Reply to Should Santa bring an iTouch to my nearly 3 year old?

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Reply to "Should Santa bring an iTouch to my nearly 3 year old?"

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[quote=Anonymous]Okay, first:  IPads and ITouch and other electronic devices are widely used in Occupational and Physical Therapy for a variety of reasons.  Some children have these devices because their therapy is specifically targeting skills that can be better developed with touch technology.  This doesn't entirely contradict a PP's doctor's point about development and technology -- children must be monitored - but it does provide an important and well-recognized counterpoint.

I am assuming OP's DC doesn't fall into this category of a child whose physician or therapist is using the technology to achieve a developmental goal. There are many children who do, and many of them may have the technology for reasons that are not immediately apparent.

In my child's case, we used technology to accommodate a challenge *I* had.  It helped ease a very difficult situation for our family.  Yes, the fact that we had some disposable income helped.  DC has had an IPod since she was 2:  she got it (from us) because I was unable to continue reading her stories due to a serious medical problem (since resolved).  I would get the books on tape and she would listen and I would turn the pages -- DH was unable to be with her every night so he couldn't help with the stories.  She subsequently began to enjoy music that way, too.  Yes, we could have just had her hook up the earphones to the computer, but this was also helpful when we were traveling as well (IPod was more portable).  The next year, I got a free ITouch when we got a new Macbook.  We allowed DC to have it -- and it remains a hit.  She uses it for apps (that only we load); she writes "notes" on it, and she listens to her books and music on it.  She is now reading, so she can also read on it -- this has been going on since she was just over 3 (the reading started before she turned 4 and I feel fairly certain her emergent reading was helped by the IPod "solution").

Is DC admittedly very lucky because we have the ability to buy her things like this and/or give them to her (I had no interest in the ITouch for myself and so gave it to her)?  Yes.  Would people say she is spoiled?  Of course.  Could OP achieve her same goals in other ways (a used, no plan IPhone that has apps preloaded -- depending on apps - or the plastic phone)?  Yes and no:  you can't achieve the app goal without the Apple (or similar provider) model.  You can achieve the phone goal (but that's truly not what the child is asking for. . . .).  Is OP the first person whose child will get an ITouch from Santa at an admittedly pretty young age?  Absolutely not.

Were I in your position, OP, I'd probably go for it.  If you're reasonably thick-skinned and can take opinions for what they're worth (you solicited feedback and you got it), then I hope you got enough reactions to help with your choice.  Have a good holiday.[/quote]

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