[Desmo]

What are your views on this? My brother and his wife recently bought an iPod touch for their seven year old daughter's birthday. They're nitro ling in cash either so it's a very expensive present anyway, let along a young kid. When I first heard what they bought her I thought they were a bit mad. Who gives a seven year old kid a £180 iPod touch? Within a week the screen had smashed. OK, it's simple accident but seven year old kids have accidents, it should have been expected? They've now got to pay out to have it repaired unless the Apple store are feeling VERY generous.

I'd never consider giving my own child (when I get one ) anything as expensive or, more importantly, as breakable as that.

Am I alone? The wife and I often discuss things for when we have children and we both seem quite strict and think children have far too many things these days. I understand the reality will Probably be very different when we do finally have children of our own, but I'd like to hear from some of you guys and your thoughts

[Solomon Grundy]

Our boy has been using our iPad 2 under supervision since he was 4 and he also uses the iPod Touch to play music on, he likes Arcade Fire, Gaslight Anthem and Journey (?) so fair play to him. It is good for things like jigsaws, dot to dots, writing and drawing programs. We wouldn't get him one of his own. He has a Nintendo DS with Peppa Pig games though, does that count?

[Desmo]

Supervised use is different though as you're, well, supervising

I just think the likelihood of a seven year old kid smashing the screen on an iPod is quite high isn't it?

[IronGiant]

I had no worries about buying my son an IPod Touch. A second hand one for £70 off the forums. At 16.



Like Decadence, we bought DSs for his younger siblings. (And we got those second hand )

My daughter just had her tenth birthday. Her most expensive present was Pokemon black at £24.99. To be honest, the present that meant the most to her was the one her 7 year old sister saved up for all by herself and cost £5.

[craig1912]

My youngest wants a Touch for Christmas. He is 10 and loves music and games. I personally think 7 is a little young but mine got his first MP3 player around then.

[Jenn]

I don't think there is a right or wrong answer to this question. It should be a "do as you see fit" and who cares what others think.
Some children will be quite capable of understanding that they need to take care of things and try to avoid accidents, while others don't have a clue and/or don't care what things are worth and just throw their gadgets around.
Parents will know best what their kids can or can't have. And if they spend a lot of money for it to get broken, they'll thikn twice the next time I guess.

Like Decadence, our 4 year old son has been using my iPhone and iPad since he was 2 or so. Under supervision but he's the one handling them. We always remind him to be careful but that's to be expected as at that age they can "forget".
My dad has been talking about giving our son a ipod touch because he's just so impressed with how a 4 year old can handle it and the activities available. So far I have said that using ours under supervision is enough but I don't think he'll be 7 by the time he ends up with one of his own (second hand of course!).

In your brother's position, rather than paying straight out to get the ipod repaired, I would have told the daughter that if she wanted it fixed, she'd have to save up pocket money (or help at home to earn the money in the first place) and/or birthday/Xmas money to pay for or towards the repair. If he feels it truly was an accident he could cover a large part of the cost but making his daughter understand that things have a cost would be beneficial and she may take more care of the things she likes.

[richard plumb]

Originally Posted by Desmo

Supervised use is different though as you're, well, supervising

I just think the likelihood of a seven year old kid smashing the screen on an iPod is quite high isn't it?

why? Both my kids (10 and 7) use my ipad - it just sits in the lounge for anyone to use, and they also use my old ipod touch. I don't need to supervise them, they're careful with them.

I'd even consider buying one for them - the base 8GB is the same price as a 3DS, and games are a lot cheaper (my kids are obsessed with the free 'tiny' range of games right now)

[Desmo]

Originally Posted by richard plumb

why? Both my kids (10 and 7) use my ipad

Why is the likelihood of a seven year old smashing a screen quite high? It just is, isn't it? I mean on average I'd have thought it's quite high. Plenty of adults manage it so I'd imagine even more kids would as well. Of course, that's not to say that every kid isn't careful enough. As people have said here, if you start them young enough and teach them to be very careful then the chances of damage are vastly reduced.

As it happens, Apple were VERY generous and did a straight swap at no cost. Had there been a charge, I think I'd have done as Jenn suggested and made her pay a little towards the cost and use it as a lesson.

