OcUK Dadsnet thread

Not a dad myself but I love reading this thread. Really interesting about whether to buy your kid an tablet. Like a poster mentioned they would love their kid to be into technology, I would too. But I'm not sure about them having a tablet unless they have restricted time and they still play with other toys and still socialise with other kids. I like the sound of a kids kindle version.
Like I said not a dad myself but when I am I'll be reading through here again, some amazing dad's on here.
 
agw_01 said:
What age would you buy your child a tablet? My girlfriend has suggested buying our 2 year old son an Amazon Fire Kids tablet for Christmas but I'm not so sure it's a good idea.

He's a bright lad, very vocal, absolutely loves animals and playing with a farm house/tractor set we bought him for his birthday in September. He'll occasionally watch Peppa Pig etc on my step-daughters iPad but most of the time is in the front room playing with his toys with the TV on in the background.

She's said we'll limit his time to an hour or two a day, but I really don't want him to end up curled up on the sofa for hours on end with his face stuck in a screen. I'd love for him to have an interest in technology and computers, he will often sit down and look into my windowed PC case but that's not quite the same as having your retinas burned by a screen in close proximity on full brightness.

I grew up around computers, but they weren't quite as accessible (or harmful) as they are today.
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Kids will experience technology, a large part of teaching happens through this medium as well. You hear people take a holier than thou “oh little Timmy doesn’t touch technology or watch tv he just composes Operas At 3 thanks to this.”

We got our son an iPad at 4, he also had a PS4 at 6 (well it’s mine but he can use it) we limit the PS4 to a max of 2 hours on a weekend and vary rarely he may have a turn on a Friday. iPad he doesn’t get to use on mornings (we need to get him to school) but he can use it on evenings. We just play it by ear and we decide when he has had enough. This is counterbalanced by two walks a day with the dog, he loves RP and making up his own games with his sister, he also has his Lego and Star Wars figures he plays with and we have a weekly board game night.

Basically what I’m saying is, in moderation, and balanced against other activities technology is fine, if not vital, part of kids development. Just don’t listen to the holier than thou, technology is evil, my child is perfect brigade or you will think anything you do is wrong.
 
Just a small update on my lads 'inability' to string a sentence together. Over the last few weeks he has increased his vocab 10 fold :D He is starting to pronounce words clearer but still with a fair few that we struggle with, but he does grab our faces to make us look at him and repeats what he is saying lots of times and he is fixated on our mouths when 'talking' to us and listening to us talking to him. He is now starting to say 4-5 word sentences, such as, "oh no, I dropped it on the floor", or "I'am digging up the road" (peppa pig quote lol) there a few more he says too but there maybe a missing word or a word he can't say right but he is getting really good now. In my eyes anyway.

His favourite word at this time is chocolate cake.:rolleyes: greedy bugger.
 
Oh, regarding when to get a tablet, we decided to get him one for his 3rd birthday in January but we ordered the Kids fire thing off Amazon last month as it was on offer. He loves it. He loves the dragging parts of pictures to make a full image on some apps. Loads of cartoons and movies to keep him occupied. We do however have to limit his time on it. He mainly uses it at night in bed whilst he tries to get to sleep. We tend to put on some mellow animated thing like Gruffalo or In the night garden, that sort of thing.

Dora the explorer is good as that cartoon gets the viewer to repeat words etc and we can hear him doing so. Quite proud that he is coming along nicely now. Just have to get something done about his playgroup key worker and a possible move next year.
 
Droolinggimp said:
Just a small update on my lads 'inability' to string a sentence together. Over the last few weeks he has increased his vocab 10 fold :D He is starting to pronounce words clearer but still with a fair few that we struggle with, but he does grab our faces to make us look at him and repeats what he is saying lots of times and he is fixated on our mouths when 'talking' to us and listening to us talking to him. He is now starting to say 4-5 word sentences, such as, "oh no, I dropped it on the floor", or "I'am digging up the road" (peppa pig quote lol) there a few more he says too but there maybe a missing word or a word he can't say right but he is getting really good now. In my eyes anyway.

His favourite word at this time is chocolate cake.:rolleyes: greedy bugger.
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I haven't followed this so don't know what your son's situation is but it sounds like good news so congrats mate, raising kids can be hard enough as it is without "extra challenges" added but you seem to be a good father and in good spirits so all the best to you and your boy :)
 
Good stuff mate. I was talking to a friend the other day who knew someone who's kid didn't speak a word until he was 4. They had him to all sorts of counsellors/therapists etc, and then one day at a party he approached an adult with a broken toy and said "I think the mechanism is broken". Turns out he'd been practicing on his own, but didn't want to speak to anyone and it just took a situation where he needed to ask for help to get him chatting. Extreme situation of course.

Just goes to show you can't get overly concerned about these benchmarks. My girl seems to go in fits and bursts with her progress so I try not to sweat it. Now she understands the phrase "can you say xyz" it's really fun though. Me: "Can you say 'I. love. you'?" Her: "Iyuooo" Me: "yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!!!". So we spend a lot of time asking her to say things and trying to put them in context.
 
Thanks for the input chaps. I absolutely do not have an issue with him being exposed to technology. I mentioned that he likes my PC and he enjoys sitting with my Mum and they'll use her tablet together.

