To buy my 2 1/2 year old twins a tablet for holidays?

[Thedoctorswife1]

We have resisted tablets until now - no judgement at all to those who use them - they have some but not a huge amount of screen time in the form of TV.
We have two flights coming up in the next few months and I am considering getting them a kindle fire and headphones - they are on sale at the moment on Amazon. AIBU to do so? I’d want to use just on the plane and when out and about in restaurants as they can get very restless when sat down for extended periods of time. Asking them to share is not an option due to the seating on the plane.

If you want to, do it. You'll always get pearl clutchers on here saying you must never allow any screen time ever! DD got a tablet for Christmas when she was 2.5 - no issues here!
I've taken it out for meals a couple of times but she's usually happy with colouring or drawing as well, I just like to have the option.

Best thing my daughter had and is great for circumstances like travel 👍 go for it and I have found sone programme's educational.

Absolutely got the flights. Not in the restaurants.

My daughter has had one since she was 2, it's never taken to a bar/restaurant, it's for use on planes/long car journeys and is a god send. It's also now used for school activities such as Numbots and Timestables Rockstars, so it's a good learning tool too, plenty of educational games on there. (numberblocks/alphablocks etc for toddlers)

Yep. We got one for DD when she was 2. She only has it on long train journeys. When we get home it goes away.

Shes a dream to travel with - we normally start out with snacks/colouring/books and then she settles WITH HEADPHONES and watches.

She doesnt ever ask for it, its a travel treat.

Nobody said anything about using them at mealtimes?!

Also to add, we have used it in restaurants. I read before that if we wouldnt expect her to sit still for 90 minutes at home, why do we expect it at restaurants?

We rarely go but has a family dinner last summer, she had it out for a bit so we could eat our meals in peace. She still sees modelled behaviour but I dont expect a 2 year old to be able to sit still for that long.

As she gets older, I wouldnt have a tablet at a restaurant table.

So my 7 year old has just got some free reign of her tablet, after school only.
I only gave her one around age 5 for educational games before that.

She stares into that black mirror for hours if you let her and I can't see any good can come of it.

I wouldn't let this begin at 2.5. But most on here will say yes and if that's what you need to do just do it.

Most wouldn't judge you and if you don't tell anyone no one will.

I do also take colouring books/activity books/sketch pad and Polly Pockets to make sure she does a range of things on the plane.
I tried sticker books when she was a toddler but she kept trying to sticker the plane so it got removed :-D

The OP did!

I personally think playing any form of game on the iPad is very different to watching cocomelon or another gentle programme. Games usually create a dopamine hit through giving rewards even when they're educational. I don't think that's great for young children, and that's what keeps older children on there for a long time. Watching tv on it is not really different to watching tv and it's much less addictive.

I think it's a good idea. We have a family iPad. My son (2) has designated times when he is allowed to use it.

1. When Face timing Nanna and Granddad who live four hours away.
2. On Friday afternoons when he gets home from his childminders he is allowed half an hour of toddler games.
3. On holiday in the apartment and on the plane (with toddler headphones only) he can watch tv shows that we've downloaded or play games. We also bring some analog toys as well as he tends to flit between the two. I'm considering getting him a sticker book for our next flight.

For car or train journeys we entertain him with books and songs etc and in restaurants we do similar. Before I had my son I was quite against screen time but I ultimately decided I had to accept the fact that modern life involves screens and that before he goes to school he will need to learn how touch screens work etc.

In measured amounts I don't see any issues so I don't think you're being unreasonable at all :)

Also, thank you so much for considering it WITH headphones. There's nothing worse than a parent giving a child a screen and then the whole plane/restaurant being forced to listen to whatever is blasting out of it.

@WhatInFreshHell maybe read the op again.

I don’t understand this slippery slope stuff. Slippery slope to what? They’ll have screens eventually anyway.
I’ve just got a tablet for my 2.5 year old. Apart from the first 5 minutes when I’m running around doing something I sit with her and play the games. It’s consolidating her knowledge of shapes, colours and numbers and she’s entertained. All good as far as I’m concerned!

Definitely not in restaurants and definitely not without earphones at any other time

I wouldn’t, not at that age. We did manage long haul flying with small children long before tablets were invented. It is not impossible.

To screen addiction. To asking for the tablet all the time and disengaging from real life.

Many of us, myself included, are addicted to our phones to some degree. It's a slippery slope to that.

We got one for my 2.5 year old for Christmas as we were getting one for our older child (for a long journey) and knew there would be fights. We were planning to restrict his use of it a fair bit but it turns out he's not that fussed. Will play with it for a bit and then gets bored and wants to run around. It did really save us last week when we had a 3 hour wait in A&E so I wouldn't be without it now. He didn't play on it the whole time but was good for keeping him distracted for some of the time. I say go for it.

Get 2 secondhand one for the flights. Then afterwards either keep them or save them for the next time you fly - or sell them (to somewhere like CEX). If they ask for them after the holiday say "Oh they belonged to the airplane - we were just borrowing them".

Have they ever tried continual screens or headphones?
DS2 rejected all headphones until he was about 6.
From 4, he would watch a screen on a plane, minus sound, for about 30 mins before needing interaction.
You may find they don't take to it, at which point it is a waste.

I would buy them.

Planes are not every day life. On a normal day my 3 year old will be running about, outside, climbing, painting, etc.. He doesn’t sit still.
On a plane I doubt anyone would be happy if I bought out the acrylic paints and let him cycle down the aisle.

Also travel is not usual timings. Our upcoming flight is at 9.30am. The airport is almost 2hr drive from our house plus 2 hr before to check in etc, will mean toddler is up 4.45am and in car by 5am. He won’t go back to sleep. So he will be out of sync, and tired on plane. We take crayons/ stickers/ toys/ books/ snacks as well, but that’s a long 4hr to pass sitting, so if he watches kids shows an hour then lovely. Dh and I also have then a long drive on arrival, so if we can get 30mins to breathe and semi relax on plane that will help

Also my toddler just uses our joint household iPad on flights. So if you already have a tablet, maybe just buy one kindle fire for second toddler

We've got them for both and I have 3yo and 19m old. And I don't regret it. Lifesaver for car trips etc.

I'm a teacher and I am happy for them to be skilled at technology!

Yes and didn’t they just watch the plane screen instead? I don’t know how old you are but when I was a kid and it was long haul you’d watch the kids channel. Even short haul in the 90s I remember the screens every few rows showing stuff you could plug headphones into and watch. I have vague recollection of watching The Simpsons once, no idea what airline that would have been. I don’t know that an ipad is massively different tbh, except that you can tailor the content to make sure it’s age appropriate stuff they like, which is surely a good thing?!

My 4 years old is entertained by colouring books about 3 minutes. A game on the tablet keeps her busy for 2 hours easily. We only use the tablet for flights or train journeys. Absolutely worth it.