iphone app for 1yr old - yes/no?!

TKD SC

Hi All,

Just wondering what the opinion out there is on iphone apps, for a one year old?
My initial reaction was no way! But, now not 100% sure. If it was limited, and I mean very limited (eg in a car, on a flight type thing), is it ok? And if so, any recommendations? Something like Sesame street, where it's a bit educational and fun (and not a head wreck for the adults too!)...

Any thoughts much appreciated...

Thanks

Simon

annamcmahon

I don't really have an opinion about whether it's appropriate or not to download an app specifically for your child, that's really up to you. However I will warn you that if your child is anything like mine once you hand your phone over they will want it all the time. My husband let her play with his phone in the mornings while we got ready and now we can't leave our phones within her sight. She's 14months and knows how to unlock the touchscreen and has rang my dad 3 times in a week. She wants to play with it all the time. What seemed like a great easy distraction has become a pain in the bum as I can't even have it open near her or she's pulling at it.

implausible

It's no different than watching tv or playing with an interactive toy in my opinion. I have an Android phone and have Farm for Toddlers on it, my 22 month old presses the animal and it makes the noise - good for a few minutes every now and then and especially when he's getting whingy in the car (it's a 2 hour journey down home, he usually wakes for the last half hour.) I've also downloaded some episodes of Bob the Builder from Y*utube. At ten minutes each, they're perfect for distraction and for giving mammy a few minutes shut-eye in the evenings.

This is the technology they will be using in schools before long. Like everything else, as long as it's in moderation.

Quirkygirl

Aggggghhhhhh parents please, this is not not not good! Yes it is the technology they will be using in the future, but leave it in the future. I am parent to a 3 year old daughter and my husband downloaded games from app store with blocks etc, farm animals I wasnt thrilled but yes at times it was great. However recently I have read some really frightening studies about radiation and under no circumstances should we be giving our little ones phones to play with, The radiation form phones is very dangerous to all esp children. Another issue is the overuse of these games, Children should be allowed to develop ways to sooth and entertain themselves,without needing phones/ computer games etc.What about reading a book, playing a puzzle, colouring a picture. I carry a few little things like this everywhere I go. games are very one dimensional and they do limit kids language development.

implausible

Quirkygirl wrote: »

Aggggghhhhhh parents please, this is not not not good! Yes it is the technology they will be using in the future, but leave it in the future. I am parent to a 3 year old daughter and my husband downloaded games from app store with blocks etc, farm animals I wasnt thrilled but yes at times it was great. However recently I have read some really frightening studies about radiation and under no circumstances should we be giving our little ones phones to play with, The radiation form phones is very dangerous to all esp children. Another issue is the overuse of these games, Children should be allowed to develop ways to sooth and entertain themselves,without needing phones/ computer games etc.What about reading a book, playing a puzzle, colouring a picture. I carry a few little things like this everywhere I go. games are very one dimensional and they do limit kids language development.

Overuse? I mentioned that little fella watches Bob the Builder for 10 minutes on my phone. He would have to be physically glued to the phone for it to affect him. Radiation problems (if they exist) are associated with holding a phone up to your head for long periods of time. Can you post links to those studies, because I'd be really interested in reading them? If it's more than scaremongering, I'll certainly take it on board.

The other issue is that it's not either/or. Don't assume that a parent who lets their child use a phone/tablet is not providing other sources of play! My fella absolutely loves books, blocks and other toys and spends the vast majority of his time standing around a farm table with animals and tractors. My phone is simply another toy to him, which is damn useful when I need 10 minutes:D

It's like everything else with small kids - moderation and regular changes in activity.

SarahC11

If it keeps them quite for a while then go for it!!

Hannibal Smith

would a 1 year old be entertained by something like that? I'm just trying to remember when my son was that age and I don't think he'd sit still long enough for the thing to load! But it would have been great. For example, when I was in the queue to register my second one, a couple came in with their baby and what looked like a 2 year old girl. The queue was extremely long and the dad handed the 2 year old a smart phone and she happily sat watching something. I don't know what it was, but I thought it was a genius idea!

