What age should toddler use iPad ?

[LittlePetal82]

My LO is just over 2 years and he's currently learning to count, shapes, colours etc. He watches some programmes on TV that help with this but wondering whether there might be some apps on the iPad that are a bit more interactive than him just staring at the TV. However, not sure if he's too young to be using an iPad already. What age do most people let their LOs use an iPad? We do spend time playing with him as well so this would be more of an alternative to TV time.

Each to their own but I would avoid buying an ipad for your LO especially at the age of 2. How about buying natural physical toy shapes all in different colours that they can play and learn with. Your child with benefit far better from that than looking at a screen. This isn't me being judgmental at all as unfortunately we now live in times where technology is more convenient than old fashioned items xxxx

A toddler doesn't need an iPad. A parent needs an iPad for toddler distraction.

You will be slated for even thinking about this on here.

But my DS is two and he has been using an iPad and watching kids YouTube for about a year and he knows colours, shapes and can count to ten. So yeah, it's so bad for them.

I'd get one.

I've not let my 3 year old use an ipad as I feel like once they get into it there's no going back.

I make very simple little worksheets for him like joining the dots to write his name and matching shapes. He enjoys that.

I agree with PPs that there are other ways to teach kids things than through an ipad. Books and games and general conversation work just as well. I would steer clear of one for quite a number of years

I suggest getting play doh / paints / crayons for colours and use colouring in shapes. An abacus for counting. Once you resort to ipads there’s no going back.

You're asking for the parenting police here. Buy your child whatever you want to buy them

As others have said, he's too young. Help him with his motor skills by getting crayons, papers etc. Children can struggle with writing when they've been on a diet of mainly iPad as they haven't developed the muscles in the hands required to hold a pencil. Even if he's just drawing marks on the paper, it's much better for his development and brain growth than staring at an iPad.
My cousin is a reception teacher and says so many children don't have the ability to grip a pencil correctly or for any length of time and it causes them all sorts of issues.

Just buy him a sword, probably safer!

Being sarcastic, nothing wrong with distracting them with a video in some situations. I’d go with 3yo I think.

Borrow mine occasionally, from about 3.
Actual own tablet? Aged 8, and that's because school required them from that point.

My child used an iPad around 2- she’s 3 now- it’s not used excessively, we still play doh and play imaginary games and visit farms and do car journeys without them etc. The idea that if you use one occasionally your child is starved of human interaction is rubbish.

Thanks all, some useful things to think about. Definitely not buying him his own, he'd just be using ours. Think I'll try getting him more involved in craft stuff first, so far all the craft stuff I have bought entertains him for about 30 seconds and then he's bored!

Btw OP that 30secs is normal- I know the odd child that would sit and play with trucks for example for 20mins or longer, mine isn’t one of those. Thankfully she’s finally got into colouring to sit still but it was impossible at 2

I’d say he’s a bit young at 2. I used some basic things on iPad with my DD when she had turned 3, and I did find that Useful - not so much that there weren’t other ways of doing it, but it gave me a bit of sitting down time too! (Essential in early pregnancy as I was more or less stuck on the sofa, so more interactive ways of teaching her just seemed impossible).

Your choice though, it’s your kid. Choosing something interactive and talking to your child/doing it with them is a whole lot better than just plonking them in front of something (doesn’t sound like you’d do this though).

I would hold off. To me it's like Big Tobacco. We don't know the harm but I think it's a reasonable assumption that there's quite a bit of interest that'll be invested in us not knowing.

It isn't only the fact children don't need them and can learn without them, or the impacts on their concentration, but also the fact that - unless you're all over the set-up of every single thing like a rash - we're feeding free information to companies about kids' online behaviour by using devices.

We got my DS an Amazon Fire tablet for his 2nd birthday in July. He gets about 10-15 minutes on it in the morning and then again after dinner on an evening - not every day though. He plays games about shapes, colours, numbers, letters, jigsaws, cause & effect as well as watching action rhymes on YouTube. He also constantly plays with an array of toys, puzzles and books.
DS can count to 15 independently, accurately name colours of objects, can say words that begin with each letter of the alphabet, can form sentences of 7/8 words, can sing a variety of nursery rhymes and can read several books from memory that we’ve read together.
I genuinely think a balance of actual toys and books alongside the games on the tablet have helped his development enormously.
As an ex-primary school teacher, I wouldn’t have ever thought I would encourage a 2 year old to use a tablet but with careful use it can be an amazing tool to help a child’s development. A tablet used as a babysitter however, never acceptable.

We were given an iPad from a family member so allowed him to have one earlier than planned. DS is 2.5years old and uses it but in moderation. As PP’s have said most people on here will disagree strongly against the use of them but I believe in moderation why not. It’s no different to sitting them in front of a telly. We fully set up the iPad with parental controls etc. We mainly put it on of an evening when DS is getting tired etc at a time when we used to put the telly on. Since using the iPad he has come on a long way with nursery rhymes and songs etc and I do believe he has learnt more speech as a result but I know some people will disagree with this but you have to do what you think is best for you and your little one!

To be fair it's literally been proven that children who use iPads have more precise and advanced fine motor skills than ones who don't

A family friend insisted on buying my DS an Amazon Fire tablet last Christmas, when he’s just turned 2. It got shoved in a drawer for a while, however we dug it out during lockdown during some very long days where we felt like we had exhausted most play options around the house and garden and couldn’t go anywhere else.

I’ve got to say, we found a couple of really good apps for him. Games with colours, numbers, sorting by size/shape/category etc. He was doing some quite complex things that I hadn’t realised he was capable of and it seemed good practice for his fine motor skills.

Personally, it felt a good alternative to tv because at least it was interactive rather than zombie screen staring.

He played with it for 20 min stints, a few times a week during lockdown. Since lockdown, it’s been all but forgetten about. It’s been pulled out for the odd long car journey home at the end of a day trip, to help keep tired toddler calm. I can’t remember the last time we used it in the house. So I don’t think it’s a “slippery slope” or no way back if you introduce one. Like any screen, the adult has control over it.

Personally, I wouldn’t have bought him one myself but having been given one, it’s changed my view and I think it can have a place. As long as it’s managed time and carefully chosen apps, and the child is obviously doing all the normal socialising, playing and learning, I think a few sessions here and there on a tablet can be harmless and potentially even positive.

@FizzingWhizzbee123 Thank you. Are there any particular apps you recommend?

Considering Bill Gates has said his kids were raised device free - not much!

I know it’s a handy tool to keep them occupied but they really don’t need to be ok then at all

I bought my 3yo one for long journeys. She cracked the screen so my dad bought her a new one (without asking) so cracked one day went to my younger one who is 2. He watches paw patrol and plays a few games. Tbh they are both on it a bit too much but they wake early so I doze for an hour and it gives me time to make tea.

I did some research on this, and tablet screen time is not passive like TV time. I bet a lot of those saying no way have allowed their two year old occasional TV. Mine really liked a shape sorter app from a young toddler, and the Duplo apps, and a counting game. At 7 and 4 they still don't have their own tablets yet, and rarely ask to use the family one, so it's not necessarily a slippery slope.

Having said that, a family member got their child a Kindle Fire for their first birthday present and that made me really sad. Occasional use of a shared one is absolutely fine, and better than TV.

Alphablocks and Numberblocks are good apps too, and Starfall.