[iamtheetube]

Originally Posted by Desmo

Am I alone? The wife and I often discuss things for when we have children and we both seem quite strict and think children have far too many things these days. I understand the reality will Probably be very different when we do finally have children of our own, but I'd like to hear from some of you guys and your thoughts

No you're not alone. My wife and I have exactly the same conversation every time we've been to visit my brother and their four kids.

Our first is due in February and to be honest I'm glad we live a few hours away from them and don't see them that often.

We're not being snobby or anything. We just find it shocking that the eldest boy (6) is on his THIRD laptop The other two boys have a DSi each and we've lost count of how many t.v's and DVD players they've gone through.

My sister in law always puts the destruction down to them being kids.
I just don't buy that I'm afraid, and I find it hard to bite my tongue.
When we grew up our t.v's and VCR's died of old age. Then again we were taught to respect things. So it's refreshing to see the replies from everyone above in relation to supervision and the fact that not everything has to be brand new

I'm sure our kids will get access to the big toys in the house but only to use them as they were intended to be, not as food and liquid recepticles

[qwerty321]

Originally Posted by iamtheetube

not being snobby or anything. We just find it shocking that the eldest boy (6) is on his THIRD laptop The other two boys have a DSi each and we've lost count of how many t.v's and DVD players they've gone through.

When I was 6 all I had to play with was lego!

[shodan]

Originally Posted by qwerty321

When I was 6 all I had to play with was lego!

When I was little we were so poor that if I hadn't been a boy then I wouldn't have had anything to play with...

[AV Happy]

My 7 year old got an ipod touch last christmas, DS the year before and PSP the year before that. nothing has been damaged and he looks after his toys i really think that it all depends upon the child in question. Both my boys have always looked after things we instill it into them that these things are expensive and they have to look after them because if they break them the we are not paying out for replacements.
Before anyone says he is far too young he only ends up with these things as whatever his older brother gets he want to play with so we end up getting them both the same. We are very strict as to how long they play on them theyb are not sat playing on them all day.

[neilios]

I suppose technology and toys have moved on since we used to play with the washing basket lid,but i've never spolit my eldest daughter,and we have no intention of spoiling my youngest ,who most definately will not be playing with mobile phones or ipod ,ipads or laptops,she'll be encouraged to play out like we did,and involve herself in sports and music,and outdoor persuits..

[AV Happy]

Originally Posted by neilios

I suppose technology and toys have moved on since we used to play with the washing basket lid,but i've never spolit my eldest daughter,and we have no intention of spoiling my youngest ,who most definately will not be playing with mobile phones or ipod ,ipads or laptops,she'll be encouraged to play out like we did,and involve herself in sports and music,and outdoor persuits..

Please dont think my boys are spoilt as they most certainly are not. As for time spent on gadgets, again they are very limited my eldest is involved in martial arts 3 nights a week, plays football every weekend for a local team plays tennis and badminton for school and my youngest plays football twice a week and does martial arts twice a week so they most certainly get involved in other activities and are not addicted gamers.

[Jenn]

Originally Posted by neilios

I suppose technology and toys have moved on since we used to play with the washing basket lid,but i've never spolit my eldest daughter,and we have no intention of spoiling my youngest ,who most definately will not be playing with mobile phones or ipod ,ipads or laptops,she'll be encouraged to play out like we did,and involve herself in sports and music,and outdoor persuits..

I struggle to understand this view that a lot of people have that for some reason technology is bad for our children.
Because we didn't have it and "survived" fine doesn't mean technology is bad, negative etc.

Certainly in a world where people are increasingly expected to know how to use a computer at work, having children learn early how to use them may be a good idea.
Also looking at the activities available for children (most of which are educational) just on the iPad, I can say that children can learn a lot from it. You have things like flash cards, learning other languages, learning to read or trace, art activities, puzzle games, memory games (find pairs amongst the cards for example), logic etc. Most are in some game form but that just makes learning fun.

So providing parents are irresponsible and ensure their children have plenty of physical activity, I really don't understand the "old fashion" view.
Our ancestors used to go to work at 12 years old, maybe we should have done the same?

[neilios]

Originally Posted by AV Happy

Please dont think my boys are spoilt as they most certainly are not. As for time spent on gadgets, again they are very limited my eldest is involved in martial arts 3 nights a week, plays football every weekend for a local team plays tennis and badminton for school and my youngest plays football twice a week and does martial arts twice a week so they most certainly get involved in other activities and are not addicted gamers.

