How old were your kids when you got them a tablet/iPad?

[RachBakesCakes]

The advice is conflicting so wanted to hear from parents

Eldest DS was about 7 or 8.
Youngest DS - possibly before he was even born🤣

We got DS a table at 3.5 because we were going on holiday and I wanted him to be able to watch cartoons on the plane. (We don’t own one otherwise so that wasn’t an option.) He’s had it 6 months and I think I’ve only seen it about ten times. Just not interested. It’s a kids Amazon one.

It’s been a lifesaver for when he needs some downtime while dropping his nap and when I’ve been having to feed the baby. It will often then go back in a drawer and be forgotten about for days or weeks at a time.

On MN most people seem to be completely aghast at three year olds having a tablet, but most mums of three year olds I know in real life have one.

Yup yup to both of this @Springbaby2023

I think tablet use is about opportunity cost. If it’s a sunny day and the paddling pool is filled up in the garden, and they’re stuck inside on a tablet, that’s not good. If they’re on an aeroplane, as per my earlier example, there’s not a lot of opportunity for them to be doing much else.

Mine have had them since before they were 2 for travelling. The 6YO is allowed 30 minutes of it a day before bed, unless she does something naughty 😂 The 2.5YO isn’t allowed it at all unless we’re on a plane or a car journey longer than 3 hours. I’m pretty lax with the TV but they’ll happily play and interact with it on in the background. The iPad sends them into some sort of trance where they become completely unaware of their surroundings which is exactly what you want on a long haul flight but pretty disturbing when it’s a regular thing.

On MN most people seem to be completely aghast at three year olds having a tablet, but most mums of three year olds I know in real life have one

Im sorry to say I am one of the mums who are ‘aghast’, or rather a bit 😐 to see a 3 year old with a tablet. I have a 4 year old and a 5 month old, I know juggling a toddler or small child with a baby isn’t easy, but I really don’t think a tablet is the answer. We have CBeebies in our house for those moments, and I know a lot of people will say ‘well what’s the difference, it’s all screen time’ but I disagree. Tablets rely on user feedback, which excites the brain far more than a bit of Sarah and Duck or Bluey. They’re far more addictive and have been proven to heighten ADHD symptoms in children. I knew if I bought one for ‘occasional use’ it could well tip into ‘whenever I want a quiet moment’ which is most days, so I just haven’t bought one.

I bought a amazon fire partly for us to use in general but mostly for my 3 year old. He doesn't have unlimited access to it. At home he very rarely uses it but we have it for long car journeys and if we're away he is allowed to atch some TV shows on it.

Family tablet until 9, lockdown came and had to get a dedicated android for schc

...school work. I don't know how I hit send on the previous post. Apologies!

Mine has had one since he was 1. It gets used for when I'm making dinner, need 10 minutes of peace🙈We go out most days to the park so he's not sat on it for hours.

I've been trying to put off getting a tablet for my children for as long as possible however my three year old had surgery a couple of months ago and if was suggested we take a tablet in to keep him entertained for his hospital stay. I bought myself one (been wanting one for a while now) and the children (5yrs, 3yrs and 1yrs - youngest hasn't played on it) know they are allowed to go on it for a little while as a treat every now and then. They don't use it every day

I'm inclined to agree. Aeroplane use I understand but otherwise I just think it wrecks your concentration. Our children (2 and 4) can manage a 4-5 hour car journey pretty well without them but I worry as soon as I introduced a tablet yo keep them occupied for long journeys they'd want it every time.

Like @Springbaby2023 we bought kids tablets when they were 3 for long haul travel, upgraded to iPads at 5yo because the kids tablets (Amazon?) were rubbish. They are now 6 and have pretty limited use - homework last year was about 10 mins a day, and then they are allowed to use them after chores are done. In practice they spend about an hour of free iPad time a week during term time, and 2-3 hours / week during summer. Mostly spent on pre-approved educational games (math, phonics/reading or coding) or watching Netflix kids videos. They don’t otherwise watch tv - maybe a bit of sport if dh watching, and maybe a movie once every couple of months.

