https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Fri, 17 Apr 2026 15:09:32 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/tablet-for-your-toddler/page/2#post-809624 Sat, 25 May 2013 23:44:51 +0000 skibobrown 809624@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Well, we're about to buy an iPad for the family, but the main reason really is that we're taking DD in the car to a wedding that is 8 hours away from our house in a few weeks. She is going to *hate* being strapped into the carseat for that period of time. I'll do anything I can to make the trip less miserable, and I know that being able to watch some Yo Gabba Gabba videos will definitely help! In general we really limit DD's screen time, but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/tablet-for-your-toddler/page/2#post-809555 Sat, 25 May 2013 21:57:38 +0000 Pepper 809555@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I don't think I'd buy our LO a tablet, but I'd let him use my iPad in moderation, for educational games. I watched TV when I was little, and I grew up with a lot of access to technology, but I also played outside all the time and had a very active imagination. I agree with those who said everything in moderation! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/tablet-for-your-toddler/page/2#post-809534 Sat, 25 May 2013 21:39:35 +0000 pl0508 809534@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I don't have a strong opinion about it one way or the other. I know at the very least he will play with apps on our phone - I don't see a huge difference in that and a tablet! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/tablet-for-your-toddler#post-809510 Sat, 25 May 2013 21:14:46 +0000 Mrs. Superhero 809510@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I can't even afford one for myself right now....</p> <p>Also, we limit screen time for the girls a lot, so no tablet until they're older. School age probably. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/tablet-for-your-toddler#post-809447 Sat, 25 May 2013 20:41:10 +0000 PrincessBaby 809447@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I don't think this is crazy. I see kids with them all the time watching movies or playing apps. I really noticed it during my 3 hour glucose test while chilling at Labcorp all morning...every kid had one (an ipad, not a different brand or kindle fire or something!)...But we live in kind of a redonkulous area (S Florida, which encompasses boca raton, Miami, &amp; ft Lauderdale, so lots of wealthy peeps!)... </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/tablet-for-your-toddler#post-809431 Sat, 25 May 2013 20:36:05 +0000 Punky 809431@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'm against it. I love technology and want my kids to be tech-savvy but only once they get to a certain age. Yes people credit apps to teaching letters, numbers, reading skills, etc. but children learn much more when interacting with others. If you sit down and work with your kid and teach them those skills not only are they going to learn the academic skills but also the social skills that so many kids lack today. I'm not saying kids should have no access to technology but I think it should be very limited at young ages (less than school age). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/tablet-for-your-toddler#post-809406 Sat, 25 May 2013 20:26:58 +0000 photojane 809406@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I don't see the problem. I don't think screen time equals no outdoor/imaginative play time. I watched lots of TV growing up, but also had a wonderful imagination &amp; played outside all the time. I was allowed to play on the family computer whenever I wanted, and I turned out alright. :) I'm sure Sadie will get a little toddler tablet when the time comes. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/tablet-for-your-toddler#post-809393 Sat, 25 May 2013 20:21:33 +0000 swedishfish 809393@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Nay. LO will be able to use my iPad and our computer on a limited basis but there is no need for a child to have his/her own very expensive piece of electronic equipment until he/she is old enough to be careful with it. </p> <p>Cell phones are a little different because, although I didn't get one till junior year in HS, they weren't as common as they are today. I think it's inevitable that LO will get a cell phone before I did but it will not be in elementary school. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/tablet-for-your-toddler#post-809328 Sat, 25 May 2013 19:08:52 +0000 MsMamaBear 809328@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Nay. I'm in the ridiculous camp as well, but she won't get a cell phone til high school, but I didn't get one til college....nevermind they had just become popular and affordable then.LOL I don't have a tablet, not interested in one though, so she'll be fine. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/tablet-for-your-toddler#post-809313 Sat, 25 May 2013 18:58:24 +0000 SAHM0811 809313@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My kids play with my iPhone and iPad mini here and there. There's a mix of educational apps and fun apps... Same with videos (some Sesame Street, some Disney, for example).