Most people know trying to get a child to sit still in a queue is near impossible, if not unfair on the child, no matter how many books/toys or whatever you bring with you. So something to hold their attention would be great.

shot2go

my 2 year old loves my htc, he is not a iphone fan!
i find it fantastic when you have a child who has alot off medical appointments/physio/ot it helps keep him calm and entertained! i have jigsaw apps, talking apps with cars/animals. he loves talking tom and has downloaded a few off his friends himself. a list off kiddie friendly apps would be great!

Love2love

I got my phone bill last week and it was about 50euro more than usual so I queried it and as it happens my 20 month old daughter was signing me up for premium services that were advertised at the bottom of these apps.

cbyrd

My nephew at 2.5 was able to put on his own little games on his dad's laptop from the desktop. Technology aside... how is looking at a small screen any different from looking at a bigger one? My now 2 year old only started watching tv in the last 3 months.. not because i didn't want him to but because he enjoyed me reading to him more.. the thing i notice since he started watching tv... his speech has come on in leaps and bounds..'oh toodles' being the big one closely followed by piggy george and monkey george plus i can get things done when its raining outside ... or when i'm just to tired to entertain.;)

Anything that will entertain them instead of the stress for both of trying to keep a small child quiet is genius in my book

implausible

Love2love wrote: »

I got my phone bill last week and it was about 50euro more than usual so I queried it and as it happens my 20 month old daughter was signing me up for premium services that were advertised at the bottom of these apps.

That's one of the downsides, the other being if it rings when they're playing with it! I'm pretty sure you can disable being able to sign up for things in your settings.

CarMe

I don't see any harm in moderation at all! My little one is only 9 months and want to hold off tv etc as late as i can but i can definitely see how it'd be handy and if chosen well, educational. The only thing is, she already loves my phone to chew on, scratch at, rub etc so id be worried that like someone else said that it wouldn't be left alone. Will be interesting to see those links though.

irishmanmick

I downloaded Cúla Caint (it's a irish langauge app form TG4) and I show our 14 month old daughter the pictures of the animals / objects and then I say them in english and Irish. Hoping she will eventually pick some of the Irish words up (its certainly sticking wth me!). The animals make their sound as well and she just looks at me and giggles when we are going through them.

I think if used in the right way they can be very good, educational and fun.

They will bounce your iPhone off the floor if she gets a chance tho!

Quirkygirl

Folks please do check out the latest info and studies from the world health organisation in relation to
Children and smart phone use. To the parent allowing the child chew on mobile at 9 months old????

Also the tv thing my daughter did learn a lot from watching mickey mouse clubhouse and speech came on great. I allowed one episode a day so 25 mins, studies are now saying for under twos no tv is recommended and under 10s 30 mins a day. Tv is again just one element of stimulation and children develop better when their imagination is given a chance to develop itself, this is achieved through stimulative play, not tv or games.


downloaded Cúla Caint (it's a irish langauge app form TG4) and I show our 14 month old daughter the pictures of the animals / objects and then I say them in english and Irish. Hoping she will eventually pick some of the Irish words up (its certainly sticking wth me!). The animals make their sound as well and she just looks at me and giggles when we are going through them.

I think if used in the right way they can be very good, educational and fun.

They will bounce your iPhone off the floor if she gets a chance tho![/Quote]

LegacyUser

These apps are great.

Our son (2yrs 9mths) this Christmas got his own kids tablet. Beofre Christmas he could read 20 -30 words and sound out the ones he didnt know. He plays reading games, find the number games, colouring and uses an interactive map to show me where are our friends are in the world... he loves it.

We limit him to 1 hour a day (if even) and use in the car. We also have a baby so when we are feeding the baby on trips he can hae it then as a "treat" for being a good boy while Mammy is feeding the baby.

Since Chrsitmas, he can count from 20 - 50 (before only knoew 1 - 10), knows the names and can find many counteries on the map and can read at least another 30 words. The tablet was only cheap but a great buy.... go for it!

CarMe

Quirkygirl wrote: »

Folks please do check out the latest info and studies from the world health organisation in relation to
Children and smart phone use. To the parent allowing the child chew on mobile at 9 months old????

