Controversy over Fisher-Price baby Apptivity Seat


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http://www.myfoxny.com/story/24139537/controversy-over-childs-seat-with-a-mounted-ipad

If you own an iPad, you know how great they can be for shopping, doing research, or just plain entertainment. Well, how about an iPad for your infant. Believe it or not, it exists.

Fisher-Price has a new product called the Apptivity Seat, a child's seat for newborns on up to toddlers with an iPad mount.

But there is controversy. Some customer reviews on one website say "this product should be banned. Disgusting." Another says the American Pediatric Association recommends no screen time for babies under 2. Another reads "it is actually detrimental to children's growth and development."

Dr. Nava Silton, a child psychologist, says the concern is that parents will use the seat and iPad as a babysitter, exposing them to the close screen for long periods of time, which can be detrimental.

Fisher-Price released this statement.

"We created the Seat iPad feature for those times when parents want to use this visual display option as another way to stimulate and engage their baby," said Kathleen Alfano of Fisher-Price. "If parents don't want to use the iPad, they can remove the device and a mirror will be overhead, or they can remove the bar completely. The choice is theirs."

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People wonder why todays generation is turning out as it is. Too many people use the above as a forum of babysitter whilst they do whatever else.

The better half works in a school and some of the things she hears/see's about the kids in her school completely shocks me, and this just highlights the same obvservations!

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OMG what's wrong with interacting with your kids? Especially at that age, anything you put in front of them is new, exciting, stimulating and engaging!

 

Children deserve more respect than that!

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My 2 year old Son loves to play on my phone, and he is always asking for me to play "A game on you TV" We have fun, and I play with him.  He just likes being around me and doing what I do.  I think kids learn by mimicking their parents, and they find comfort and fun from it.  So if a parent is on their tablet all the time, guaranteed infants will want to be too.

 

Also, it is him asking for it.  Every morning he comes into my room, and unplugs my phone (or tries to) so he can play his basketball game on it.  Every night when I get home from work, first thing he does is want me to play video games (even if I don't feel like it/don't mention it). 

 

If I am at the computer watching a show, he wants me to turn on youtube for him so he can watch "Baby Basketball" or "Baby pools".

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My 2 year old Son loves to play on my phone, and he is always asking for me to play "A game on you TV" We have fun, and I play with him.  He just likes being around me and doing what I do.  I think kids learn by mimicking their parents, and they find comfort and fun from it.  So if a parent is on their tablet all the time, guaranteed infants will want to be too.

 

Also, it is him asking for it.  Every morning he comes into my room, and unplugs my phone (or tries to) so he can play his basketball game on it.  Every night when I get home from work, first thing he does is want me to play video games (even if I don't feel like it/don't mention it). 

 

If I am at the computer watching a show, he wants me to turn on youtube for him so he can watch "Baby Basketball" or "Baby pools".

I personally think there is a difference between letting your child play on a tablet/smart phone and making a one of these devices your childs plaything.

My daughter, all be it 8 now, has a tablet that she plays on but it is and will never be ALL she plays with, It's kept to a "weekend treat" along with her DS. The above hasn't been created because its a cool fun toy, but because there are parents out there who use these devices rather than interact with their kids. I have seen it first hand and it makes me sad to think that companies are now taking that and commercialising it. 

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My 3 yr old daughter uses my old phone as her youtube player for cartoons (and make-up tutorials  :rolleyes: ) and plays games on the tablet now and then but she always ends up getting bored of it and wants to play with her toys and run around instead.

 

I also have a 9 month old son and I would never try and introduce this to him at his age, not suitable at all for a baby. He needs to be up crawling around and exploring things in his environment, not stuck in a seat watching a screen all day. I don't usually have a problem with these kind of things but this doesn't seem right.

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