toddlers

I understand that one of the main joys of parenting a toddler involves keeping the little one amused.

Amused, as in quiet.

Ever since the iPad came along, with its bright colors and infinite range of games and pictures, it has seemed like an ideal tool to keep baby happy. This happiness, however, is one that baby does not want to ever, ever stop. So much so that some toddlers are now said to be iPad addicts.

This curiously adult affliction seems to involve baby undergoing seven aspects of demented ranting, should her iPad be taken away.… Read more

The iPad is a natural learning device for toddlers and preschoolers. It is practically made for little fingers to swipe and pinch across games and learning apps as they absorb letters, numbers, and stories. But there is a very wide range of quality among toddler-oriented apps. Some are sublime and well- thought out. Others are obvious cash-in attempts directed at unaware parents. Dinner Dash Animal Letters World for Toddlers falls into the second category.

In fact, Dinner Dash Animal Letters is such a feature-barren app that it's hard to know exactly what its purpose is. The game essentially shows … Read more

To be sure, more parents than ever before are using electronic devices like their iPads and iPhones to entertain young children. These amazing devices are tailor-made for kids to swipe and tap games or movies. But some of the games, developed specifically for toddlers and other preschool-age children, utilize certain shortcuts that can present problems.

One such game is Coloring Shapes for Toddlers. The app is fairly straightforward in that, once you open it, you press the "Touch to Color!" button and can start coloring one of many shapes. Tap a color and the brush and start coloring … Read more

The iPad and coloring books are a match made in heaven. Coloring, which has kept children around the globe amused for generations, translates very well to the lap-size screen and finger-oriented interface. Coloring Book for Toddlers attempts to capitalize on that perfect fit and does so quite well in many ways, though not without some issues.

Coloring Book for Toddlers is exactly as it sounds. Open the app and you can choose from four coloring book categories. Only the first -- animals -- is unlocked in the free version, but there are quite a few pictures in each coloring book … Read more

Two separate studies published this month indicate that it may be possible to use brain imaging techniques to reliably detect autism in children as young as 6 months of age.

In the first study, published in the American Journal of Psychiatry, researchers from across North America working on the larger and ongoing Infant Brain Imaging Study used a type of MRI called diffusion tensor imaging to study 92 6-month-olds deemed high risk because their older siblings had been diagnosed with autism.

What they found is that the organization of white matter in the brain plays a key role. Specifically, they … Read more

As a first-time expecting mother who doesn't know many kids, setting up my home for a baby is a mysterious process that involves procuring little outlet covers and stacking wine bottles on the counter instead of the floor.

As for maximizing my home's environment for optimal infant motor development, let's just say I'm the aunt who assumes a newborn can play with tangrams (turns out they just chew on them).

So this morning I rather eagerly checked out a new online test that assesses the quality and quantity of motor development opportunities my home currently provides. … Read more

LAS VEGAS--The days of standing on a scale with your baby and then without it and measuring the difference are over--if it's worth spending $150 on an Internet-connected scale built just for your little one.

So hopes Withings, the French design company that introduced a smart baby monitor last year and is unveiling its Smart Baby Scale--coming in the second quarter of 2012--at CES this week. Made for iPod, iPhone, and iPad, the scale is the first to use Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Bluetooth Smart connectivity for tracking the weight of babies and toddlers.

The specs: at 3.3 … Read more

In 1999, the American Academy of Pediatrics issued a statement that discouraged electronic media use by children under the age of 2. Today, the same group is releasing a follow-up statement that not only maintains its previous recommendations, but backs them up with a great deal of data to boot.

In 1999, as display screens were making their way into parents' and children's bedrooms alike, the pediatricians had limited data with which to work. But they had something of an expert hunch that kids younger than 2 reaped more negative than positive effects from media exposure.

In today's … Read more

Parents with toddlers will be able to relate to this scenario: You give your toddler an iOS device with the Monkey Lunchbox game pulled up, hoping to teach him about shapes as well as keep him entertained for awhile. When you hand over the device, he gets really excited, starts playing, and then presses the home button, closing the app. The cycle repeats enough that this situation eventually becomes a game to the child, and a source of frustration for you, the parent.

If this scenario sounds familiar, you will want to watch the video above. We found a product … Read more