Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Flip

1 2

Original poster

To be surprised that a 19 month old could do this?

50 replies

BoredHorse · 03/06/2013 19:54

I visited a friend the other day and her LO picked up her IPhone, swiped the lock screen to unlock it, swiped the menu a couple of times until she got to a child's game , selected it and started playing it.

It just seemed strange watching such a small child being able to do this. It was quite impressive. It also made me feel a bit inadequate as a parent as my 18 month old wouldn't have a clue how to do it....

OP posts:

threesypeesy · 03/06/2013 22:26

Dd3 is 15 months and fascinated by tech stuff. She can swipe my screen on phone to look at photos, turn on and off laptop, knows what button to press on house phone to play answer message, the correct button to turn sky off. It is amazing though the things kids can dowith ttechnology at such a young age

arethereanyleftatall · 03/06/2013 22:32

I would totally disagree that this is 'cool' or 'impressive'. Surely just far too much exposure to a phone at far too young an age. This isn't a good thing.

rabbitlady · 03/06/2013 22:34

grandaughter 18mo does it. finds nine inch nails and plays them. or incy wincy spider, depending on her mood.

Original poster

BoredHorse · 03/06/2013 22:44

Arethereanyleftatall, I must admit I dd consider your point of view. It's definitely what my OH thinks too.
I meant its impressive in the sense that I didn't think a young child would have the skills to use a piece of technology like that and it amazes me what they can pick up.
Whether its a good thing or not, in my heart I kind of feel unsettled too and that I'm glad my LO is happy playing with her traditional toys and not interested in my phone but then on the other hand I think this is the way the world is going and society just moves with the times. In that sense I thought, should I be letting my child get the experience of technology young to keep up with their peers?!

OP posts:

Picturepuncture · 03/06/2013 22:56

I really don't agree that young children should be kept away from technology.

It is going to be even more a part of their lives than ours (and it's pretty embedded in mine!).

Of course all things in balance- traditional toys/relaxation/just doing nothing/quiet sleep/outdoor play etc...etc... All have a place too, but we shouldn't be restricting access to age appropriate technology for the sake of it.

Ledkr · 03/06/2013 23:00

My dd is now 2 but for months has been able to unlock my I phone select an icon and fully use it.
She can open photos and scroll through them and selecting and playing her favourite videos.
It fascinates me too.
She often tries to swipe other things too such as tv screen or photographs.

Annaliveinalice · 03/06/2013 23:02

Don't feel inadequate.

That child has had too much time in front of that tiny tiny screen If I was her parent I would have been feeling inadequate.

savoirfaire · 03/06/2013 23:03

DS could do this at that age. DD couldn't. But she never got a look in because DS was already on the ipad!

It's really just a sign of how intuitive an iPad is. It took by 70 year old DM 2 mins to learn her iPad whereas she can still barely text.

I tried to teach DS to use the mouse on the laptop over the weekend to play a game and he really struggled - he's just not used to it and it is significantly less intuitive.

Annaliveinalice · 03/06/2013 23:04

And it is not just a problem with the passive play, focusing on a tiny screen must be bad for the developing eyes.

arethereanyleftatall · 03/06/2013 23:05

An 18 month old baby is not going to get left behind if they don't have an I-phone yet fgs!

mikkii · 03/06/2013 23:05

DD2 started swiping on a smart phone aged 1.She got annoyed with a mere digital camera aged 18 months as the pictures on the back didn't swipe across. She will help herself to an ipad and chooses suitable games from a folder.

DS could turn on all the TV system aged 4 (TV,sky box, surround sound), DD1 aged 6 can wake up her big brother to do it for her!

JamieandtheMagicTorch · 03/06/2013 23:05

This is pretty surprising too

Genuinely clever child

phnarphnarphnar · 03/06/2013 23:06

We got DS an ipad when he was 14 months... He figured it all out very quickly. Could easily to the unlock, swipe across pages, find game thing at that age. Funny watching him try and do the same thing with books etc!!!!! 2.5 now and obviously knows that only the ipad/smart phones can do that!

ElBombero · 03/06/2013 23:06

Ashamed to say my DD 19 months can do this. I'm not proud of it.

TwasBrillig · 03/06/2013 23:07

I'm with arethereany. My 4 year old can navigate fine but isn't allowed much screen time. No way is my 18month old allowed to. Its intuitive, she'll pick it up when she needs to1 right now she needs to play.

neontetra · 03/06/2013 23:09

Well, perhaps I should be ashamed to admit it, but my dd knew how to swipe my phone to move photos on and so forth from, what, 10 months? Younger? Yet at 13.5 months is only just now learning how to make proper marks with her felt tips and pencil crayons. Sign of the times. She also loves her (probably mid-90s) electronic keyboard, and knows which buttons to press to get her favourite synthetic rhythms. Not too sure any of this tech.stuff will damage her irreperably. We also walk in the countryside, pat animals, read books, do wooden jigsaws etc. For a long time now she has also been the only one in our household who knows how to work the tv remote to get subtitles on, though I assume that is by accident, rather than design!

JugglingChaotically · 03/06/2013 23:13

DD3 could work out my iPhone at 2 (poss just before) just from watching and corrected me on how to use the camera from watching much older DD1. Was shocked (and slightly mortified too).
I have to change passwords on iphone regularly as DD3 watches me like a hawk and plays games, takes photos and photo shops at drop of a hat . We limit all screen time, tv, wii etc so no idea where it came from!

Original poster

BoredHorse · 03/06/2013 23:14

Reading my last comment back I do feel a bit silly, I know really that working an iPad at 18 months isn't a necessary skill obviously. I will admit I'm sometimes a comparer and worry if my child is doing what others do rather than just relax about things!

I won't be handing her my iPhone yet it just thoroughly surprised me at how their little brains can copy things.

OP posts:

Original poster

BoredHorse · 03/06/2013 23:16

Neontetra, if it makes you feel any better my LO just wants to bite the tips off the crayons...

OP posts:

sashh · 04/06/2013 00:32

Your better off with a child that doesn't do this because they will not get upset if they swipe the TV and it doesn't change.

IKnowWhat · 04/06/2013 00:48

My DH can't do that and he is 49 .

Bananapickle · 04/06/2013 09:10

My DD (now 28 months) and has been operating my iPad since she was 18 months. I was pretty mortified that she knew how to do it but then got over myself and found it amusing.
She doesn't have a lot of screen time, certainly not daily and when she does its only for 15 minutes max.
I just think that young children are little sponges and if iPhones and iPads are part of your every day life they will pick up on it, just like when they pick up your keys and try and unlock the door etc.

ArabellaBeaumaris · 04/06/2013 09:15

Mine keep trying to swipe my kindle.

mrsjay · 04/06/2013 09:36

I am amazed at toddlers how they get the hang of technology these days of course in my day they were not around I see toddlers at work flicking through mums phones and playing games I cant work an iphone

to answer the question is just the repition (sp) they can do still amazes me though

DeWe · 04/06/2013 09:38

Ds used to switch the computer on, log it in (8 figure password) and get into the internet and find the cbeebies website from favourites at that age. Never showed him, but it was important to him so he learnt quickly by watching.

My experience is if it's important to them then they learn to do it very quickly.

Flip

1 2