how many of you let your 2 year olds use laptop/ipad?

[lola88]

DS seems to be the only kid I know who never uses mobile/ipad/laptop to play so far it's purely been because we are skint and can't risk these things being broken but now I'm starting to wonder if I should introduce him to these devices since they use them in nursery and school should he know how to use them?

How many of you let your young kids play on them? Is it bad for them to have access to technology at such a young age or since the word we live in runs around technology should I be teaching him to use it correctly? Since I'm terrified of him breaking the laptop it would be us using it together i'm usually really laid back about pretty much everything but this i'm not so sure about I don't want him to end up one of these kids who ever leave their bedroom.

I do. Rules are that iPad stays where I put it (no carrying and risk of dropping it) and no food or drink at the same time.

She plays on it maybe once or twice a week - more in winter, I think. I don't find it hard to say 'no' to her using it, if we're about to go out I say she can play on it when we come back, and that satisfies her. It's good for learning colours, shapes, early phonics etc. I don't have any games on there that aren't educational, so they just don't have the option.

We don't - DS1 is 2 next month and DS2 is three months (so to be fair, he's not really interested!). DS1 occasionally gets hold of a mobile if we're unwary and knows how to unlock them, but they are taken off him. When we're using our laptops he usually asks us to close them, but if he starts messing about with them we tend to stop him.

He'll learn to use computers and to code later in life, right now there's too much fun to be had with other things.

We're not anti-screens though and do watch a fair bit of telly (CBEEBIES, BBC News 24 and nature documentaries mainly).

ds1 has had limited access to some play apps on my old ipod since he was about 2. It started off as a nice quiet way to play early in the morning while we were still in bed, also when stuck on laps in waiting rooms etc because it was easy and saved me carrying round an extra toy.

When we acquired an old Samsung tablet it came in very handy for toilet training as he would sit there good as gold playing lego or doing puzzles on it while he thought about doing a poo.

I think at 2 it doesn't matter if they don't have access very much but I do think its good to start around preschool age. They will have lots of access at primary school and my son's preschool has both a computer and a laptop for the children to play on (supervised, of course).

Nope, never, or mobile phones. I dont believe it has any benefit at all. I was a bit of a b*itch actually recently as my sister kept giving my youngest her iphone to play with to keep him quiet instead of watching him, Lost count of how many times said not to do this and I came in from the back door and caught him with it again so I put it in the sink. Told her you cant leave baby's unattended and phones are not toys.

I downloaded a few 'learning' apps, flash cards and such, as my 2yo DD was fascinated and kept trying to play with it anyway, so I got some apps that she can play with rather than just bashing the screen and somehow beating my high scores

However she only spends 5-10 mins at a time on it, and only ever with me helping her.

I wouldn't buy one for a 2 yo though.
Debating whether to get my 8yo Twin DSs one for their 9th birthday though.
Again though, limited screen time (and most definitely parental blocks)
My DCs are all very active children though, and spend plenty of time climbing trees/playing outside etc, which I know some people worry about with all the techy stuff taking over

Lanabelle- you put a £500 phone in the sink. Perhaps you should supervise your own child in the future.

DC1 didn't have access to one until about 4yo because I didn't have one until then. And has managed fine.

DC2 is 2yo and uses it daily for a few minutes at a time before losing interest. I've bought a very robust case and have rules on where it can and cannot go.

My 9 month old uses the Ipad about 2-3 times a week to play on fisher price games.

I wouldn't worry about your DS missing out if he doesn't have access to iPads, laptops etc at such a young age.

If you think about it, all previous generations have grown up without these things and all of us have been able to pick them up and use them. They are just tools, and you don't need to introduce them early for fear of your child somehow losing out. In 10 years time there will be some new technology that we haven't imagined yet - and as long as your DS is curious, persistent and confident he will pick up new things with ease.

DS is 3.5 and has never used it and he doesn't ask. Not meaning to sound conceited but he is more than happy playing indoor or outside. We go out even in the winter - only heavy rain keeps us in. He isn't really interested in screens at all even though he watches a good hour of TV a day. He never asks for TV and he only watching before breakfast and after tea. He does get obsessed about things and I am waiting for TV to become an obsession. I personally don't think children need things like iPads until they are at least in Year 2/3 and only for educational games / apps. But that is my personal opinion.

Yes, DS is (nearly) 18 months and uses an ipad to play games. We have it in a serious case. We make sure that most of the time he plays "with" an adult talking to him about what he is doing - which is what he prefers anyway - but he plays for a few minutes a day on his own as well. The apps seem pretty educational to me and I prefer him to do that to wind down that to watch a lot of TV (though a bit of TV is fine too I think). We are a bilingual household (my DH is French but we live in London) and we have been able to set the ipad in French too which is great, to support his language. I am unwell and in bed a lot at the moment and it's something we can do together in bed. I don't think he needs it, of course, any more than he needs any other particular toy, but at least at the moment neither of us have any concerns about his using it.

