Would you put your baby in a seat with an iPad 10-inches from her face? Or let him use your phone to entertain himself? I get it, b__abies__ are a booming business. The newest "must-have" products are constantly changing and evolving. It's enough to make a new mom's head spin!
We are living in a tech-savvy world and kids today are more tech savvy than I was in college. Still, it's hard to know if or when it's OK to expose your baby to all this technology.
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One major baby products company has a new product called an "Apptivity Seat" that sells for $80. The company's product description promises: "Soothing, entertaining and technology all in one great grow-with-me seat for baby! Lock your iPad device inside the case to protect from dribbles and drool. Play and learning are at baby's fingertips."
The American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines stipulate that TV and tech should be avoided completely for infants and children under age 2. A child's brain develops rapidly during these first years, and young children learn best by interacting with people, not screens. But wait! The Apptivity Seat is made specifically for children ages newborn to toddlers. Do the makers of this seat think they know better than the AAP? Do they not care what current AAP guidelines are? Or do they simply just not know?
Either way, what are parents supposed to make of a bouncy seat with an attachment for an iPad? Personally, I'm going to follow the guidelines of the AAP since they specialize in the health and well being of children. Companies on the other hand are just out to make money and promote their product.
The worst part is that companies are preying on new parents' need to give their child the best and by not buying the latest, greatest product parents feel like they are letting their child down. Our guilt gets the best of us and we buy the product, sometimes even against our better judgment. Then we feel guilty for letting our kids use tech. It's an endless cycle of parenting guilt and shame. You're damned if you do and damned if you don't.
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