Tech Toys for Toddlers
There’s an article in today’s New York Times today about the increasing demand for technology for the pre-school set. This post might get me a lot of backlash, but I am so on board with the tech toys. In fact, this toy (shown on the front page of the article) is the one my son is getting for Christmas (thank you LeapFrog for the great sale and free shipping!) (P.S. Unlike many, MANY of my friends with kids Pumpkinhead’s age who have had them since two, this will be Pumpkinhead’s first video game-type machine.)
Okay, sure, the pediatricians know what they’re talking about and increased screen time is DEFINITELY a contributor to obesity and other issues. That said, we need some more pediatricians of my generation to get into practice. The reality is that we grew up on computers and other technology advances. The generation behind us is even more entrenched. Texting? Don’t even try to text me because I am SUCH a moron when it comes to that. IM’ing — time-sucker. But my peers would disagree and I think that is well-illustrated by some of the comments in this article, such as the mother who said she had to return the fake cell because her preschooler wasn’t easily fooled — she knew what a real cell looked like and wanted one (no, I wouldn’t get a cell for a child that young, but I thought it was an interesting observation). What do you all think about this tech trend? Is it damaging to kids or just realistic to purchase them technological toys?
November 29th, 2007 at 9:36 am
I don’t think most tech toys are harmful per se, but a lot depends on how parents approach them. Is it a way for parents to check out and let the toy do the babysitting? And more importantly, for how long? I’ll admit that I have used the tv or computer as a babysitter so that I could get work done, but I have always had strict limits on screen time, and I refuse to allow them to have computers or tvs in their bedrooms.
Honestly, we learned that most toys that require batteries hold my kids’ interest for a very short amount of time. But they can play for hours with their Legos, dollhouse, Littlest Pet Shop critters, and dress up box.
Our problem now is that the kids have virtually every toy ever made. So this year they will be getting tech gadgets. Music players for the 6 year olds, and a digital camera for the oldest. 9 year old wants a cell phone, and it would be easy to add her to my account for a mere $10/month, but I just can’t see any reason that my kid needs a cell phone. I guess my concern is that if we give our kids everything now, what are they going to expect as they get older?
November 29th, 2007 at 1:53 pm
I am anti.
When E was a toddler, there was a lot of marketing of toys similar to the Leap Frog, and I was momentarily feeling guilty that my 2 year old didn’t have her own laptop. But then I did some more research, and I decided that I would not allow my 2 year old a lap top, even if I were to win the lottery.
The article I read was written YEARS ago. Likely 9 years ago. But it said that we are being suckered by marketing if we believe we need to start kids as toddlers in order to give them an “edge” or allow them to be technologically literate when it’s necessary down the road. Kids learn fast! They had presented school-age children with computers (mouse and all), and found that those with zero previous exposure were fluent within (literally) 2-3 days.
If kids *need* computers in school, they do not necessarily need to start on them when they’re toddlers. They can start on them in school, and still be more than fine, losing nothing.
By the time E was 6, she had a couple of CD-Roms that she was allowed to play with a couple of times per week. They were closed universe games that involved walking Pooh Bear from room to room to find some honey pots or something. That was the extent of her computer exposure. J never got into it, and didn’t really play.
And yet, now that E is 11, she can figure out a program (she’s a champion word processor, and a super-fast typist), cell phone, alarm clock or any other electronic doo-dad in a fraction of the time it takes me.
And I’m pretty quick.
I think these electronics are supposed to supplement our lives, and make normal life easier. They aren’t supposed to BECOME our lives, and replace normal life.
Normal life for kids, I think, should be free & open imaginative play. And that is always one of my problems with the tech stuff marketed to kids. They’re often “yes/no” or “right/wrong” and leave little room for free exploration.
Now that my kids are older, E has a cell phone, and they both have iPods, and I’m about to purchase E that lap top I refused her when she was 2.
But honestly - E doesn’t talk on the phone with her friends (I see the bill), only to my husband and I so we know where she is and that she’s safe. The kids don’t IM, except maybe once every couple of months. They spend close to zero time on the computer. When they write stories and plays, it’s on a pad of paper, with a pen. When they want to talk to a friend, they find the house phone and the school directory to look them up and call them.
Maybe this has something to do with the decisions I made when they were small …. but probably not.
November 29th, 2007 at 3:01 pm
I’ll probably take the middle ground. I like the leapfrog and other technology, but I don’t want the high-tech stuff to be the main learning tools/sources of entertainment. Books and activities and games are good too, and provide different types of learning and stimulation. Everything in moderation, I think is just fine!
November 29th, 2007 at 3:18 pm
I really like the Leapfrog stuff. Pumpkinhead loves his LeapPad (it is an interactive way to read books) and his language development has been really helped along by the phonics DVDs. He uses the Word Whammy to make words all the time on the fridge while I cook dinner (or breakfast). I try to pick the kinds of toys that have a demonstrated skill attached so that he’s not just sitting in front of something. I will admit, however, to using the TV as a babysitter sometimes. I think that a lot of parents are embarassed to admit it but I bet it’s more common than you think, especially for busy working parents who need a bit of peace while they get ready for work in the morning or prepare dinner at night. We read a LOT and play board games and Chapin and Pumpkinhead play soccer outside on the weekends, but sometimes I just need to be left alone and I turn on a movie.
December 1st, 2007 at 6:52 pm
The TV works as a great babysitter for husbands too. LOL
December 4th, 2007 at 2:22 am
I am, of necessity, in the pro camp. The truth is, baby tech is an awful lot like TV, which my girls already get plenty of. But the thing is, my littlest one, who is just over 1, is OBSESSED with electronics. She has millions of toddler stack em, stuff em, pull em toys that she will not touch, but she will spend hours with my cell phone, the TV remote, the TV itself (the part she can touch), our answering machine, the radio, my ipod, and recently, my blackberry. It’s like she’s in love. When her older sister uses her leap pad, she SCREAMS for it. So yes, I am getting the same tech toy as PT for my girls for Christmas.
I figure, if she was this obsessive about, say, drawing, I would do alot to foster that interest. Why should this be any different. If only they would build a leapfrog that teaches C++ or LINUX instead of the alphabet.