Hello all,

My husband and I are looking into buying our son a computer (possibly a pad) and would like some input on what to get him -- or if we should get him a computer at all. Our main goals are to introduce him to computers and provide him a way to write (since his motor skills don't allow that yet, and he loves typing on our computers).

To give you a bit of background, he's 34 months old, can read (Frog and Toad books without difficulty, for instance), can count with 1-1 correspondence up to at least eight (at which point he wandered away), can do a little simple addition and subtraction, and can spell out some words using the letters on the fridge ("milk" and "ear" for example).

Has anyone else bought their young child a computer? If so, what issues did you consider (and which did you discover after the fact)? What do you like and dislike about it? Is durability an issue? Or is a computer at this point simply a mistake?

Thanks for any input!

DD6 just got her first computer for Christmas, a laptop. Before then, DW and I let her have some highly-supervised time on our machines. And even at 6, her computer is being heavily managed by myself.

At 3, she could very easily, inadvertently click the wrong thing on the computer and render it nonfunctional, so that was our chief concern. Then there are all the ways she could render it nonfunctional from a hardware perspective... dropping, spilling, etc.

There are some simple, cheap learning "computers" at Toys R Us from companies like Leapfrog that DD seemed to like at ages 3-5.

iPhone/iPad/iPod are easy for 3yo to maneuver. DS3 knows how to use once since he was 1.

I do find laptop mouse pad to be easier for kids to use than traditional mice.

DS6 received his own desktop at age 2, and a small laptop at age 5. The main issues I considered with the desktop were safety, processing power, and graphics power. We solved the safety issue by keeping it off the web, and in fact even off of our network, and letting him use a restricted user account that couldn't uninstall programs etc. I bought some lower-case thin keyboard vinyl stickers and a small Microsoft travel mouse, and he was in business. Early on he used to play at typing a bit, but mostly used a few educational software titles and simulation games like Zoo Tycoon, Crazy Machines, etc. Later on he used all sorts of software on it.

The main issues I considered with the laptop were safety, size, battery life, ergonomics, and again good enough power to run his programs. I wound up considering a netbook, but instead gave him my old Thinkpad X100e, which is a perfect size for his hands and which has a wonderful keyboard. Once again he uses a restricted user account, but he has web access now, which we control using Windows Live Family Safety. The laptop's build quality is very solid, and it has a solid state drive to further reduce the possibility of damage due to a fall.

A netbook might be a good choice, because of the size, lightness and long battery life, but they are fairly underpowered. Durability is always an issue with expensive electronics that are designed to be carried. I'm partial to ThinkPads, but of course you may not want to spend many hundreds of dollars (though there are small models like the X120e that regularly dip below $400). If money is no object I'd buy something with years of in-home service and business-class build.

(And I think a tablet might be a good option, too, but I just don't like them. I just prefer something with a keyboard built-in and more storage and upgradeability options.)

I just noticed this Inspiron 11z deal for $299.99-- it might be a good option for you:
http://www.dell.com/us/p/popular-laptop-deals

(you have to click the blue bar)

We got Mr W his computer before he was 2. I bought a cheap desktop from Frys and put Ubuntu linux on it. He needed a trackball until he was 3.5 and now he uses a laser based mouse.

I've let him use my laptop but he has dropped it a few times. I would not get a laptop until they older. Maybe 6.

He likes to play games, time on starfall and other sites.

I'll be the dissenting voice here. DS3 does not know how to use a computer and is not really given access. DD7 was not given much access till about age 6, and even now we limit screentime quite a lot. I just think they have a lot to learn in the nonscreen world at this age, and I don't feel they're missing out on much they couldn't get another way. I have zero concerns that my kids will not be computer-literate in this day and age. It's all coming soon enough.

Agreed, computers certainly aren't necessary. They are fun, educational and useful when used the right way, but the vast majority of the great minds of the 20th century and before certainly didn't have them as children, and they turned out all right. I also wouldn't give a child a computer early on out of a worry that they would otherwise turn out computer illiterate in the end (though I don't think it likely that the OP has that worry).

Now, if you're answering in the affirmative the OP's question about whether a computer for a youngster is a mistake, I'd have to disagree.

I second that.

Sort of like books?

Prior to the printing press, books were very very rare. And prohibitively expensive.

Gutenberg changed that. The Reformation and the Renaissance were sparked as much by the printing press as the political events in the Low Countries. Knowledge became available to many more people.

The internet has made the cost of obtaining knowledge almost zero. A computer coupled with the internet allows anyone to educate themselves once they can read and at a far faster pace.

The Kahn Academy and Starfall are two very good sites. ALEKS is another.

As far as computer literacy goes, I define it as being able to program. I learned to program when I was 12. I see no reason why a bright kid cannot start doing this when they are 7.