whoa whoa whoa BridgeOfWhys I had been working early's and PAID the bugger to watch the youngest two. So yes I put it in the sink, I was pretty p*ssed off to come home and find him in the kitchen alone playing on her iphone while she was sat in my livingroom watching thismorning and on my landline yapping to her boyfriend. There is more history to this and it seems she has again not learned, 2 months ago she was demanding money off me because she gave the elder of the younger two it and she bought stuff on some bubble game. I refused to pay because I never said she was allowed to play on it, I said the exact opposite. There is a large age gap between my sister and I and she is of the facebook generation and does not understand why I am so against this whereas I am nearly a decade older and I have my rules for my children. The other problem with this is whilst playing on her phone her 20 year old friends send her things to her phone that aren't really appropriate for a 2 year old

Nope DS (2.8) has never played on our laptop or my phone (no ipad). Watches TV and youtube vids of trains (his obsession) tho.

We seem quite rare tho based on talking to others but to be honest I know that if I started letting him play games Id let him do it for too long as it would be an easy babysitter . That and i dont want him breaking my phone or laptop!

DH bought our toddler a Kindle Fire. I was a bit at first (as I expect you're all doing too!), but it's got the freetime settings so she can't do anything other than play apps we download, can't accidentally buy anything and so on. She doesn't need it at all obviously. She still spends most of her days in the garden or climbing things. I don't see any difference between the tablet and the TV. If she was on it 24 hours a day then it's a problem. I don't see any harm in her learning technology at a young age.

I've let dd use my mobile, ipad and laptop since she was 18 months or so. I don't worry about her breaking them because they're all insured for accidental damage.
However no pre school child really needs access to this technology and if you prefer to keep your stuff for adult use only there's nothing wrong with that.

we have a laptop with a touch screen so we have let him have a go at kinectanimals he loved and now thinks he has a dog :) he only played for less than 10 mins then got bored.

I let our DD use the Ipad, she's 21 months and has played around on it for about a year. Usually on the bed or sofa. She can't purchase things by accident and has her own page of Toddler Apps. She asks for it on occasion and if sees it wants a go. Everything in moderation I suppose, she watches a bit of TV, plays happily by herself, likes the great outdoors etc etc.

I love the Toca House app though if anybody has it, different little games for different rooms. Simple things like sorting the right coloured flowers into matching pots. She also likes the Peppa Pig drawing app. She likes to look through our photos and points out people she recognises.

Not having access to one wouldn't hurt her in anyway. They pick things up so quickly I don't think not using one would delay her in anyway if they had one at preschool.

DS has been using one since he was about 9 months- i had a long commute with him and it was easier than carrying lots of books/toys etc

• i think of it as a way to access puzzles/games/books etc in an easy format. I'd rather he did this than just watched TV/DVDS as at least its interactive and not passive. We don't pitch it as a treat which means he can take it or leave it.

A friend of mine did have her DS's ability to use a mouse criticised (he's 3 and apparently behind in this area)

we've had an "family" ipad since DD was born, so DS has played with it since aged 3 and DD probably since around 12-16months (they are now 5.5 and 2.5). DH and I barely use it but it is hidden and only brought out when we choose it to be.

In fairness they both probably play on it more than I'd like but they do play educational games together pretty well so it's continuing the concept of sharing. I actually prefer it to TV because at least it's active, using their brains rather than just passively sitting watching a screen. I do download favourite programmes and movies because we live abroad so have a few transatlantic flights to do and it's a bloody lifesaver for me and every other passenger! I don't let them play on it for a week before a flight so when it comes out they're happy with it for a decent amount of time.

Neither of our phones have games on them anyway. We've just ever got in the habit of taking phones or ipads out for dinner with them, just never occured to us really, and seeing as most family friendly restaurants whip out crayons and paper, they're actually used to that now and I have to remember to take stuff to colour with me now when we go out.

DD is allowed to play on the ipad every morning while we do Shred though! but she's only allowed on in the mornings - DS is very good about putting it down when I say enough but DD is a screen addict so I don't let her have it after lunch as otherwise it produces serious meltdowns when it goes away

Everything in moderation, I'll put off them getting their own individual things as long as possible. Playing on the ipad doesn't stop them from colouring, playing, running around, digging in the dirt, going to the beach or reading a book

Dd (20 months) isn't too bothered really - the only thing she likes to do is flick through the photos and try to name the people/things she can see.
Ds, 3.1, does like to use the iPad or our phones. He watches Fireman Sam, Peppa Pig and Ben & Holly on YouTube, uses the drawing app and takes photos. He uses it every now and again, under supervision and there are rules in place for what he can do and how he can use it.

Bad mummy here i'm afraid. DS (2.11) loves the ipad. He has lots of little educational games and one or two just silly ones. We also use it to show him things of interest e.g. Animals/places/things he is keen on, looking at zoo webcams, looking wt maps.
I'd say he has 10mins or so daily. I have actively promoted him doing maths, sorting and phonics apps.

not bad at all penguin....10mins is hardly bad! My DD (early riser) watches at least 25mins of tv every morning before she even has breakfast!

Nowt wrong with interactive and educational ipad usage IMO