May 13, 2013

Babies and Gadgets

We live in a world full of electronic devices. iPad/tablets, smartphones, camera, tv, etc.. No point denying, i AM addicted to my phone. i bring it everywhere i go. Even my husband is not that attached to me.

Nowadays, i notice that even children are attached to those gadgets. At restaurants i see mom, dad, and their teenage kids are not speaking to each other, but glued to their tablets and smartphones. Toddlers on their strollers are not looking around at their surrounding, but busy with their iPad. Once i witnessed a mom with two cranky girls (aged 2-4 years) at a restaurant and to calm them down, she shoved an iPad each to the girls. Terus senyap diorang. The mother then ate in peace.

These scenarios made me think: 1) Banyak nyer duit ko, mak bapak sampai bole belikan anak kecil gadget sorang satu. 2) Please, ya Allah, help me i don't want to depend on gadgets to calm my kids.

Like any other babies yang baru kenal dunia, Afif sangat suka tengok colorful things. Kalo dukung dia, puas lah dia meraba tudung colorful aku. Kalau tengok tv tu celik aja dia. Kalo aku or Mr. Chenta pegang/main phone, bersungguh-sungguh dia tengok scrin tu. Tapi kalo bagi toys kejap je dia boring (-_____-)

As a mom, i'm paranoid. i don't want Afif adik beradik to be one of those technology-dependent kids. But at the same time i understand how easy it is to shut your kid up by just shoving those colorful screen tablets/smartphones under their noses.

Imagine my horror when i stumbled across this article about a 4-year-old girl going to therapy for iPad addiction. And also this dad's article on his son's love for gadget. Baca lah article tersebut. Scary i tell you. It's not just about how those screens are bad for their eyes and physical and psychological development, it's also about how detached they are from you once they are attached to those electronic things. According to HealthyKidsHealtyFuture.org, we should not let babies have screen time because:

The first 2 years of life are a critical time for brain development. Spending time in front of a screen can get in the way of exploring, playing, and interacting with grown-ups and their tiny peers — all of which encourage learning and healthy physical and social development.


•As children get older, too much screen time can interfere with being physically active, reading, doing homework, playing with friends, and spending time with family.

•Kids who consistently spend too much time watching TV are more likely to be obese or overweight.

You can read the full article here.
i admit, i used to play Candy Crush or just simply look through my phone when i breastfeed Afif. Gila engko kalo dah sejam anak aku bergayut, bosan la jugak kan. Husband aku lagi la hantu Candy Crush. Itu yang dia hadapnya 24/7. Secara tak langsung, waktu kitorang main main phone/iPad ni Afif terjebak sama.

Nowadays, i don't do that anymore. When i'm with Afif, i restrain myself from holding the phone. Sigh. It ain't easy but i gotta do it if i don't want him to be a gadget-addict like his parents. At least not at young age. Instead, i encourage him to play with his toys, read him story books, show him the mirror (dia suka betol tengok "budak hensem" didalam cermin hehe), bawak gi depan rumah tengok luar.Tapi laki aku ni susah betol dia nak bertahan. Waktu lepak ngan Afif, dia bg Afif tengok dia main Candy Crush. Apakah? Apakah??? Sigh. Tapi pasal tengok tv takleh buat apa lah. Siang Wan jaga dia memang 50% of the time depan tv. Takkan aku nak suruh Wan tutup tv the whole day pulak?

My point is, let's try to minimize our kids' contact with fancy electronic stuff. Instead, let them be kids. Let them draw, go swimming, make a mess, fight with peers, makan pasir/rumput like we used to do. i foresee it's gonna be hard when we ourselves are gadget-dependant but i'm gonna try.

Please pray that i'll succeed!


4 comments on "Babies and Gadgets"
  1. good post...i pun concern ...serius kan gadget addiction ni...memang kalau pegi restoran, at least 1 table ada 1 ipad..kalau ada 2,3 anak dah bergaduh2 menangis berebut nak ipad (encounter such situation a few times)..i takde ipad and terpikir nak beli untuk hamza...but still tak beli lagi sebab takut nanti akan bagi hamza dok layan ipad je..dahla sekarang ni pun memang melayan babytv je kejanya siap dah tau program mana dia suka...i pun sometimes marah husband mata melekat kat facebook time jaga hamza..but i pun kadang2 camtu jugak 2x5..hahah..but trying my best untuk main hands on dengan dia, bagi flash card, toys, and simple songtime or storytelling...the thing about addict to gadget ni nanti social skill dorang akan terjejas...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks! Tu lah it's a serious issue. I takot sgt kalo afif terjebak smpai kene gi therapy. Paranoid much? Lol. Takpe, let's do our best to entertain them the old fashioned way. Good luck to u too!

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  2. kita parents ni kena tegas. just sharing saya kalau balik rumah hp, tab semua simpan. main je dgn anak. ajak dia lipat baju, sidai baju or tgk tv sama2. so far dia tak kisah sgt even tab depan mata. tab guna dlm kereta je la.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for ur input. Tu la memang slalu ajak dia main. Pasni kene banyakkan lg educational toys n books supaya dia tak bosan..

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