Maggie as theITbaby at 14 months
One of the things I got for Maggie a while back was an iPad 2. I didn’t buy it, but traded a bunch of stuff for it that I no longer needed as all the educational software at the time for the infant and crawling crowd seemed to be iOS.
All the scam apps claiming to translate baby cries also were nearly an iOS exclusive at this point too, so this presented itself as an opportunity.
Along the way we’ve played with some of the stuff for the extremely young crowd – Tiggly Shapes was one that she loved, but didn’t really grasp the concept of, and a couple of other things, but at the moment Chica’s Silly Songs seems to dominate the child’s world for two minutes when she remember there’s an iPad around.
She’s finally getting the concept of dragging an icon up to make it move and that her actions create different sounds in the game. As near as I can tell her amazement lasts about two minutes and then it’s time to scootch after a cat, but it’s the first bit of technology she actively likes interacting with other than the XFinity TV remote control.
As a tech nerd, this warms my heart. As someone who fell down a technology hole that consumed my life for a while, it worries me a bit. As someone who read more than two pages into the no screens until two dogma, it hasn’t affected me any. So all in all not much feeling one way or the other.
Glad she’s showing an interest. Happy that interest is limited and kitties and the real life are more interesting. And go away people who think tv flicker causes autism.
She’s taken a bit more interest in TV lately, perhaps because she’s around the house more, but as far as I can tell most of her interest lies in the music on the TV… unless there’s a doggie, kitty or Chica on… then it’s the screen.
She has her baby language and a realization that what she does on a TV remote control or an iPad screen makes things happen, so it’s been great listening and watching as she’s shown great joy in remote manipulating things, dragging icons, and screaming at an app.
And selfies on a camera phone… she loves those… or at least mirror mode.
But technology is just there… there’s no point at which it’s a babysitter for us, except when someone’s pooping, I’m fine with a six minute poop babysitter, and it’s something that she’s going to grow up with as part of her life (technology, not six minute poops,) unless we experience some sort of amazing global technology meltdown (poopdown,) so as a proud papa it warms the cockles of my blood mover to see her playing with the future.
Cookies and kitties and dolls, swings and outdoors are far more interesting still than anything Apple or HTC’s thrown at her.
I’m also thinking if it’s there always and always accessible, perhaps it becomes less addictive. Eh, I’ll find out soon enough I’m sure.
poop
