lol good one. Seriously though, I started my daughter off too with an ipad at 1 so we could eat out at restaurants and a break from time to time. It was fine at first and realized that she became less attentive to us, prone to tantrums when taking ipad away, and less likely to socialize.
As a father of 4, you will absolutely be able to correlate ipad usage with behavior. What type of behavior or "issues" - well that depends on the kid, usage, type of games, etc. But definitely be cognizant of it.
I don't have kids. Such a tough thing to consider. Nothing will compete with what an ipad can do cause those mf'ers are literally studying your kid's brain to get them hooked with colors, motion, sound, etc. Everyone starts off saying they will restrict it, but few follow through once the devices become an easy antidote to the tantrums. I'm equally uninterested in being a dictator to kids, it sets a terrible precedent for them I think. It amazes me everytime I watch my niece use any smart device effortlessly. She's been doing it since she was almost 2. It's great for her to have a head start into what will form a big part of her life. At the same time, my nephew - who is 10 and was only allowed to get a smart device when he hit 5 - bought some board games and I can see that he doesn't value socializing as much as he used to and he has a huge problem with control. That's the main thing that worries me, that kids start to believe they should be able to control everything totally and everything should be done instantly or they get frustrated. When the real world hits, will they crumple up? I mean my nephew literally said "I don't know. I don't know why I'm so annoyed." Scary to me. If I were being safe I would make sure there's no youtube on there. There must be some app that transforms the device into a child friendly safe device.
My kid is two and he cracked his ipad screen during a temper tantrum because it died. Now he has a leap frog tablet that cost about $100 at toys r us, has lots of kids apps like you tube kids
You need to get out in front of that behavior now ... could lead to this later in life Also, imagine when electric cars are the norm, and his battery dies. He'll be smashing windshields.
IMO I'd wait then. I personally think its best to stave off on electronics until about 6 or 7 (except maybe TV).
My son is 2. We struggle with these things too. Going to eat is hard, but we don't want him glued to the phone. However, we're flying to Colorado in November, and I'm pretty sure I'll have at least a couple of games and episodes of Paw Patrol ready for him if he starts to melt down in the plane. It will be a last resort though. I figure a kid will be able to pick up those things pretty quickly when they get older. We figured it out, and we didn't start with iPads at 1.
I'd just minimize the use. I wouldn't give her one as a gift, not that she really understands gifts at this point, but rather buy one for yourself that you let her use. It helps strengthen the idea that it isn't hers to play with whenever she wants. That is one thing I wish I had done instead (which technically we used to do, but got them their own too early, IMO).
I really don't get what the big deal is. Sometimes my daughter looks at the iPad for long stretches. Other times she puts it down to do something else. Sometimes I take it from her due to her having it too long or due to her behavior. If she throws a fit, then so be it. She'll get over it. If she cracks the screen because she gets upset, like someone mentioned earlier, then she'd never touch one again. Or at least not for a very very very long time. People always find a way to over complicate things. An iPad doesn't need any more regulation with a kid than does toys, snacks, or whatever else it is that kids love. But then again, maybe it just depends on the kid. My daughter is and has always been a social butterfly, so I can see how extended use of an iPad could negatively affect a natural introvert.
My oldest is an extrovert with a short attention span, except for electronics. When they are that young they tend to get bored and move on. As they get older they can get more attached. With him the reaction is like a drug addiction. He can't help himself. Not every kid is the same, and it isn't my place to tell a parent what to do. Just throwing out my experience and opinion. At 1, I wouldn't do it because I don't see the value. Later on I get concerned about the addiction. We'll see how we handle it with our daughter who is 7 months compared to our boys.
My kids have used OtterBox Defender cases and they have the original Ipad Mini and it's in mint condition if you take the case off and those things have take a lot of abuse over the past few years from a now 7 and 10 year old.
My son is two and has an Amazon Fire kids edition. He uses it almost every day. It's cheap and has kids apps pre-loaded. It also has a good case. He has thrown it many times and it hasn't broken yet.
