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Today was one of those days that makes me forget about gifted denial... I decided to let DD12mo play on starfall. We haven't been on there for months and before that she just sort of watched because she was pretty young.

Well, today, she did a lot more than watching! She was repeating all the letters and the sounds they made and trying to sing along with the songs. She even said some new words (moon and I forgot the other one, but there was one more!). She seems to really like the "a" song and kept asking for it all day. I'm pretty sick of hearing it now. She also even was figuring out how to click on the letters even though she's not very good at it yet.

But now I have a lot of questions for you about computer using toddlers:
- how often do you let your toddler play on the computer? do you set time limits?
- when were they able to navigate sites by themselves? (I'm especially interested in this because she's given up her nap entirely and I REALLY need some down time! She doesn't watch TV so I'd love it if she had some quiet activity for 15-30 minutes to do so I had a break from reading Green
Eggs and Ham non-stop. )
- I'm thinking of buying a mouse for her (i just have a touch pad on my laptop), any good ones for little hands?
- how do I teach her to respect my laptop? She thinks that not only is it fun but it also doubles as a chew toy!

You might want to look at the Leap Frog first computer, Click and Start or something like that. It hooks to the TV and has games through age six. It has a keyboard and a mouse. My DD2 got it for Christmas and I know it's been on sale. It gives a little more wiggle room since they can't click on something and open another program, etc. We already run four laptops and I am not adding another one right now.

I second the LeapFrog Click Start recommendation! DD loved hers, and I would suggest getting it pretty quick! DD is 5 now, and outgrew her Click Start at about age 4.

The huge keys and the chunky mouse are kid friendly, and since it is not physically connected to any other device, they can pull and tug and pretty much walk around with their keyboard and mouse without tugging on cables or cords.

We don't set time limits (but we do have to share, so there are some associated limits). When DD was a baby, we let her play with the computer perhaps once a week for five minutes or so. I would _never_ have left her alone with the computer at that time, and she is still not entirely trustworthy. By now, my computer is taped together and missing several keys. She learned to use a mouse at the same time she learned to use a touchpad. I think she was 2, perhaps 2 1/2. By the time she was 3 she was truly independent on the computer.

I would discourage thinking of a computer as a babysitter. It is very important for preschoolers to learn to play by themselves, but it's totally normal and appropriate for babies and toddlers to want to interact with others all of the time. If you are tired of reading, by all means, do something else. But a computer isn't going to do more for a baby than a TV would, IMO. FWIW, DD began wanting to play by herself in her room for about ten or fifteen minutes at a time when she was about 18 months old.

DD2.5 started using a computer around 10 mo when she was tall enough to pull up to the couch where my laptop sits all day. First as a baby she figured out that if she clicked the mouse a song might start again (as the mouse cursor was often left to the original place). She slowly learned more and before two she was quite independent with keyboard and could use it for example to play starfall independently. I think two months ago she figured out how to use the touchpad mouse. I thought of buying a mouse for her but as I hardly ever use my computer on a table I did not think it would get much use. I was not even sure if I wanted her to use a mouse. We had the click start computer too. I hoped she would not mess around with my computer that much. We got it when she was 11mo. She did not like it at all but she is one of the kids who wants the real thing. She does not like toy phones either. She actually asked Santa to bring her her own mac (I wonder why santa forgot LOL).

Now she uses computer as independently as possible for a child who does not really write yet. She likes to type with word, use skype to call grandma, browser for internet and iTunes to listen to music. I set child friendly bookmarks for her. Usually everything goes well although I need to remember to monitor carefully what she does. Today while I was cooking she was trying to find her email (I guess she thinks she needs one too) and tried to type email on google, did not get it quite right and ended up on some japanese discussion forum. I had no idea she knew about google.

She has always been gentle to the computer biggest problem has been a messy screen.

Thanks everyone for the suggestions and answers! I think I'll forgo getting a mouse since that probably won't make a difference and it sounds like 2-2.5 is the "normal" age around here so I have some time still

We tried getting a kid's computer for Christmas and that wasn't a big success. She loves it for pretend play but is not big with actually playing with the games, etc. She seems to be able to navigate the buttons ok, but I think she's turned off by picture quality where as my laptop has so many pretty pictures and videos of her on it and also she can talk to the grandparents on it. So yeah, DD's another one of those kids that wants the real thing.