What I don't want is for him to be left on his own sat there with his face in a screen for hours on end... I know this is only something only I/my girlfriend can control but I think she's one of those people who'd do anything for a bit of peace.

Not that I'm perfect... I'm sat here with my face in my phone typing this while he's in the same room.

I guess a child orientated tablet is a good introduction into technology and a safer method than if he had access to my step daughter's iPad for hours on end. Not that he'd have any chance of getting more than 20 minutes on that!
 
always late said:
I haven't followed this so don't know what your son's situation is but it sounds like good news so congrats mate, raising kids can be hard enough as it is without "extra challenges" added but you seem to be a good father and in good spirits so all the best to you and your boy :)
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In a nutshell.

My lad is 3 in January. He goes to playgroup, which is pretty good. Earlier this year his main key worker left and went to do her on thing (she was really good with him). His newer key worker completed his report for the term and we both (myself and my wife) went for the parent meeting with the key worker. She basically said he is behind on everything. Spacial awareness, not talking in sentences, laying on the ground when he doesn't want to do anything they say, running around too much and falling over.

Pretty much what any 2-3 year old does.

Here is a quote of my post with the report cards in it. Spot the mistakes from his key worker. Many posters on here have said how bad the report is, not my lads but the standard of English from his worker. Anyway, he's getting a great deal better now :)
Droolinggimp said:
His report card.

Untitled by chris sharples, on Flickr

Untitled by chris sharples, on Flickr

Having re-read it again I noticed a rather significant error on the standard of English from the key worker. Using Off instead of Of. rolleyes....

Edit: actually there are lots of mistakes. Maybe it's time to move him to another nursery.
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As many people have said, technology is part of life, for me as long as she still does other things it's fine.

Our 7 year old has her own tablet and PC and can use my Xbox.

Her reading has just exploded in the last 6 months, partly due to the motivation of wanting to be able to play games without help or find her favourite videos on YouTube.

From having to torture ourselves with Biff and Chip for a few months to her quite happily lying in bed silently reading The Famous Five on an old Kindle I had lying around is astonishing.
 
We decided to go Town on Saturday to buy our daughter some new shoes. Normally we wouldn't spend a lot on them, or try not to atleast. However, since it's Christmas, we bought her some nice boots which cost £49. Can't believe the price of some toddler shoes. She will be 2 in January and man it feels like it's gone fast. I actually wish she was a baby again :D.

It's amazing the proud feeling you get as a parent,.
 
wesimmo said:
Her reading has just exploded in the last 6 months, partly due to the motivation of wanting to be able to play games without help or find her favourite videos on YouTube.

From having to torture ourselves with Biff and Chip for a few months to her quite happily lying in bed silently reading The Famous Five on an old Kindle I had lying around is astonishing.
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Yeah, my 6-year-old daughter is the same. She's gone from standard year 2 books to year 3 books now, proper paperbacks. If you can't find her she'll either by under her cabin bed or she'll be in our bed reading to herself. I miss the days of being able to read like that. It's such a magical time for them, the entire world opens up :)
 
Tech
Our son was using an iPad when he was 15 months old, interacting with simple touch games likes the ones from Fox and Sheep. When he was 3 he had his own iPad and it’s definitely accelerated his learning - his reading and writing is well above his age group. He’s now just turned 6 - he knows his way around a keyboard and is confident typing messages to me.
I bought a PS4 when he was 4 and got some of the Lego games for him to play. He quickly got into them - He had 4 Lego games with all of the characters unlocked (100+ in each) and when he got to a puzzle he remembered which character and ability he needed to use by its name, in any of the games.

Of course he does other stuff not involving technology - he reads lots of books and loves to play games. Last year he got into the TopTrump card games, he’s got 20+ sets now and knows all of the strong & weak cards in each set. These were a great learning aid for reading, recognising numbers and realising their value.

This year he is massively into Pokemon cards and playing the Trading Card Game, using real cards and online. I learnt the game myself so I could play it with him and it’s the first time ive noticed that he is ahead of me and doesn’t need ’support’ to get around it and win games.
 
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Our 11 month old son is obsessed with the TV remote. He's figured out that pressing the buttons does "things" and that the remote needs to be pointed at the TV, which we hardly have turned on whilst he's awake (breakfast news and his bedtime programme of "in the night garden" only). He also loves the tablet and phones and even trys to swipe the screen when I'm showing him photos.

I can't wait for him to be older so that I can recapture my childhood with lego, warhammer etc. I'll definately try top trumps too as it'll develop strategdy/winning concepts.
 
I think our little one has got the flu, doesn't have appetite, doesn't want to play and the typical burning up symptoms. Started I believe on Saturday but last night she threw up. :(

We already made an appointment before this started for this Wednesday to see the nurse for the flu nasal spray, so this coming just before that is bad timing.

Was meant to have her eyes tested tomorrow but now I don't think she'll be able to. I hope she's going to well enough for her 2nd birthday on the 29th.
 
It may just be a tummy bug rather than full flu, she might pick up quicker than you expect. You've left it very late for the flu nasal spray. You should have been doing that months ago, when it was first available!
 
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