Infant Educational Software

How Young is Too Young?

Can infants really benefit from infant educational software? If you read the advertisements, you may almost feel guilty if you haven’t already bought a stack of software to share with your infant. After all, you’ve stocked the baby nursery with everything your little one could possibly need. You’ve got stacks of diapers, a versatile stroller, a cute-as-a-button crib and anything else that is remotely baby related. Now, the doubts are creeping in that your baby may not be getting all of the educational stimulation he or she really needs. How young is too young when it comes to introducing your child to the computer?

Pros

Dr. William Staso, child psychologist and author of Brain Under Construction, believes that the period of development between the ages of 8 months and 18 months is the key time for children’s brains to form their architectural structure. He, along with many of his colleagues, firmly believes that time spent guiding a baby through the usage of a computer is very beneficial. They believe that computer programs and software geared specifically towards babies can stimulate and even expand brain development.

Cons

If you agree with the above agreement, great! But, what do others think? Many child psychiatrists and pediatricians believe that early computer usage may actually be harmful for babies. Optometrists often caution against prolonged computer usage because of the eye strain and damage it could do to developing eyes. Psychologists often feel that introducing a computer to an infant involves pushing a child to progress beyond his natural learning pace. Parents may look at the computer as a replacement for one-on-one attention. The computer in essence becomes a baby sitter, much like the television. Additionally, if a parent pushes a child towards any type of learning, the child may rebel and may even actually regress.

Using Infant Educational Software

How do you know whether to use infant educational software? First, as with anything else you do with your baby, it pays to use common sense. Your one year old may actually be fascinated with the computer simply because she observes you using it so often. If you choose to introduce your child to the computer, keep the following points in mind:

• Choose software that is age appropriate for your child.
• Spend short periods of time at the computer only.
• Don’t push your infant to interact or participate with the software if he or she simply isn’t interested.
• Let your child enjoy spending time exploring the computer, including the keyboard, mouse, etc. (with your help, of course!)
• Be sure you interact with your child as he or she looks at and/or uses the computer. This should be a learning experience as well as a bonding experience for you both.
• Check out the software before you introduce your child to it.
• Ask for recommendations from your pediatrician, friends, relatives, etc. Sites like Epinions will often post testimonies from other consumers just like you.

Software Choices

Not sure where to look for infant software? Check out the following sites:

• Little Smarties: Sherri Dey Connors, CEO of Little Smarties and mother of three, started her business out of sheer frustration when she couldn’t find an educational Web site that met her kids’ needs.
• Super Kids: SuperKids has embarked on a review of software designed for the very, very young. The site offers ratings of popular computer software and is user friendly.
• PC Tots: Here you can order the software series Baby Wow!, in which parents and teachers can choose how long the child plays, what activities he or she plays with, and even the language that the product speaks. Baby Wow! speaks 8 languages in all.
• 4 The Kids Toy Store: This site offers support to answer all your questions about its child educational toys and educational software.