No offence meant,my post was just a snapshot of what i do ,not really a dig at yourself or your post...
We had an interesting discussion about toys the othe day ,and it amazes me toys have become a replacement for playing out ,because some parents are afraid to lets there kids out of the front door..

[AV Happy]

Originally Posted by neilios

No offence meant,my post was just a snapshot of what i do ,not really a dig at yourself or your post...
We had an interesting discussion about toys the othe day ,and it amazes me toys have become a replacement for playing out ,because some parents are afraid to lets there kids out of the front door..

Non taken sorry if my post sounded defensive
I know exactly what you mean when we were kids we were out of the door after tea and back at bedtime.
I have to admit though i am not a fan of my kids wandering the streets (as i did) which is why we encourage them to take up sports, only down side to that is that the wife and i spend all evenings and weekends ferrying them about.

[Jenn]

Originally Posted by neilios

We had an interesting discussion about toys the othe day ,and it amazes me toys have become a replacement for playing out ,because some parents are afraid to lets there kids out of the front door..

Personally I think it's more to do with parents having more disposable income and toys becoming very cheap thanks to mass production in China.

In the "olden" days, parents didn't feel like not buying toys for their kids because outside was better. They just couldn't afford toys so children went out to play with a piece of string and a stick or whatever they could find.

[neilios]

Originally Posted by Jenn

I struggle to understand this view that a lot of people have that for some reason technology is bad for our children.
Because we didn't have it and "survived" fine doesn't mean technology is bad, negative etc.

Certainly in a world where people are increasingly expected to know how to use a computer at work, having children learn early how to use them may be a good idea.
Also looking at the activities available for children (most of which are educational) just on the iPad, I can say that children can learn a lot from it. You have things like flash cards, learning other languages, learning to read or trace, art activities, puzzle games, memory games (find pairs amongst the cards for example), logic etc. Most are in some game form but that just makes learning fun.

So providing parents are irresponsible and ensure their children have plenty of physical activity, I really don't understand the "old fashion" view.
Our ancestors used to go to work at 12 years old, maybe we should have done the same?

I certainly think technology is an aid to modern living ,but in the ye olden days boardgames used to be a family occasion certainly doesn't have the same feel everyone gathering round the pc to play a game when most seem to be single player events.
Just like books ,doesn't hold the same excitement pushing a cartridge into a console ,as receiving a book and looking at the cover with anticipation ,same with music ,an mp3 doesn't hold the same attatchment as does a vinyl 12 inch or lp...
I just think we live in a different world today but still prefer the earthy feel and old fashioned values of yrs gone by..

I do think learning can be fun ,but good old repetition cannot be beaten..

[Jenn]

Those feelings you have come from how you felt as a child when receiving the objects. A child today will probably feel the exact same way when receiving a cartridge to put in one of those story telling toys (my son has the V-Tech Storio thing).
For the mp3s, I don't think they've taken the place of CDs yet, people still buy CDs as gifts and a lot of people still buy them for themselves to play on different music players or just to own physically.

The boardgames I don't think are replaced by other games. There can be time for both. But to give you an example, I have Trivial Pursuit, Scrabble and Monopoly on my iPad. I can play with other people at a table, but if nobody's there I can also play on my own against the "computer". Ok it doesn't have the same old charm of moving the pieces and dealing with paper money but again I think that's because that's how we did it before.

[shodan]

Originally Posted by Jenn

Those feelings you have come from how you felt as a child when receiving the objects. A child today will probably feel the exact same way when receiving a cartridge to put in one of those story telling toys (my son has the V-Tech Storio thing).

Best toy/gadget we have bought for my boy. We obviously read with him but he plays the storio for an hour at least every day and now his reading is very advanced for a 4 year old. And he is 4 years old too.. I definately credit the storio wth that.

As alwas, nothing in life is black and white so my kids get expensive toys and gadgets and access to the laptop etc but they also play normally and go swimming etc etc and will be encouraged to join clubs when th time is right. Its all about the balance...

[IronGiant]

Originally Posted by Jenn

Personally I think it's more to do with parents having more disposable income and toys becoming very cheap thanks to mass production in China.

