To Think that Tablets (computers) ARE ok for young ish children ie maybe 5 on wards?

[TheHouseonHauntedHill]

Just a few comments on a few threads regarding the Hudl recently, I noticed some people mentioned that they would not get one for "young" children.

Why?

My DC have have a leap pad thing, and its been most educational.

[Retropear]

And should you decide to run the Internet on the XBox what your dc see is on a masseeeeeve screen not so on an Ipad.

[bigwellylittlewelly]

We bought our daughter an iPad for her first birthday.

Yup.

Because if it she has learnt to use her hands, isolate her fingers, develop excellent fine motor skills, learn so so much, have fun and most important of all it was a tool to communicate. She has cerebral palsy.

Now we all share it, but it's a part if this family, it has a tough book case, it's used for hospital appointments and when we are admitted, we don't have a tv so dd watches films and cartoons on it, we have strong Internet and YouTube settings.

[Retropear]

I can see how it is useful for you but there are better things for developing fine motor.Pointing and lightly pressing with one finger is quite limited.

[TheHouseonHauntedHill]

Retro

Our Leap was £70 and Hudle is £130 I think less with Tesco Vouchers and we have £40 worth of T vouchers.

No where near the " best part of a grand"

[TheHouseonHauntedHill]

I am totally ignorant of DS or X box we have nothing like that here.

Getting the Leap was quite a big deal for us, we did not do it glibly.

The only thing I was thinking was a few comments here and in RL re: imaginative play perhaps suffering and its something that giving the Tablet to younger DC you would not know if their imagination had suffered or not.

Saying that, my DD isn't one who was madly into imaginative play in the first place.

[bubalou]

My DH has an ipad and me and my 5 year old ds share one as I don't use it much.

He loves playing the odd game of angry birds etc and he has sodoku on it which he loves. Also spelling games, writing games and reading.

I think as long as you limit their time on it then why not?

[RubyrooUK]

Retro, you don't have to be connected to the internet on an iPad either. Ours is wireless only and that connection is turned off when DC use it. (As is the notorious in-app purchasing!) Not that my DS has shown any interest in the internet.

And forgive my total ignorance on the Xbox as mine broke a few years ago, pre-DC, but can you get educational games on it? My DS plays things like things where you find letters and numbers, or the Hungry Caterpillar app where you identify fruit, or Room on the Broom, where you collect letters flying on a broomstick and so on.

Still, I wouldn't buy an iPad for DS right now because he can use mine for short periods. He doesn't see that much telly either and prefers books so I am not too worried at this stage. I do take your point about the Xbox being a less intimate experience and therefore more easy to monitor, though.

[Retropear]

I was referring to Keping who said she is buying two Ipads for her 3 and 5 year olds.

[Retropear]

Ruby I know that but I wonder how many do turn it off.Considering how often adults use them dipping in and out,I know I don't ever turn off the Internet on mine.

Re imagination I think it is worrying.

[Jaynebxl]

My DC are getting tablets for Christmas. They are 6 and 7. I'm not worried in the slightest. They currently use ours but don't have unlimited access. We are quite strict about how much screen time they have and I can't see that changing just because they have their own tablets. They won't be allowed them in their bedrooms or anything.

[fuzzpig]

My DCs play on our iPad - we were given an old first gen by a very generous friend when he upgraded. They have limited time on it - 30 mins each per day on either DS or iPad (which sort of amounts to an hour screen time each, since they tend to sit together and watch each other play IYSWIM). Mon-Thurs during term time this is the only screen time they get (a recent decision)

It's fantastic but I wouldn't be buying one for them if we didn't have one. And I wouldn't get them their own one because there would be no point - they'd still only get their 30mins so it wouldn't make sense financially. Same reason they don't have their own DS, they are allowed on our one (we won one before eldest was born). I would rather spend money on toys.

The iPad is great and I am forever adding brilliant new apps, companies like Toca Boca are fantastic. I don't think they are amazingly educational though, any more than I think 'brain training' games actually increase IQ, but they are fun :o

[bigwellylittlewelly]

To the poster up thread who said about dine motor - please don't patronise me, I have a child with CP I know about fine motor (and gross motor) development, it's one thing we used - some apps require the use of more than one finger as well which helps. But if your child can't or won't isolate a finger (let alone use their hands to string together beads or use a marker) then the iPad is a brilliant incentive and it is the most sensitive tablet, it also allows fine tuning so that a user can isolate intentional and non intentional movement.

[fuzzpig]

We've virtually never taken the iPad or DS out of the house, they are just for home. Particularly the iPad due to risk of dropping it or having it nicked

[Retropear]

Big it is limited for children without SEN who can isolate a finger.Excellent fm for non SEN is more than that.That is what I was referring to as generally this thread is re non SEN.

At 3 non SEN children need masses of fine motor experience as opposed to screen time. I'd have preferred Duplo,crayons,doll clothes,Playmobil etc with mine.If you're spending shed loads on an Ipad and it restricting it to the odd half hour it just seems a waste of money.

A child of 10 whole different story.

[Retropear]

We're almost exactly like Fuzzy.My 3 are 10,10 and 9.Ipods and my ipad never leave the house.

We had no screens bar TV until 6, then it was the odd half hour.They get more now although very restricted and most days zilch.They were far too busy when little doing other things to need their own Ipad.

[mumofweeboys]

Iv just discovered educational apps as just got an ipad. It's been great for my 5 year old, who struggles with concentrating. I let him have half an hour a day of playing phonics and maths games.

[Retropear]

Squeebles are great.

[ouryve]

YANBU. They simply need to be used sensibly. We bought a Nook tablet on sale for DS2, who is 7. He has severe SN and has learnt to do all sorts of things with a tablet that we weren't even able to engage him in, conventionally.

We'll probably get a Hudl for DS1. We're looking out for something with a rear camera that isn't expensive. Nook and Kindle don't fit the bill and even DH's Nexus doesn't have one. The camera on my iPad mini is very good, but we're not paying £270 for another one!

[Retropear]

iPod Touch ?

[AnyWetCuntweaselsInTheFuckerGr]

My policy is that they don't 'own' any form of electronic device for as long as possible.

But I am generous and judicious on giving them goes on my DS/iPad/iPad2/iPod Touch/Nintendo Wii/PC/laptop and iPhone. (Yuh huh. One person doesn't need so much gadgetry really... but kids still believe they're mine all mineeee ) .

[ouryve]

retropear - waiting in a waiting room is boring enough for an adult, never mind for a child. Between them, the boys have had to do a lot of waiting in waiting rooms and having something absorbing to do is a real sanity saver.

[Shallistopnow]

Yes YABU.

[Shallistopnow]

Yes YABU.

[ouryve]

I had considered the iPod touch, retropear. I don't know how he'd get on with the smaller screen. Probably no worse than on his old DS, mind. And they still cost more than we really want to spend. Not much less than an iPad mini, really!

[Retropear]

Ouv I can understand re regular hospital goers but with others sorry kids don't melt.Books,colouring,a comic, just sitting,watching and thinking etc.

I think it's worrying and I have a house full of restricted tech.Kids are never allowed to be bored these days.Boredom is good for creativity.

When we're in the car or out they have nothing.They manage and always have done.