Also the tv thing my daughter did learn a lot from watching mickey mouse clubhouse and speech came on great. I allowed one episode a day so 25 mins, studies are now saying for under twos no tv is recommended and under 10s 30 mins a day. Tv is again just one element of stimulation and children develop better when their imagination is given a chance to develop itself, this is achieved through stimulative play, not tv or games.


downloaded Cúla Caint (it's a irish langauge app form TG4) and I show our 14 month old daughter the pictures of the animals / objects and then I say them in english and Irish. Hoping she will eventually pick some of the Irish words up (its certainly sticking wth me!). The animals make their sound as well and she just looks at me and giggles when we are going through them.

I think if used in the right way they can be very good, educational and fun.

They will bounce your iPhone off the floor if she gets a chance tho!

[/Quote]
Could you show me where i said i ALLOW her to chew on it please? When she gets her hands on it she will chew it, same goes for everything at nine months!

lonestargirl

Quirkygirl wrote: »

Folks please do check out the latest info and studies from the world health organisation in relation to
Children and smart phone use.

This is the WHO factsheet on mobile phones. It includes this sentance

A large number of studies have been performed over the last two decades to assess whether mobile phones pose a potential health risk. To date, no adverse health effects have been established as being caused by mobile phone use.

I work in radiation physics and I have no qualms about letting my son have my phone.

I don't have apps for my 14 month old. However he loves The Bare Necessities and I play the video from YouTube on my phone for him which he loves. It's great if you need to distract him for a minute or two. He also now picks up any phone he sees lying around, brings it up to his ear and says 'hiya dada' :-)

Rosy Posy

I think its worth looking at the bigger picture with this one. Sure, an app might occupy your child and keep them out of mischief in a situation where they might otherwise act up but is it not raising the bar for their expectation of constant entertainment. Already kids are so used to instant gratification and they will never learn to wait and behave themselves if they are constantly anesthetised by technology. Once they get a taste for it, especially at this young an age, they will be demanding it constantly and imho it inhibits their natural curiosity and ability to play. I have worked with preschool kids and you can easily tell the ones who have a lot of tv and gaming because they don't have the same scope of imagination. Also, I think that its a crutch for parents who come to rely on devices rather than developing their own coping strategies. Just my opinion...

dublinlady

Rosy Posy wrote: »

I think its worth looking at the bigger picture with this one. Sure, an app might occupy your child and keep them out of mischief in a situation where they might otherwise act up but is it not raising the bar for their expectation of constant entertainment. Already kids are so used to instant gratification and they will never learn to wait and behave themselves if they are constantly anesthetised by technology. Once they get a taste for it, especially at this young an age, they will be demanding it constantly and imho it inhibits their natural curiosity and ability to play. I have worked with preschool kids and you can easily tell the ones who have a lot of tv and gaming because they don't have the same scope of imagination. Also, I think that its a crutch for parents who come to rely on devices rather than developing their own coping strategies. Just my opinion...

I can't decide my opinion on this so am firmly on the fence!
But... Surely they have to be creative and use their brain to figure out a game or puzzle and how to play it on a phone just as much as they would with one made from cardboard? Same process?

How Strange

Yep I'm kind of on the fence myself. Our son is almost 14 months and has rarely watched tv and has no interest in it which I'm very happy about. I've shown him some muppet show songs on you tube on my iPhone and he's intrigued and dances to the music.

I think a little is fine really. Technology is part of life so we can't ignore it however I also think its important to let them play with non battery operated or technological toys. I think the most important thing is to give them plenty of time to stimulate their imaginations. If thats s the case a very short limited time using apps or watching appropriate tv shows should be ok but not everyday.

Incidentally I read just before Christmas that wooden toys are the best toys for babies, toddlers and young children as they stimulate their imagination and they're more tactile than plastic toys.

Rosy Posy

dublinlady wrote: »

I can't decide my opinion on this so am firmly on the fence!
But... Surely they have to be creative and use their brain to figure out a game or puzzle and how to play it on a phone just as much as they would with one made from cardboard? Same process?

I don't believe it is the same process, although I'm aware that I'm in the minority. The connection between the child and the device is distal- unlike manipulating a real world toy which can have unlimited possibilities, the game has a limited range of functions which the child controls using minimal body movement. In order to play they are required to enter a virtual world, which, when you add in the flashy lights and sounds of the game is akin to hypnotism...which is why its popular with parents who want their kids to sit still and shut up. I'd qualify this by saying that I wouldn't be a fan of toys that are so finished that they can only be played with in a finite way, especially for younger children. This is just our family though and I know that it is not the norm.