I think if they had unfettered access it would be a problem - when they were 4 they were much more obsessed with watching tv, in part because it was part of the daily routine (necessary down time for many reasons in the afternoon). We eliminated tv on school days, and since doing so they have moved on and largely forgotten that it is an option.

I don’t think having their own tablet is inherently problematic, but heavy use throughout childhood (whether using their own device or a family one) is. At the moment I can totally control what they do and see on their iPads. I do think there will be a new set of issues when they are old enough to engage in social media and/or work around parental controls, but that is an issue a couple years down the road for us.

My daughters been using one since she was 2. She’s getting her own refurbished iPad for Christmas.

The family iPad been great for keeping her entertained in restaurants. Now she’s older she loves the sense of control she gets from being able to navigate YouTube Kids compared to asking mum and dad to change tv programs.

Shes a very sociable child and has always preferred playing with her parents/playing with other children to using a device.

Phone Yr6 - reason was it felt helpful with the walk to school and back

Ipad Yr 5 - felt helpful for school learning in lockdown.

Not allowed in bedroom. Apps turn off automatically at 8pm. Also set a few ground rules about sharing info and signing up to stuff (we need to approve new apps etc).

I worried a bit - and still do tbh - about socials but used it to encourage sharing/talking about these things etc. There are lots of positives. Keeping in contact with friends etc.

Given that it seems like a bit of a necessary step at some point, on balance I think it works pretty well and doesn't cause too many problems....so far ....

Tricky one ....

18 months. She's now 5 and really not fussed on it, it's usually not charged. It's mostly used when flying as she still prefers to potter and play - I'm sure this'll change when she's older. For now, it's an absolute lifesaver when we're travelling.

Mine were 1.5 when they got their own iPads.
DD1 is 3.5 now and she uses it to watch movies in the car that we've downloaded, plays games, but is always supervised and for a set time.

DD2 plays a colouring game on hers for no more than 15 mins at a time.

More often that not, DD1 will put her iPad down and choose to go play outside or with toys before her time is up

Same. I hate seeing little kids on tablets.

I got my eldest now 13 a kids kindle for his 5th birthday as i was fed up of him using my on planes/trains etc to play games (educational ones)

Our youngest is getting one for his 4th birthday, he isn't overly interested as mine has been available to him so its not a special thing but mine has now died and it makes sense to replace it for him as we have a couple of long journeys coming up. Plus we are away for his birthday and i need a present i can pack

7/2. Used while travelling mostly. Not kids who use them lots or ask for them lots. More to help us by keeping them quiet on a plane or on the 15th meal of holiday for an hour so we can sit with a dessert and a view.

That’s good for you but for others it obviously works and doesn’t cause that negative effect. Our three-year-old can go weeks without picking it up, in the same way he can other toys. He doesn’t tantrum when we turn it off. I don’t pull it out every time I want some peace and quiet, just those moments where I’m at breaking point. In the same way that I also save other special toys for holidays/ moments when I need him to entertain himself.

The thing is though, learning how to behave in moments that are boring such as waiting for food to arrive, in queues etc is a life skill. If DC get bored and play up in restaurants I take them for a walk around, go outside with them, get out a book etc. Or we chat or play eye spy.

I worry that tablets fill up the boring bits of life and teach kids that boredom is something they shouldn't have to tolerate.

Also, they basically just watch Disney+ or kids films
on Prime

You don’t have to use them for car journeys. Ours has never been in the car. It’s not an all or nothing thing, you are the parent so you can still set the boundaries around it.

DD is 6 and just starting to use the tablet now and again, after school kept sending things home about maths apps and we went to parties where other kids were on tablets.

You can't really keep younger siblings off it though, and it often causes arguments when it comes to putting it away. They go a bit glazed-eyed over it. I know it's fun to do games but I prefer them to watch tv for screen time.

My son got an iPad at 5, I believe.

He had a Kindle Fire before that but it was shit so he hardly used it.

He will get a phone when he starts secondary school.