I’m an Apple parent. There I’ve said it. A what? An Apple Parent – no, not the fruit but the large corporation.
My parenting has become reliant on Apple products. When my first was born she was rocked and walked and bouced to soothe her.
Eventually she discovered soothers and we discovered peace! She got musical pre-school toys, dolls and books.
Roll on almost 7 years and the soothers are gone and my house has two iPad’s and two iPhones. Granted they are mine and my husband’s but we have fallen into the Apple Parenting trap.
When the need arises to soothe, calm, occupy or otherwise try and obtain some peace we offer not a soother but one of said Apple products. It is starting to get ridiculous as with three kids and only two iPads we now end up with iPad fights!
Of course Daddy has better apps than Mammy so then there is a fight over who gets Daddy’s iPad. The first words out of my kids in the morning are “Daddy, can I have your iPad?”.
It now seems to be a race out of bed to see who can get Daddy’s iPad first!
Which sometimes results in a “IT’S 5AM….GET BACK TO BED” response! I don’t think I am alone.
I see little toddlers in buggy’s watching a phone. Children in restaurants watching an ipad or playing some app while their parents finish up a meal in peace. It is a new parenting tool.
Love them or hate them (I have to admit to loving them!) if you let your kids touch them it is important to watch what they are clicking on. My daughter clocked up over €200 on my husband’s iPhone when he first got it 3 years ago. Eeek! Also with easy access to You tube and at times some not so appealing content parental supervision is essential!
That said, I have seen my little boy doing very difficult online jigsaws, colour online pictures and learn numbers and alphabets via the phone or iPad so it’s not all bad.
If we can harness the power of this new parenting tool to be a positive, educational device as lets face it by the time my kids are adults who knows where technology will be and iPads will probably be an essential daily life tool.
Where do you stand on the use of these devices in your house? Are you an Apple parent too?
We’re Apple parents here too. And we’ve also encountered the accidental in app purchases. I’ve set up all the devices to avoid that in future now: http://mama.ie/stop-toddlers-running-up-huge-itunes-bills/
Oh yes, we learnt to find the off button for in app purchases alright!! Glad I’m not alone!
We are morphing into Apple parents as well. But we have discovered some great stuff through them…like you say though, I always make sure I’m around and watching what they are searching for / checking the results if they go online.
Morph away! They are great tools but I guess like all good things in life moderation is the key! We are thinking of limiting time to ensure bale between online/electronic activity and real world activity!
I am too! My little one just loves the ipad and seems to know how to work it without me even showing him. Its a generation of tech babies!
They are amazing aren’t they! At such a young at it is almost natural instinct now to touch and swipe 🙂 Can’t imagine what kids of the future will be like!! Welcome to the Apple Parent gang 🙂
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We are an apple family too! Do you know, the only time I feel guilty about it is when I read or hear someone speaking bad about it. I tend to think that we are moving into a technologically dependent future and it’s important that our kids see technology as just another skill rather than something to be learned at school. I try to limit the time spent on the ipad, the tv and youtube. It’s so so soooo hard to keep it under the ‘recommended’ half hour. On the other hand, I have a great fear that kids lose their ability to play and create amazingly imaginative games the more time they spend with technology. It’s very hard to find the balance. Doesn’t stop us allowing herself to use it though :/
Totally agree Laura. It is a fact that technology will be part of our kids future and they should be familiar and comfortable using it but not to detriment of other life skills. Riding a bike, make and do, colouring actual paper!! It’s a hard balance! We keep trying!
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