When my kids were growing up, times were a bit different than they are today. As a young mother, my kids grew up in a time when there was no internet (*gasp*), no computers, and no type of electronic gadgets to entertain kids so I didn’t have to worry about managing their “screen time” other than TV (and since we only received 3 channels, that was pretty easy!). The first electronic toy to capture my oldest daughter’s attention was a bright yellow, disc-shaped tiny Pac-Man game!
Parents today must have an agonizing time deciding when kids are old enough to play with electronics and how much time to allow for this type of activity. There is an important balance between too much screen time and absolute rejection of any screen time. Learning about technology is an important part of growing up and keeping up in today’s world. But, I don’t envy today’s parents having to make those decisions and trying to determine what is best from a developmental and growth standpoint for kids.
So you can imagine my surprise when I learned about the Fisher-Price baby bouncy seat with an APP! Yep – an app where parents can insert an iPad so baby can be left alone to watch video content!
Photo source: Walmart.com
Heck – I felt guilty having a babysitter for any reason – so I can’t imagine having an ‘electronic babysitter’. The thoughts of leaving a young baby in a bouncy seat with an iPad stuck in his or her face is hard to imagine. The baby has little room to wiggle or see anything past the screen right in front of her face. This “Apptivity Seat” is promoted as a way for parents to download soothing sounds and patterns for baby.
The American Academy of Pediatrics discourages any electronic “screen time” for infants and toddlers under 2. It cites research that found infant videos can delay language development, and warns that no studies have documented a benefit of early viewing. And according to MediaMomPhD:
- Zimmerman & Christakis (2005) found that TV viewing before age 2 was associated with decreased vocabulary, digit span memory, and reading skills
- Barr et al (2010) found that infants exposed to adult TV programs scored lower on cognitive tests and school readiness at age 4
- Zimmerman et al (2007) found that each hour of viewing of baby videos was associated with a significant drop in children’s verbal skills
So what purpose does this app serve for babies? Is it okay or is it harmful for babies? Would you allow your baby to be entertained with a bouncy seat ‘app’?
Sure, parenting and taking care of babies and children takes a lot of time. But putting them in a seat in front of a screen to allow time to ‘get things done’ just seems to go against the whole idea of being a mom or dad to begin with. And plugging in babies to an app to entertain them might just cause a lot of learning problems when they’re older. Only time will tell for sure.
I’m wondering what today’s modern moms think about this new bouncy seat with app for babies? Leave a comment below and let us know.