You know, you're probably right. I think I was saying that more out of desperation. Not only has DD decided to give up naps this week but it's like her intensity is switched on high.

I think she's going through some sort of language explosion because it seems like every day she's coming up with new words/sentences and I spend a huge chunk of the day having to read to her to avoid tantrums (it doesn't help that we have well below freezing temperatures here and can't leave home). I don't even get to read one book straight through either! She'll bring like 5 or more at a time and keep switching back and forth and turning to specific pages that I HAVE to read. I swear she has this face like she's studying for the bar exam or something. On top of that she working on her fine motorskills like crazy, which means I have to be on constant alert that our cat isn't going to be colored on.

I love seeing her develop but I think it was a lot easier when I just had to chase her around the house and follow behind her to make sure she didn't fall from her climbing feats.

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But that also hits on something else that I couldn't really figure out how to put into words earlier. Is there a big difference between Computer time and TV time? I mean, at least with the computer she's interacting?

Also is it actually good for her to be doing this stuff at her age? She clearly loves it and definitely learns stuff from starfall but I don't think she NEEDS it, you know what I mean? I'm just wondering if I let her play on this will she be to concentrated on that and ignore other things she should be learning at this age? Then again, she's been obsessed with numbers/letters for awhile now considering how many times I've had to read this one counting book to her and how she is constantly asking what certain letters are... I don't know, I'm just rambling now.

I can't imagine a baby interacting in a meaningful way with a computer. Yes, they push buttons and mimic noises, but that's not more meaningful than pushing the buttons on a remote control and mimicking the sounds a TV makes. And IMO if there's not real meaningful interaction, computer use is the same as TV use. Personally, I think the most important thing for babies is interaction with other people. Learning to read or write or use a computer is simple and unimportant compared to learning to understand other human beings. Perhaps that is even more true for gifted kids than for ND kids.

I'm in the camp that in small doses computer time is a WONDERFUL babysitter and much more interactive than TV. Bear (almost 3) spends about 1/2 hour ever couple of days or so on starfall and disney and pbs and and and... They are all bookmarked on the boys' profile and he can turn on the computer, log onto their profile and get to the site he wants all on his own.

Often the two boys play together on the computer, Wolf helping Bear through some of the more advanced levels where his mouse skills just aren't up to par. It is adorable to watch.

I am a very big believer in teaching kids to occupy themselves for as long as possible as young as possible. It builds imagination and gives VERY important life skills. I've seen kids who literally CAN'T occupy themselves without adult help at age 6! I have had to babysit one child like this and simply refused to occupy her. I told her that we have a house full of toys, go find something to do. She looked at me like I was nuts but after awhile realized I wasn't kidding. Now she can come over and play by herself or with my boys for about 10 minutes without looking for an adult for input. It's normally just checking in at this point, but still...

I don't mean neglecting or ignoring the kids, but simply asking them to spend a few minutes without your input. With Wolf it was a box of junk mail for him to go through while I did actual mail and bills. We were doing the same thing, but not together. From there it was looking at books on his own while I read or did chores. Then coloring in his high chair while I cooked, etc and so on. With Bear it was playing with his brother or with blocks. Either way I now have an almost three year old and a five and a half year old who can play together or apart for half an hour or longer on their own using their own ides and imagination and coming up with things to do independently of me.

About the mouse issue, my friend has a wireless mouse that is small and (obviously) non-corded. It looks like it would work well for smaller hands. I would wait till the computer was no longer viewed as a teething object though...

DS 9mos plays with the computers (15 or so, with limited, touch-screen, AV presentations) in the natural history section of the local museum. When he saw a live kestral there, he looked up at me in shock, glared at the computer with the kestral segment, and then wiggled and flapped happily at the real bird (which ammused the falconer). So I think he's really getting something out of it. I'm pretty convinced he's really interacting with it.

Probably better than an exersaucer

Everything in moderation? I figure that if he's having fun, he's probably getting what he needs out of something. But I do try to distinguish between fun and "zoned out." I think touch-screen is probably better than mouse, is probalby better than keyboard. I don't let him at the computer at home much because he's not gentle enough with it. (we don't have a TV right now)

-Michaela