...last week the health visitor told me that in 34 years of her career, she had never heard a 26 month old say his full alphabet....by the time they get to secondary school, and using ipads and not desktop computers anymore...some of our children will be able to learn the subject that they are there for whether some of the more "ana1" mums' kids will be trying to work out the ipad lol

mildred1978

Ravenlady wrote: »

You actually let a 2 year old play with an ipad?

Brave springs to mind.

My son isn't 2 jus yet and has been playing with mine for months.

CH27

clays_mummy wrote: »

lol wow im sure some of you people think i let my son have the ipod 24/7 and dont let him paint/play/go kids clubs etc etc lol....when i was a kid (im 28) then yeah, we had smaller tvs and not many gadgets but this is 2012 and its what life is like now and i personally think that the ipod is ok for him to use...alphabet, sign language apps etc...and he knows exactly what hes looking for on youtube, normally phonics, alphabet, numbers or he started yesterday on his months.

every mother is biased of course, but my son is very clever for his age...last week the health visitor told me that in 34 years of her career, she had never heard a 26 month old say his full alphabet....by the time they get to secondary school, and using ipads and not desktop computers anymore...some of our children will be able to learn the subject that they are there for whether some of the more "ana1" mums' kids will be trying to work out the ipad lol

There is so much more to life than technology.
Being able to hold a conversation, learninh how to ask questions instead of just pressing a button, learning how things grow & how to biuld things, being polite etc. An ipad/PC cannot teach that.