</p> <p>As for kids and technology... It's in the schools now. Well, I had computer class in school too, but they are starting earlier. My eldest is going to kinder this fall and will be using iPads and iMacs there. By the end of the year, she will independently be using MS Word for simple things... A little typing, I believe, and cutting and pasting clip art.</p> <p>I don't think sheltering them from today's technology til high school would provide any benefit. My kids are exposed to books, toys and imaginative play. We go to museums and shows. They go to parks and zoos... aquariums and arboretums... and take extracurricular classes like art, swimming, ballet, and martial arts. And they play with technology too. Everything in moderation! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/tablet-for-your-toddler#post-809249 Sat, 25 May 2013 17:36:53 +0000 allison 809249@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'm really not sure how I feel about this. My first instinct is to say nay, because we're really trying to be more intentional about our time and limit tv watching. We're even planning to get rid of the tv once LO is older. But I don't think I see tablets as the same thing as tv if they're using them to learn skills. I don't want to use any form of technology as a way to appease them (like in the car--my nieces basically demand the tv in their vehicle be turned on just to go across town to eat dinner and I hate that). But I think limited exposure to educational games is fine and something we'll probably do. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/tablet-for-your-toddler#post-809212 Sat, 25 May 2013 16:48:46 +0000 sarac 809212@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I say no, in general. I finally gave in and bought one for myself - we're about to go on her first long flight, and I thought it would be great for that. But I don't plan to let her use it in general. Certainly not when she should otherwise be amusing herself, or learning to be patient and wait politely. Basically just for airplanes or other seriously difficult situations.</p> <p>And also, I have to not be hypocritical. My husband and I met 'sitting on the internet' playing a videogame. We're huuuuuuuuge geeks who love our technology. But we also love the outdoors, love to be active and fit and healthy - so we're just teaching her the same balance that makes us happy.</p> <p>As a tiny aside, whenever I hear people saying that they want their children to play outside more than they want them to play with technology, I pause. Obviously we all need to teach the value and joy of physical activity, and that's one of my top priorities as a parent. </p> <p>But my husband, a computer programmer, really wishes that his parents had supported his love of computers. I'm not trying to say that we need to give toddlers tablets to do this - more that technology for children is so overused these days that I think we sometimes ignore their genuine interests in an attempt to go the other way. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/tablet-for-your-toddler#post-809204 Sat, 25 May 2013 16:41:02 +0000 Ree723 809204@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Nay. LO is nearly 1 and I have no intention of introducing her to any screen time any time soon. I don't think it's good for a baby's brain development to be exposed to 'screens' (tv, computers,hand held video games etc) before the age of three at least. Yes, a child may learn their letters sooner as a result of an iPad game, but does that provide any sort of advantage as they go through their school life? Do they start learning quatum theory in second grade because they learned their letters at age 2 due to computer games? I just don't see that as a valid argument for allowing screen time at an early age.</p> <p>To me, it's far more mportant that my LO learn to develop her imagination, learn patience when we're out somewhere, and participate in physical activity than being entertained with an iPad. I am quite confident she will still learn her letters,numbers, colours, shapes, etc and be perfectly prepared for school when the time ones...even without having played iPad games beforehand. That being said, it won't be strictly taboo, she'll get to watch a movie as an occasional treat etc, but she certainly won't be having her own devices.</p> <p>I'm not trying to judge others - just explaining my thoughts on the subject as it's one I feel somewhat strongly about. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/tablet-for-your-toddler#post-809188 Sat, 25 May 2013 16:29:30 +0000 autumnlove 809188@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Nay. I will eventually let my LOs use our iPad occasionally but I don't think I will buy them one for a long time! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/tablet-for-your-toddler#post-809180 Sat, 25 May 2013 16:26:40 +0000 Mrs. Jacks 809180@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We are very firm on limited screen time, so Lala gets a video as a treat once in a while, but that's it. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/tablet-for-your-toddler#post-809134 Sat, 25 May 2013 15:50:50 +0000 mrsjazz 809134@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Nope. I would possibly let my LO use one of our tablets for a game or a book once in a while, but I wouldn't buy her her own. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/tablet-for-your-toddler#post-809127 Sat, 25 May 2013 15:40:18 +0000 HLK208 809127@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Nay. I thought about it but I really want DS to just be a kid and play outside more than play with technology. </p> <p>A few games on my iPhone isn't bad every now and then but I don't feel the need to give him his own especially when he breaks a lot of what I buy for him already. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/tablet-for-your-toddler#post-809113 Sat, 25 May 2013 15:23:20 +0000 deerylou 809113@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@NovBaby1112: Completely agree with your last statement.</p> <p>Don't get me wrong, I've seen technology have positive impacts on multiple occasions. My career is in special education, and I've seen numerous success stories pairing non-verbal children with communicative devices and apple/android applications. I've also seen typically developing little ones with occasional tech-time (i.e. one iPad book before bed, or an educational game on the phone while in the car), and be completely well-adjusted.</p> <p>However, it's a slippery slope, in my opinion. My in-laws live off the beaten path, and I've witnessed our two year old nephew throw intense fits when my SIL's phone is unable to connect to the internet and give him access to youtube. Our eight year old nephew wants nothing but x-box games for Christmas, and will spend hours in front of the television, playing them, and ignoring opportunities to engage with others. Our 11 year old niece has asked for an iPhone for her past three birthdays, and might have finally won the battle. Teachers are often asked to remind third graders to turn down cells as they chime from a pocket in their Iron Man backpack. It's gotten ridiculous. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/tablet-for-your-toddler#post-809090 Sat, 25 May 2013 14:55:39 +0000 NovBaby1112 809090@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@zippylef: I totally agree with everything you said.</p> <p>Total nay for me. I think kids these days have wayyyy too much technology, which can of course be a good thing, but I see absolute no reason for a kid or teenager to have an iPad or phone until at least high school (driving age). I think it's ridiculous that parents are spending money on iPads and iPhones and what not for their 10 year old, but can barely make mortgage payments, all because their kids guilt them into it because "everyone else has one!" So they feel the need to keep up with the joneses, so to speak. (Rant about my dh's cousins) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/tablet-for-your-toddler#post-809077 Sat, 25 May 2013 14:38:40 +0000 deerylou 809077@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Nay. Although I understand, from an educational standpoint, it can help with certain academic skills, I'm still not a huge fan. I was a very early reader, and dubbed "gifted" upon entering kindergarten (not tooting my own horn), and this was in the late eighties/early nineties. My father had a car phone (wow-ee, technology!), and most families had yet to even own a home computer. We were regular visitors at our local library, and museum, and my shelves with packed with books, and puzzles. </p> <p>I hope to surround my daughter with books, and lots of interactive opportunities to learn and absorb, but I hate how our society is so dependent on recreational technology. I'm totally guilty of checking my smart phone a billion times a day, but I am so thankful that my childhood was completely without that level of obsession. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/tablet-for-your-toddler#post-809068 Sat, 25 May 2013 14:26:53 +0000 Bookish 809068@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'm in the nay camp as well. She's already going to get so much screen time just from our modern world, and I don't want to increase that. I'm of the it's ok for my kid to be bored, and I'd rather her learn from books and real life interactions. No judgment at all on those that have tablets for their kids, it's just not for us! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/tablet-for-your-toddler#post-809012 Sat, 25 May 2013 14:00:42 +0000 loveisstrange 809012@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Navy_Mommy: I totally am. All my friends were nerds and then I went and married one. lol I do agree that you have to be involved in other things. When I said that DH spent his childhood glued to a screen, I meant it. He didn't go outside. He didn't do sports. All his friends were nerdy and they sat on the internet together. Thats probably why he's like he is. If it were up to him, C would have all kinds of gadgets really young. The only one he agrees with me on is the cell phone. He doesn't think she needs one until high school either. