TV and tablets?

[Skadiver13]

I'm pretty Anti-TV, for liam anyway  . And he's not very interested in it thank goodness, but it would be nice if i could put a cute age appropriate DVD like chicka chicka boom or something like that to give me 10min to say take out the garbage, wash dishes etc. He can play on his own very nicely but the issue is keeping him occupied as he gets bored pretty easy. He's got lots of toys both interactive and old school but tv just doesn't interest him.  I'm very hesitant to give him my Kindle because we are just not that kind of household. I grew up with no gaming systems or anything and while I don't want that for Liam ether I don't want him to be the odd duck in school etc. It seems like everyone one from birth these days knows how to use a tablet device. And while he's fascinated with mine I am really hesitant to use it for "babysitting" if that makes sense?

Some say there are great things for lo's to do on them but at what age is too soon? I think he's too young. Thoughts?

What are some things/activities I can do for him to keep him occupied? He likes pots/pans etc. I've given him ziplock bags filled with different textures, sand, pasta etc.  Is he old enough to use markers or crayons? (he's 12.5months)

[skatty]

I think our kids are growing up in a different age to us and by the time he starts school he may well be expected to be able to have basic computer skills as well as the usual stuff like counting to 10! I know here in Denmark the kids don't start until most are 6 years and they have a maths lesson every week on the computer, I've even heard of schools where every child has an Ipad  However I think 1 is pretty young, there is a big world to explore before learning the fun of screens! My dd got a child hand held device when she was 3ish, she loved it but she never used it in the house, it was for long journeys etc. She started playing educational games on the laptop at 5. As a toddler she would watch some TV whilst playing if I needed to do something or just needed a break! We had dvds with shorts shows like Maisy Mouse, Postman Pat and Fifi the Flowertot, even today she will never just watch TV, she is always doing at least 3 things at any one time but it did help. Crayons are ok but only if you are ok with having everything you own drawn on 

[Skadiver13]

Well I guess I'm looking for age appropriate things for him to do. I have no interest in letting him use my kindle right now so that's ok if he uses it later like 4 ish.

[MasynSpencerElliotte]

I've even heard of schools where every child has an Ipad 

There is a school in a town a few minutes from us that is on a mission to do just that! Very small school though - like 50-75 kids at most.

I agree that one is a little young for handheld electronics but we did have a lot of short DVD's at that age (mostly Baby Einstein as they really kept their attention when I needed to do something - Masyn, who is almost 7 still watches those sometimes!!!) We have 2 Leappads, but they are mainly for going places to use in the van as a distraction or while waiting for an appointment.  The only time they use them at home is to use the camera/video camera and film me when I don't know about it!

[skatty]

I forgot about Baby Einstein, my dd was crazy for the animal ones especially neighbourhood animals and to be precise the dog who eats the biscuit that was balanced on his nose, ahh I can still hear her giggles  When my dd was that age she loved looking through peoples' bags so I would fill some up with bits and pieces and leave them around and she used to be in her element, the stuff wouldn't have been so interesting if I had handed them to her!

[twogirlsmommy]

We use the baby Einstein videos a lot her and we LOVE them.  DD1 is now almost 4 and just got interested in the computer and she only uses 1 sight and that's Starfall.com.  She does watch tv (more then I would like) but only b/c now with the new 1 I NEED to know where she is and even then like Kat's dd she is never just sitting lol.

[speechie]

Well I guess I'm looking for age appropriate things for him to do.

hmmm...when I needed 10 mins when Nick was that age I gave him a bowl of dry rice/lentils, etc, and scoops and bowls to play with. just put down a towel under him and cleaned up spills.
Also, put him in his highchair at the table, and gave him a cookie sheet with shaving cream on it and showed him how to 'finger paint'...
Outside I gave him a little broom and had him sweep or rake.
a bucket with a little water and a paint brush- had him paint the deck.
any kind of busy work did it for me... for about 10 mins, then he was DONE.

[deb]

There is research suggesting that too much screen time vs hands-on activities can affect brain development less than positively. Kids aren't getting real actual sensory input, aren't seeing what happens in terms of action-reaction, especially aren't getting lots of tactile and motion input, which is how especially younger kids are hard-wired to learn.

I'm with Cathie: beans/lentils/rice/water in different-sized cups or bins; sandbox; water tub; crayons/markers/paints; noisy toys and musical instruments; board books to manipulate. The sky is the limit!

