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Ask Slashdot: Android Apps For Kids Under 12 Months?
An anonymous reader writes "My kid seems incredibly interested in my Android tablet, but I'm not too comfortable with letting her play with my browser. I've been hunting the app store for apps that I could let my kid play around with, but haven't found much. It seems like most apps are targeted for slightly older kids and are trying to teach them words, math or whatnot. Has anyone found any cool apps for approximately 6-month-old children? I'm mostly looking for something that makes funny noises or where you just have to e.g. track moving objects on the screen."
I wouldn't worry about finding specific apps that are "safe" for a 6-month old. At that age, no parent should even consider letting their child use an Internet-connected device unsupervised. So, if yo show the child something on the web browser, or another app, you should know specifically what you're looking at and should be 100% comfortable with the material.
Counting Robot
Basically it is a sort of whack-a-mole with different numbers of moles each time.
When information is power, privacy is freedom.
Love and affection. At that age it is nothing more then a glowing rectangle that makes noise. Go outside and show your children the world around them.
Toddler Lock works nicely. Cool colours and sounds as they touch the screen. It temporarily replaces the home screen so it locks out phone/internet/other app access until an adult follows the onscreen unlock instructions.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=marcone.toddlerlock
This idiotic question is easy to answer. Any app calling shutdown() right at the beginning will do just fine.
Really, just stop fucking up your kids.
If you want to make them into responsible open source contributors you better start as early as possible.
My toddler is very interested in my car keys, but I'm reluctant to let him drive my BMW. The iDrive system is somewhat complicated, and I think a RWD performance car might not be appropriate for a first-time driver - especially since here's snow on the ground and he can't reach the pedals. Can anyone recommend a FWD or AWD car with a simpler interface and adjustble pedals which would be appropriate for a sub-2 year old child?
A child shouldn't be handling technology until about 3 years old, as many Slashdot stories have reported. It's also just common sense that so much stimulation so early on is bad for a developing brain.
You mistake interest for curiosity. It is in the child's nature to explore and learn about their environment, but introducing them to your tablet is just going to impede their progress as all their attention is consumed by the device.
and we decided he will not look at a TV/PC/phone screen before he is two years old as a minimum. We instead try to spend as much as time possible with him doing activities appropriate for a 9 months old baby. Maybe this is the reason why he is so active and curious about what happens around him.... And no, I am not a tech luddite (I am a physicist).
"My 3 week old is fascinated by certain shapes. Is there an app that looks like big tits dripping milk that would be something he could play with?"
Dumb ass posting; never should have seen the light of day.
The research is still early on this. I would be very careful, and I'd limit exposure to flat screen TVs as well.
http://articles.latimes.com/2012/aug/28/news/la-jc-sleep-book-backlit-melatonin-20120828
“Our study shows that a two-hour exposure to light from self-luminous electronic displays can suppress melatonin by about 22 percent," said Mariana Figueiro, the lead researcher. “Stimulating the human circadian system to this level may affect sleep in those using the devices prior to bedtime.”
Seriously, it's crazy to do that to an infant. An infant is still developing their visual system and learning (by pruning their brain synapses) about the reality of the world around them and how they (the infant) interact with it physically. Providing examples of useless GUI interfaces and ongoing stimuli with poor interaction is a crazy thing to do to an infant.
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They need physical toys like rattles and pacifiers and blocks that they can touch and move around and make noise with and learn the "intuitive" laws of physics from them. Give them a few years before you throw Emacs at them. The only Gnu they need to interact with at that tender age is a stuffed Gnu plush toy. And I say this as a fervent believer in children playing with computers: do NOT make infants and toddlers play with computers and tablets.
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The American Academy of Pediatrics itself recommends limiting access to screen time for children under the age of 2 years .
how about the 'play with your kids app'??
like peek-a-boo, and pass the ball, and ride the horsey?
expecting a 10 month yr old to play w an android tablet instead of playing w a real human is ridiculous..
you can do better as a parent
2cents
j
If there's one thing I can rely on Slashdot about, especially when no one here has ever met a woman, it's reliable parenting advice.
Your kid is slow. When my son surfed out of my wife's vagina I handed the little guy a piece of chalk and he proved Fermat's Last Theorem. I scolded him and told him that was proven 17 years ago! Get working on P != NP, son!