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/tablet-for-your-toddler#post-809005 Sat, 25 May 2013 13:56:07 +0000 Navy_Mommy 809005@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@zippylef: maybe you're just attracted to socially awkward people, lol. In my experience technology doesn't lead to social awkwardness, maybe that's just because my sisters and I also did other things on top of using technology. But I don't think letting your child use technology is dooming them to a life of social awkwardness. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/tablet-for-your-toddler#post-809003 Sat, 25 May 2013 13:55:14 +0000 plaidpants 809003@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We're definitely in the "nay" camp. LO is 1.5. She has her whole life to stare at a screen. I want her to be as engaged as possible in real life now! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/tablet-for-your-toddler#post-808999 Sat, 25 May 2013 13:53:56 +0000 beachbee 808999@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I have always thought nay, but I'm still in the infant stage so I may change my mind when we get to that point. Its a major pet peeve of mine to see adults at dinner focusing on their phones/tablets and I really don't like it when i see kids doing the same. Then again, I'm admittedly anti-technology so that may have something to do with my view :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/tablet-for-your-toddler#post-808992 Sat, 25 May 2013 13:51:29 +0000 loveisstrange 808992@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Navy_Mommy: Thats not what I was implying. I was implying that it made DH socially awkward. It also did as much for most of my guy friends I grew up with. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/tablet-for-your-toddler#post-808986 Sat, 25 May 2013 13:48:41 +0000 Navy_Mommy 808986@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@zippylef: to imply that growing up like I did makes you socially awkward is a bit extreme. I'm VERY far from socially awkward. </p> <p>I still played outside, participated in sports, danced from the time I was 3 through college. You can have the best of both worlds! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/tablet-for-your-toddler#post-808958 Sat, 25 May 2013 13:41:05 +0000 loveisstrange 808958@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Navy_Mommy: My family was poor. We had a family computer that we all shared (I have 2 brothers) and we didn't get it until I was almost in middle school. It ran Windows 3.2 and AOL dial-up and my parents went to a Rent-A-Center to be able to afford it. My parents had it locked down to where I could barely use it until I was 13. I got my first cell phone at 17, only because I was so active and my parents needed to be able to get a hold of me. I didn't own my own computer until I was a sophomore in college and I bought it myself. </p> <p>I grew up with Barbies and dress-up clothes and running around the neighborhood with my friends until our parents forced us to come in because it was dark. I grew up interacting with my peers and learning how to use my brain to entertain myself. We owned an NES and a sega, but with 2 older brothers I was never allowed to play them. I did camping and soccer and played violin and did Brownies and fishing with my dad, not video games and cell phones and the internet.</p> <p>DH grew up like you. His dad built flight simulators, so their house was always full of computers and gadgets. His childhood was spent glued to a screen. He always had a computer. He always had the internet. I've seen how the differences in our upbringings have effected who we are as adults. I would rather C be like me than DH. I want her to hold on to her childhood as much as she can. I want her to be little and innocent and play outside with her friends from dawn until dusk like I did. I want her to be able to interact with other people and not be socially awkward like her dad is. I want to teach her to read and write and count, not let a computer do it for me.</p> <p>I think technology has a deeper impact on kids than people realize. I am all for her being tech-savvy. We own a lot of computers and other gadgets, so she will know about technology and be well-versed in it. I just dont think she needs her OWN until she's much older.</p> <p>@Mrs. Yoyo: C gets angry when you take it from her too. One of the many reasons I don't let her use it often. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/tablet-for-your-toddler#post-808945 Sat, 25 May 2013 13:33:56 +0000 Running Elley 808945@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'm in the nay camp as well. I can see, eventually, letting DS play educational games on my iPhones and my husband's iPad but only with supervision/us helping and playing with him and rarely. I want him to read/look at books on car rides and I'd like him to interact with us while at restaurants, etc. I know that there will be times when it's difficult but we'll have to go through that to teach him manners and how to behave in public and with company. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/tablet-for-your-toddler#post-808926 Sat, 25 May 2013 13:24:22 +0000 Navy_Mommy 808926@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@travelingnanny: I do that sometimes. If an ATM doesn't have a touch screen I've caught myself getting frustrated with it. Even my desktop is touch screen (it's an HP TouchSmart) so literally ALL the technology in my house is touchscreen. lol </p>