I did let Josie sit on my lap when she was 2-3YO, and Nat in her turn, and "type" on the computer,and I printed out some of their great works of "literature" for them to hang on the walls, and Josie especially with her love of words was always asking me to spell words till she got the hang of it, and I showed her shortcuts as the opportunity arose; neither girl went to school computer-deprived at all. I'd say that 95% of their screen time, and much of their TV time (what there was of it), was interactive, with one or both parents there, same as we would have been playing with Legos or a marble run or whatever. Even now my kids don't have their own Kindle or tablet or cell phones (many of J's classmates do), and they don't play with my smartphone because, well, I don't have one. J will end up with her own computer when she starts middle school next year, as she's enrolled in a special program that's very media-heavy and will need it for homework (our current computer probably won't be able to handle the load! LOL), and she'll probably get a pre-paid cell phone then too - but she's 11-1/2 now.

[creations]

Did you look on the activity board?  There are lots of ideas for play of all sorts and a sticky on encouraging independent play
Cycle of Activity-Help Build Independent Playtime

I do allow TV and DVDs and sometimes short kids film clips on you tube on the lap top.  The TV stuff though is so different from when I was a kid which was mainly cartoons and mind numbing stuff, these days on cbeebies channel it is almost all educational and inspiring. If he sees even part of 'MR Maker' he wants to go make something or stick something, when 'I can Cook' comes on he is inspired to cook, He loves to count and has been able to read numbers for a long time thanks to 'number jacks' and 'numtums' shows (plus of course we count everything we do all day), reading the alphabet for a long time too, thanks to 'alphablocks' (and of course we read a lot together).  So although I totally agree that screens are better limited and monitored I also think the right programmes are fun, educational and inspiring (I'm not talking constant TV all day and ignore him).  Many of the programmes are only 5 or 10 mins long too so through the day we can dip in and out, DS uses it as a chill out time after play group or a lot of physical activity and when his energy returns he moves on to toys - or runs to me saying he needs to make a dragonfly out of a plastic bottle

[Skadiver13]

Thank so much. Yeah, liam has no interest in TV at all. Maybe it's an age thing but he just has no desire to sit in front and watch. I've put some cartoon ones on, some educational ones etc. and he just watches for about 1 minute and that's it and he's off. He's pretty good at independent play I just know he's getting bored so I'd like some strutctured activity if that makes sense. The shaving cream sounds like fun except him putting it in his mouth?

There is research suggesting that too much screen time vs hands-on activities can affect brain development less than positively. Kids aren't getting real actual sensory input, aren't seeing what happens in terms of action-reaction, especially aren't getting lots of tactile and motion input, which is how especially younger kids are hard-wired to learn.

^ This...

My nephew didn't get a cell till he was 11 and even then it was his fathers old phone and they had it programmed that he could only call his parents and grandparents and me/DH. He was allowed to text only friend that also had the same cell carrier. It was not a smart phone. But then he did get a kindle for xmas from his mother. MY brother (they are divorced) was less than thrilled.

[MasynSpencerElliotte]

Yes, Masyn doesnt know it yet, but when i decide she is ready for a phone she wil be getting one of our old ones!  Not sure when to do that though as we have no home phone just cells.

[Lindsay27]

Baby.Einstein.  That is all.  LOL!

Kidding aside, the TV is turned off about 90% of the time, but if I need a few mins to put a load of laundry in, or even cooking dinner, I put Baby Einstein on and he's as happy as a clam.  He dances to the music, squeals when he sees the puppets, and really enjoys the movie in general.  I don't believe plopping your kid in front of a TV all day is appropriate (or good for development), but a Baby Einstein movie (which is age appropriate) here and there isn't hurting anyone

[Skadiver13]

Lindsay I agree totally, the crux of the issue which kind of got lost in the thread was that he doesn't sit in front of the TV he has no interest in it so I was just trying to find other things for him to do besides TV / Kindle. I wish sometimes he did so I could get 10 min.

[creations]

Siobhan did you look on the activity board?  I think really your post suits the other board better, what to do for A time, there are stacks of ideas there for all different ages and stages x

[and what's going on with the weird quote mix up?  That quote above says from me but it was deb's quote. Odd glitch perhaps]

[Skadiver13]

Hey I haven't, plan on it.

