Ask Slashdot: Suitable Phone For a 4-Year Old?

blogologue writes "I have a kid that's turning 4-years old soon, and I'm not able to be with him as often as I want to. To remedy this, I'm looking into whether or not getting him a phone could be a good idea to keep in touch. Being able to have a video chat is important, and as it is rare that a 4-year old has a mobile phone, and because he's got other things to do, it would be good to be able to turn off for example games and so on during time in the kindergarten. So other kids don't go around asking their parents for a smartphone. The main reason for getting the phone is keeping in touch, and as a bonus it can function as a device for games and so on during allowed times. Are there any phones that are suitable for such use? I don't mind if it's Android, iOS or something else, as long as it can be used to make video calls to other Android/iOS phones, and if it features other applications such as games, have limited, pre-defined functionality during certain periods of the day."

Comments

Nothing too good for the fruit of my loins

[12WTF$]

64GB iPhone 5 with gold plating plus $10,000 iTunes credit.
Get that over-reaching sense of entitlement embedded early.

Re: Nothing too good for the fruit of my loins

[mypalmike]

Just make sure to get it insured. The "I Can Go Potty Myself" app frequently crashes the whole phone... Into the toilet.

At four

[Master Moose]

The best phones are the plastic ones you buy at the local bric-a-brac store. Sometimes these phones even let you call Elmo who will say "Hello", sing a song and wait for you to call the next person

Re:At four

[I'm New Around Here]

My daughter had one at that age. Every so often it rang, and Barbie talked to my daughter. Usually something along the lines of, "Let's go ... to a party ... today," or "Do you want to go ... to the beach ... this weekend?" So, basically, three part sentences, randomized. My daughter was just 3 or 4, and knew it wasn't really Barbie, but she would talk to her each time Barbie called.

One day, after the phone rang and Barbie and my daughter had a chat, my mother-in-law asked is a very confused and exasperated voice "Who keeps calling her?"

She actually thought it was a real phone. She was in her 80s at the time, so it wasn't very surprising. But it was hilarious. :^)

Surgical Attach Him to Your Back

[cookYourDog]

Eventually your capillaries will merge and you will form one all-knowing toddler-adult hybrid. I, for one, bow down to you, Todd-lor.

No, I just figured it out.

[I'm New Around Here]

Blogologue's 3.9 year old son wants a phone, but doesn't know how to ask daddy for it. So he hacked blogologue's /. account and posted the question. Later he is going to spike his coffee, and make him think he wrote the post himself during a late night of slashdot reading.

That makes the most sense.

Re:Are you serious?

[PCM2]

But that would be completely disregarding the trials of the current job market. The best thing would be to get your 4-year-old's CV onto Monster.com as soon as possible.

Et-hem I think you mean Dice.com, the Number One source for career advice for engineering and technology professionals. Please turn in you /. account.

Re:Here's the full story.

[LordNacho]

So you're saying there's something he can do about it...

Re:Here's the full story.

[crossmr]

florida called, they want their title back.

Re:4 years

[frozentier]

(c) understand that having a kid is not worth the hassle, and (d) take action in avoiding procreation. It's green and helps the earth, to boot.

I'm assuming that you are glad that your parents didn't feel the same way instead of having you?