Rosy Posy

How Strange wrote: »

Incidentally I read just before Christmas that wooden toys are the best toys for babies, toddlers and young children as they stimulate their imagination and they're more tactile than plastic toys.

They also break less easily. If they do break they are easier (possible) to fix, and if not you don't have to worry about them clogging up landfill.

How Strange

Rosy Posy wrote: »

They also break less easily. If they do break they are easier (possible) to fix, and if not you don't have to worry about them clogging up landfill.

That too!

CarMe

Hmmm I've actually gone from on the fence/for apps, to definitely against them after thinking about it.
Im only 24 but remembering my child hood there was SO much imagination! Cousins of mine who were always let watch tv and had a video recorder etc were like zombies when the telly was on, no matter what was on. I also know a little fella about seven years old and my heart breaks for how he solely relys on a ds for all his entertainment. I asked him before about girls in his class and he started talking about princess peach
Me and my mam used to play this imagining game when i was little and we had no money, we'd close our eyes and imagine all sorts of things like days at a beach and telling each other who was there and the second she mentioned something, eg a beachball, there is was in my head so vividly. I don't think that "game" would have lasted five seconds if i had been used to video games, lots of tv etc
I swore when i was pregnant that my little one would never have all those kinds of things and wanted her to be active and imaginative but the reality will probably differ slightly but Im glad i remembered my own views!

Quirkygirl

Come on CarMe, as parents we are responsible for all the things are kiddies get into, so I keep dangerous things-like phones away from my baby, and definitely don't allow them to chew on it. Keep the phone well away from baby - check out the world health org website for risks of mobiles and babies- the main issue being that mobiles release radiation when searching for a signal and babies skulls are very thin and so they are at major risk.

CarMe

Quirkygirl wrote: »

Come on CarMe, as parents we are responsible for all the things are kiddies get into, so I keep dangerous things-like phones away from my baby, and definitely don't allow them to chew on it. Keep the phone well away from baby - check out the world health org website for risks of mobiles and babies- the main issue being that mobiles release radiation when searching for a signal and babies skulls are very thin and so they are at major risk.

Im sorry what are you actually talking about?? A comment i made about my child chewing my phone when she gets her hands on it? How has that turned into her being "allowed" to chew on phones?
She has picked up all sorts of things in the home that are not for babies, remote control, my handbag, books, dvd case. I then take said object off her.
I don't keep my daughter in a pen all day.

Quirkygirl

Firstly I think Rosy Posy has an even better point, that kids need to be encouraged to play with other types of toys primarily before been given mobiles at such a young age. But in relation to posters about the who- they are saying that studies are ongoing, for me if there is any health risk, I will try to protect my child if I can. I do realise that we are constantly being exposed through wifi etc,

Stewart Report as posted on www.who.int

‘If there are currently unrecognized adverse health effects from the use of mobile phones, children may be more vulnerable because of their developing nervous system,
the greater absorption of energy in the tissues of the head, and a longer lifetime of exposure. In line with our precautionary approach, we believe that the widespread
use of mobile phones by children should be discouraged. We also recommend that the mobile phone industry should refrain from promoting the use of mobile phones by children.’

Quirkygirl

if you are not stopping her before it happens you are allowing it surely? she is a child. my point was that I keep dangerous things out of reach of my children. This is not a personal attack just my opinion. I wouldnt leave anything dangerous in reach of my kids. I think you are getting caught up in the wording here.

CarMe

Oh don't be ridiculous, it's a phone and the only information Im finding on the matter from the world health organisation is the same as lonestargirl posted above.
To say that i allow my child to have dangerous things because i will leave my phone on the sofa is insulting and taken totally out of context of my original post.

cbyrd

I imagine there's a healthy balance for both interactive and passive play.. after all i did watch tv as a child and went on to play games with my siblings based on what i'd watched. There are studies (will try to find them) that support computer play for children developing cognitive skills and problem solving skills... imagination is a wonderful tool.. but kids can get fed up with make believe too...
In later teen years i think it is important for parents to recognise the age appropriateness of more violent games..
There's a lot of interactive teaching done in schools now.. my 13 year old is on a laptop.. no books.. but far from being a harder (physically) way to learn, it actually more fun and imaginative way for her to learn.. lots of youtube examples of music styles in music class..