In the "olden" days, parents didn't feel like not buying toys for their kids because outside was better. They just couldn't afford toys so children went out to play with a piece of string and a stick or whatever they could find.

Nothing can beat a piece of string, a good stick and a dog poo

Of course the kids today have it easy, the council provides bins of pre-bagged dog poo grenades for free at every park.

[AnimalOfAnarchy]

I wouldn't get my children (when I have them) anything that expensive. I could have had all of those things but kids are very easily pleased. I'd get them toys, getting them technology is a very risky thing considering, if you've bought them at a high price, they can break easily with children. I wouldn't get them anything with touchscreens or anything like that but I'd get them whatever games console would come out....and then play it myself, haha.

[gbcasual]

The tech is just so much more easily available these days.

My now 4.5 year old has been using a Touch at home since 2.5 and a laptop at his pre-school since 3. Nothing has been broken so far.

My first foray into computing was a BBC Micro when I was about 10!!!

[shodan]

As a compromise I've just ordered by 4 year old the Leappad for xmas for him. It looks very cool!!!

http://www.amazon.co.uk/LeapFrog-Lea.../dp/B004Z7H07K

It was under £80 when I ordered it and it will be his main present.

[Mr Noble]

I'd say its down to the child whether they can look after their `things' if you've got the kind of child who regularly breaks their toys or everything is scratched to bits then I'd go for a £10 basic mp3 player rather thab a touch etc..

I've only had one expensive breakage with my 3 year old , smashed the screen on my led tv by hitting it whilst running through the lounge and he assures me bob builder did it

I'm amazed at how quick children pick things up , at his age I was happy and content playing with my box of cars and building garages out of lego he knows how to work my tv, change the source and browse through my htpc and go straight to the folder with all his disney films and cartoons.

He's also a big music fan , knows how to put the music on and how to set the volume likes nothing better than dancing in front of the tv

He's got a vtech smile motion console , turns it off when he gets bored of handy manny trying to teach him spanish.

I've told my son if he breaks his toys and gadgets , the rest will be taken away and he'll get them back when he has learnt his lesson and it seems to have worked.

I'm also glad that he listens when I tell him its time to go to bed and I'm turning his tv off (he has his own lcd screen mounted on his bedroom wall. I thought it was a bit funny at first and was against the tv in his room idea as thought it would cause him to get up repeatedly throughout the night to turn it on, but most of the time he rather I read him a story by the time I've finished it he's out for the count.

He likes playing car games and trials on the 360 (which was mine)

So I've passed it down to him and its not connected to the net and won't be.

Was considering getting him a 3ds for christmas , along with his bike etc

[DOBLY]

Originally Posted by IronGiant

Nothing can beat a piece of string, a good stick and a dog poo

White dog poo - remember that ??

[Doug the D]

They don't make white dog poo anymore do they?!!

I'm of the view that just because technology has become more breakable (you'd have to put a brick through an 'old' style telly to break it!), it does not mean that kids shouldn't touch it. I personally wouldn't buy my 5yr old daughter an ipad/touch, but that is purely because to me at least, its a fairly pricey item. I would most certainly let her use one if I purchased it for the house's use. She currently plays on kids games on the xbox, and on the kids websites on the laptop, but its all under supervision anyway, not because I don't trust her, but I don't view technology as being a baby-sitter.
She is also under no illusions, she knows that if she breaks it, she buys it - might seem daft to enforce such a rule on a 5yr old, but thats how it is, if she wants to use 'grown-up' things, then she must take a more grown up attitude towards them i.e, take more care. It must work, as I've never seen my laptop take a dive down the stairs!!
Tech is here to stay (well, until it gets better), so why not embrace it?

[sadie jones]

there are so many other touch screen type gadgets that are equally as good but not as expensive ,my daughter how is 11yrs would love an ipad 2 after using my husbands , but she will not be getting one for a long while unless she wants to pay for it which over the last few years we have noticed a better appreciation for things when she has paid for or contributed towards them .let kids enjoy the simple things in life ( drawing ,colouring ,painting ,playing outside ,growing plants etc ) for aslong as possible

[cobster666]

I've not long got an ipad 2 and to be honest my 4yr old son uses it more than i do , After seeing some off the apps available for it i think its brilliant for children .