[Canadian_Mom]

Definitely good ideas on the stickies in the activity board that creations mentioned.

I just gave DS2 play dough to play with for the first time the other day which he played with for a good 5 minutes, which at this point is about all I can get out of DS2 for a focused activity. As well I brought out crayons and we "coloured" (he mainly just investigated the crayons) today for about the same 5 minute time span. There are alternatives to shaving cream for the fingerprinting (yogurt, pudding) but with your DS being MSPI they probably are just as good for his body as the shaving cream I know that I have been trying to think of some alternatives to use as I am not wasting some expensive coconut yogurt for a sensory experience, lol.

As for more sensory type activities DS2 enjoys a couple of ice cubes tossed in a glass baking dish (it is heavier so they are less temped to pick it up), also he sometimes will play with DS2's coloured rice bin. You can also put a large plastic compntainer with water on the floor on top of some towels and let him splash. But as I mentioned before you need to be realistic with your kid and their attention span. I know that DS1's seemed to be longer at this stage, but I find with DS2 if it is a very specific activity (e.g. The play dough) I can usually only get 5 minutes before his attention seems to wander...

(I know this is more for the activities board, but I was here, so I posted, lol).

[creations]

There are alternatives to shaving cream for the fingerprinting (yogurt, pudding) but with your DS being MSPI they probably are just as good for his body as the shaving cream I know that I have been trying to think of some alternatives to use as I am not wasting some expensive coconut yogurt for a sensory experience, lol.

It doesn't feel quite the same but nevertheless a lovely tactile finger painting, mark making type material is cornflour mixed with water.  It makes a wonderful gloop which appears solid and can be scraped with fingers or other safe tools and picked up like a solids which then immediately turns to liquid and dribbles through your fingers.  A moment later appears as a solid again.  I think most kids are safe with corn flour, it doesn't taste nice if they eat it but isn't going to harm them.  Some plastic spoons, little cups, toy rakes or just lolly sticks are great for drawing into it, scraping the solids and watching it liquefy and ooze back together.  Any bits that get on clothes or the floor will wash off or dust off if left to dry.  if LO sits in it though (like mine did) he will end up very wet and need a change of clothes, no big deal, as it is wetter than it appears.
The pudding idea is another, you can make some by just thickening their usual milk or formula or even just cook flour and water on the stove to make a white sauce without any flavour or sugar added.  Obviously let it cool before giving to LO!

[Skadiver13]

Thank you all for your ideas. Went looking for shaving cream but DH said he'd run out the day before. ARGH. So I tried to use panko breadcrumbs. He was not amused in the least just looked bored. LOL.. So I thought DH could try with pudding today but I like the cornmeal Idea will have to get some of that. And the ice idea is cool too.

[deb]

I know he's only a year, and Nat was maybe 18 months or so when this happened. My MIL is legally blind, always annoyed when she knocks over her water glasses, so we got her some brightly-colored plastic ones for Christmas one year. We hadn't gotten them washed and packed up yet and N was driving me mental wanting to participate in less-than-helpful (totally age-appropriate, mind you, but not with sharp knives! LOL) ways with supper prep. We had gotten glasses of different sizes, plus some plastic shot glasses to help Nat practice drinking water from cups, and I set her up on an old repurposed kitchen cabinet we kept in the kitchen to store coffee mugs in. A bunch of cups, a carafe of water to use, and part of an old shower curtain on top of the cabinet. She looks like a bartender, but this activity engaged her every day at supper for probably two weeks, at which point she began to lose interest and move on to play doh or some such, and we could actually send my MIL the cups!

[Skadiver13]

too cute

[deb]

too cute

Thanks! And you know what? She's still the same now at 8YO, only she can assemble her own raw materials, to both my delight and my trepidation (there can sometimes be resistance to cleaning up some of her massive projects, and it's hard to store them as they're all 3-D!).

But I'm so glad I had a Montessori background and a pool of ideas for her, as it has served us in good stead over the years.

Oh, a picture of what can happen with shaving cream if one isn't careful:

[Skadiver13]

HAHAHA that is totally going to be Liam, at least he likes his baths. See I'm not a creative type person. I so wish I was so I dont' think of good ideas for liam. I'm very active so we are always outside in the park, farmers market etc and he loves animals but when it comes to stuff to do indoors I'm at a loss.

[Khalam's Mama]

I will move this over too the activity board then where you may get more ideas.