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2009/feb/12/computer-games-eu-study

pwurple

Our one year old has 7 apps on my ipad. Uses them for abt 10 mins twice a day. It is amazing to me how much she has learnt from them.

She can swipe the screen, choose buttons, play games, knows some irish. (can point to Ulcabhain , bo, or muc) I should put up a vid, it is a real testament to the designers of these things that a baby can use them. I second the recommendation of Cula Caint. Very interactive, nice amount of irish.

There is no comparison with tv. Her cousins the same age are like zombies in front of the telly. The apps are interactive, she talks to them, draws(kinda?) pictures, sings songs and dances around to music. Totally totally different.

She has:
cula caint - irish words spoken when animal touched. Lovely pics, and the voice recordings are young kids. Has a drawing page.

Alphababy - letters and shapes are thrown around a screen and bnce when she swipes. She thinks this is hilarious, and she bats them about a good bit. you record your own voice if you want it to say the letters and shapes.

Chinese baby school. This is good fun. Has a drum kit and 3 pianos she can play on. Also some mandarin words with english translation.

Baby play face. This one isn't great. You point to parts of a childs face and it tells you the part. Eyes, ears etc. you can pick from 12 languages. It is a bit boring.

ICDL. This is a specific childrens book library. You download picture books, or books by age. This was handy on airplane or train for something to read to her when we couldn't haul on our own.

My horse. It is a horse that you feed and rub its nose. More to it for older kids, but for now all she does is chase it around the screen with her fingers and feed it.

Gina giraffe. One of those annoying talking animal apps, but she laughs at it, does the clap handies game, dances to the music. it repeats everything she says, which she finds funny.


There is one other one i use, called just dance autodance, which takes a few 5 sec vid clips of you, or baby doing a dance move and then mixes them and Plays it back to music. Bit of fun for us dancing about the house! Whee!

Sparks

Quirkygirl wrote: »

if you are not stopping her before it happens you are allowing it surely? she is a child. my point was that I keep dangerous things out of reach of my children. This is not a personal attack just my opinion. I wouldnt leave anything dangerous in reach of my kids. I think you are getting caught up in the wording here.

There are about forty years of studies into non-ionising radiation (the kind electronic devices emit) and so far there's been nothing from any of them that proves there's any kind of harm caused to humans by using them. Your child is living in a house which presumably is wired for mains electricity; which means you're already exposed to higher than normal amounts of background electromagnetic radiation. Especially if you have transformers or a sub-station nearby. And you keep the phone on you when near her, presumably, so she's still as exposed as she would be to the phone anyway.

I can grok being cautious; but when there are decade of research showing no harmful effects, you don't really have any good reason to worry about health issues; and there are beneficial effects to more interactive forms of play than passive consumption of TV programming. Granted, I happen to think that physical toys like lego and wooden blocks and blackboards and chalk are all better than iPhones and iPads for kids, but worrying about EM radiation from your phone harming your child when decades of study show it won't, is a good example of poor risk assessment.

implausible

I really don't see why it has to be so black and white. As I've said repeatedly - MODERATION!

10 minutes of play on my HTC does not cancel out the hour he has spent outside, the whole afternoon playing with his farm animals or all of the interaction he gets from the adults in his life. People seem to think that you either ban everything - tv, apps, noisy toys - or allow them to sit like zombies in front of a tv all day, every day. My smartphone is not heroin, neither is the white buttons he gets once in a blue moon, the episode of Peppa Pig or the odd biscuit. He is exposed to all of these things, enjoys them and then carries on playing with the rest of the toys.

There is a suggestion running through some of the posts here that parents, who allow their kids to interact with technology, lack the cop-on to stimulate their kids with real games and toys. This is insulting, condescending and untrue.

lonestargirl

For those who want to read more about the science behind radiation Sense about Science have a good leaflet aimed at the general public.

I actually think there have been many sensible answers in this thread. The upshot is there are things that are suitable for our children to watch and there things that aren't - these range from television programs to internet sites to iPhone apps. As parents it is our job to supervise and regulate what our children look at. This extends to 'old media' also, at the weekend I was visiting my cousins and the 9 year old boy showed me the book he was reading, the use of language was poor and the grammer appalling.