Baby Daddy

delete the obnoxious game with all the noises.

but maybe compromise and let her spend a bit of time each day with a relatively useful computer game? pbskids.org and noggin both have games for two year olds that promote computer literacy and fun stuff like letter, shape, color, or sound recognition.

its screen time, but at least its interactive

Ok bro, get rid of that program and pretend it never existed. Now it's on the computer, how are you ever going to get your work done? She'll have the rest of her life for moving images and bells and whistles. Keep her electronic gadget free as long as possible--my kids are 10 and 12 and got plugged in to the whole Club Penguin/ipod/Youtube world just recently and it's so depressing, their minds have been colonized like you can't believe.

Set a timer, and teach her that when the timer goes off, time's up, and have something ready for her to do when it goes off.  "Oh sorry, josie, time's up, but here are your poodle puppets and they need a snack!"

We LIVE by the timer in my house.  (time's up, time for bath, time to leave, etc.  poor kid's never going to get to class on time in college without a windup kitchen timer.)  She gets it though, and there's rarely much of an argument.  

We use a timer as well. You, too, can train your kid to be Pavlov's dog.

That said, I don't think there were computer games for babies when my kids were babies. Like everything, kids' interests rise and wane over time. My kids were totally into the on-line Webkinz craze a few months ago, and I let them both play for 20 minutes per day, but I don't think either of them have asked to use my computer in about a month.

Of course, as soon as I have five deadlines in a week, they'll discover a new game they want to play all the time, and I'll try to sneakily change the timer when they're not looking, which no longer works because they can tell time, and I'll have to bribe them with a trip to Blockbuster to get them off. Because I do refuse, at this point, to let them have a designated kids' computer. Although my 9-year-old is lobbying hard for one...

Get her her own laptop.

Start watching television again. You work for a media outlet. Keeping your daughter in some kind of luddite fantasy world is just stupid.

I dread the day when my son finds the computer. DREAD. At this point he doesn't have much interest, (he's 19 months), but I don't get on my laptop when he's awake and around me. My husband will briefly while he's eating breakfast.

Here's what you do. Put the computer away while she's up. Wait until she's in bed to get on it. She'll forget about it. Tell Grandpa Bob not to undo the deprogramming.

I let my son watch an episode of Boohbah when he was sick because he was so lethargic, but wouldn't let me put him down for a minute. Now he asks for it and I let him watch one episode a day, right before dinner. He knows Boohbah happens then and only then. It's working so far. He's smart though, we'll see....

I have a super smart 5-year old who is living proof these games cannot be that bad.  My husband was a stay at home dad for the first year of our son's life and I am pretty sure my son spent all 8 hours of the day playing "BabyWow".  And, I'm pretty sure it was this software that taught him his colors, object, numbers, etc.  That said, We can't use our home computer right now because our 15-month old screams when she sees us using it - she wants to play "BabyWow".  

We are having a similar problem with the evil (but catchy) Backyardigaans DVDs that Grandma and Grandpa bought our 1 year old for X-mas (Gee, thanks guys.)  We don't have a TV so she would watch them on our laptops and then we couldn't have the stupid things out without the whining and begging and pointing with sounds that she assumes convey meaning....blah, blah, blah.  So we had to go and get a portable DVD player (because the safety of my laptop was seriously undermined by all this Nick Jr. nonsense) and now she watches on that, but I have to hide it from her if I don't want her watching it.  I try to only let her watch it right before meals.  That way when i turn it off, we are going to do something specific which she enjoys and there's not nearly as much throwing herself on the ground and screaming like I put her teddy in the garbage disposal.  It's kind off a no-win situation for the parents, but I agree with what someone said earlier.  Kids do tend to become obsessed with something for a while and then move on, so you never know, she might just decide the sheep of the highland are boring one day and move on the shoving things in the outlets.

These are different times, my friend....that's for sure.  That said, I wont let Michael sit in frot of the computer for hours (he wouldnt anyway, he loses interest after about 15 minutes) but damn that club Penguin.  In school computers are everywhere, games on the computers, the whole 9...moderation is key as you know but hey, if Jos can get a leg up, I mean she already learned to manicure......

as i was reading this my 16-month-old was nursing in my lap. (he has the stomach flu) then he perked up and began trying to  get at the keys. So I asked him his views on the matter:

c    f        n n  j    hn  v c  jk      n  x    

     m  , ,m  m mmmmm                  xcx  

translation: babies of the world unite! you have nothing to lose but your

;' jhgjh.,

[unintelligible}

so it seems to me it's evolution.  you described the glassy eyes and i stopped and took an out-of-body glance at myself.  i've been procrastinating at work, reading babble blogs for an hour now and i'll tell ya- i feel enlightened.  screen drain is the direction we're heading in and we may as well not fight it.

i like the timer idea.  or, maybe you can "break" the sound at least.

I hope mama de marlie is joking. Whenever I hear "we may as well not fight it" whether at work, home, whatever, I laugh. What? If you ain't fightin' then you're lying down. It's a freakin' computer game. Pull the plug and be interesting to your kid. You'd want the same for yourself.

as long as it's not for hours, the kid will be okay. there are computers in preschool so it's going to be a plus if she is at least a little familiar when she gets to school. i have 3 kids and am pretty strict (compared to "everyone else in my school!") with tv and computer usage. they need the computer for school assignments (Junior high is like college now, everything has to be typed!) my son looks up magic tricks and my youngest plays on all the kid sites. they also beg me to go to the library on the weekends. so really, it's not that bad.

My 16 month old daughter associates my laptop, which sits on the kitchen counter, with seeing baby videos on YouTube.  We posted a video of her for long distance family and at some point showed her the video on the laptop.  Now, whenever she sees the laptop, she says "ba-bay" repeatedly.  About half the time I say no and the other half we spend with her in my lap as we watch funny baby videos together.  At this point, we're trying to teach her the concept of "no" but also enjoy spending time watching videos with her.  I think as long as the time with the computer is also interactive with the parents, a little screen time is OK.  She also has discovered Dora on the TiVo  - another activity that we spend time with together.

Wait a second - there are computers in preschool so it'll be good that she has a leg up at 3?  I don't think a kid encountering computers at 3, 4, or 5 or whatever is going to be at a terrible disadvantage when applying for Harvard - I'm sure they'll have caught up.  I'm with the idea of limiting the time (gonna have to try the timer thing) but also think that will work better at 3 or 4 then right now at 2, when the tantrum is the battle mode of choice.  You're not a bad dad if you turn the computer or TV on when you're too tired to deal - we all get that way and need a break.  All things in moderation.