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2 Year Old has iPhone (Does that make us bad parents?)
- Thread starter Exegesis48
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Again, I don't see a problem with this scenario.
Motivation is something that I seriously lacked as a child/adolescent.
funny, i was highly motivated by my parents and they just wanted the best for me. i'm trying to improve on that with my kids and i hope they do the same for theirs.
I don't pretend to be an expert in child development, but I think that technology at such a young age poses potential problems of overstimulation. An iPhone (or ipod touch/laptop/whatever) is so interactive and stimulating that you, perhaps, run the risk of not encouraging the child's imagination. Imaginative play, I think, can be very important to a young child.
I think it just comes down to monitoring time spent on the device. After I upgraded to iPhone 4, I passed down my 3Gs to my 2 1/2 & 5 year old. They love playing kids game, watching videos, using the drawing apps, etc. However, they are limited to a certain amount of time per day and any arguing/fighting over the device immediately results in it being put away.
Having your child using technology early is not a bad thing IMO, as long as you make sure they are doing other physical and mentally stimulating activity.
Having your child using technology early is not a bad thing IMO, as long as you make sure they are doing other physical and mentally stimulating activity.
i'm not an expert either, but you may be right if this is all the child does. both of my kids enjoy time with their friends and being outside, playing and riding their bikes, etc. over playing with their devices.
additionally, i think it's good for them to be technologically savvy, again with the appropriate monitoring in place.
There are plenty of other things you can do to be a bad parent that far surpass giving a kid an iPhone. I wouldnt worry about it. Mainly if you love the kid, hell be better off than many.
Yea that's what I was going forif iPhone/computer games are all the child does.
Like oilers15 says above, a child can be very stimulated by some simple toy, and in my basic understanding a simple toy is likely to promote more imaginative thinking.
Everything in moderation obvs
nicely said, there's no problem with her playing with an iphone but i would regulate it to a very short time like around maybe 30-60 minutes a day because at that age, a child reacts mostly to interactions between animate and inanimate object. This is the time where she should be going crazy and fascinated by simple actions such as a slinky going down a stairs (damn im old, do kids even play with slinky's anymore
) so let her use her imagination with toys and etc. and less electronics. But its never a bad thing for her to become a early Mac-addict 
I'm a parent and I'm rather shocked by the extravagances being exhibited here.
While it may be "cute" for a toddler to have an iphone or an ipad what message does this impart as they get older. Personally, I think its sending a materialistic message to them. Do I want to provide the best to my little ones - Absolutely. Can I no, not all the time. Besides, its better for them to experience disappointment in not getting what they want now, then when they're older and have expectations of getting everything they want.
Do I let me girls you my droidx, yes at times. I even have age appropriate games for them. Will I give them my wife's old iPhone 3G, absolutely not.
Just because you can give it to them, doesn't mean you should.
While it may be "cute" for a toddler to have an iphone or an ipad what message does this impart as they get older. Personally, I think its sending a materialistic message to them. Do I want to provide the best to my little ones - Absolutely. Can I no, not all the time. Besides, its better for them to experience disappointment in not getting what they want now, then when they're older and have expectations of getting everything they want.
Do I let me girls you my droidx, yes at times. I even have age appropriate games for them. Will I give them my wife's old iPhone 3G, absolutely not.
Just because you can give it to them, doesn't mean you should.
As long as the time using it is strictly regulated and the content is age-appropriate, I do not see a problem with it. It can provide useful stimulation for the kids. I see a point in the health issue, but that is why I wrote about regulating the time. For me, bad parents are those who let their children behave like pr...s in public.
The question is, do you think you're bad parents? Why have you asked the question in the first place? Is it because you do feel some underlying sense of guilt for giving your child an iPhone and know that it's a bit extravagant, or have other people commented about it when they've seen her with it?
As others have mentioned i think it's a matter of regulation and amount of time spent on it. If there are games on the iPhone that she likes to play and you can afford to have a spare one around so she isn't using yours then why not.
If it becomes her only source of entertainment and stimulation and she's stuck to it all the time instead of interacting with the people and the environment around her then there might be a problem with it.
As others have mentioned i think it's a matter of regulation and amount of time spent on it. If there are games on the iPhone that she likes to play and you can afford to have a spare one around so she isn't using yours then why not.
If it becomes her only source of entertainment and stimulation and she's stuck to it all the time instead of interacting with the people and the environment around her then there might be a problem with it.
When you're talking about a 2-year-old, there's no such thing as "all the child does." They don't have the kind of attention span it takes to devote a significant amount of time to any one thing before leaving it behind and moving on to something else.
I'd be surprised if the child ever spends more than 15-20 minutes at a time with the thing before giving it up for some other toy.
Didn't they say the same thing about using T.V. as a baby-sitter??
The more things change, the more they stay the same.
Not the worst idea I have ever heard, but I wouldn't be surprised if she starts expecting nice shiny things all the time. I didn't get a phone until I was 13, and that was young at the time, didn't have my own computer until I needed one for college, and buy my personal luxuries. I just think that if a child expects expensive toys, that will lead to being that spoiled, annoying child that I have always wanted to slap. I certainly wasn't a deprived child, but I wasn't spoiled either, which I know has helped me be more financially responsible now.
Where was the word "expects" used?? If she benefits from forward-thinking parents, I would hardly call that "spoiled".
Not a wise choice of words, in this day and age.
Even at 2 she may be aware enough to sue your ass.
sooooo no electricity, toys, or clothes as well? i mean those are forms/or utilize forms of technology that cost money
where do you draw the line?
Where was the word "expects" used?? If she benefits from forward-thinking parents, I would hardly call that "spoiled".
Not a wise choice of words, in this day and age.
Even at 2 she may be aware enough to sue your ass.
I came up with expects from people I know who were like that.
Haha, at least I don't act on it, that could get me into trouble
So no nothing? No leapfrog, computer, toys?
Not necessarily. I don't know many "rich kids" that aren't spoiled, but that doesn't necessarily mean that they have to be. I don't think at that age they will know how much it cost, and will not expect to be getting such expensive things, until maybe an older age.
Until you start working for a living, paying your own bills, and buying your own things, you don't really appreciate how much anything costs.
Sure, when I was a kid I got an allowance, and I was allowed to spend it on anything I want. There are certainly lessons about life to be learned in that - but the fact remains that when 100% of your income is disposable, it's really easy to blow it on something, knowing you'll just get more money next week, and no real consequence comes out of it.
Fast forward to living on your own and paying a mortgage, student loans, day care, etc. Get paid and then go out and spend every penny on "wants" instead of "needs." That is when you start to appreciate what things cost in life.