Corning Incorporated sponsored this blog post. The opinions and text are all mine.
I have 4 kids 3 years old and under. And a few months ago we had a monumental week. In the course of 48 hours we lost a phone, baby monitor, and computer mouse to the toilet. My 18-month-old was quick as lightning and super interested, apparently, in hearing the splash that expensive electronic devices made when landing in water. Oh, and that was a week after he’d accidentally slung my cell phone out of my hand and shattered the screen. So… it was an expensive two weeks.
That was because I’d gone lax with my childproofing practices. So, I brought back the “rules” in our home to keep all technology and gadgets as safe as can be and so far so good. I know children and screen time can be a touchy subject, and each home is different, but here are the rules that have helped us.
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1. No touching for small ones
I don’t let my children under 2 years old play with my cell phone ever. At all. Not even as a source of entertainment. I feel that age is too young to understand that things are breakable and, my children at least, are still at the “throwing things across the room is so fun right now” stage. Older children may use a cell phone or tablet for apps during screentime, but they are better able to understand what “breakable” means.
2. Get the right stuff
Even though you’re going to childproof your technology, you still need to have sturdy stuff. You may even already have it! Corning® Gorilla® Glass is built in to many models and drastically reduces the likelihood of screen cracking during a fall (scroll down to see if your phone has it). Get covers and cases and don’t make the same mistake I did by trying to get pretty ones instead of sturdy ones.
I had a pretty pink leather one with a flap and the minute my 18-month-old swung his arms in excitement on the tennis court: bye bye screen. Give your phones and tablets that are accessible to children a fighting chance by getting proper protection for them. You know… in case your young ones remember exactly where you hide it and grab it while you aren’t looking. Kids are crafty like that!
3. Have set areas
If your entire house is tile, then I’d make your set area the couch :) For younger children who are not yet able to be careful, and even slightly older children who are a tad clumsy, it’s a good idea to create technology zones for them. Whether it’s a big rug where they can lay and play, the couch, a chair, or up at the table where there’s less chance of falling, this will put your mind at ease and prevent them from thinking they can grab your gadgets and use them at will.
4. Put passwords
I keep passwords (both numbers and patterns depending on the gadget) on all pieces of technology in our home. Pretty quickly the cell phone loses its appeal when they can’t do anything except make a pattern and then get blocked. This will help enforce the set times and set areas rule because they won’t have instant access to the gadget.
If children are able to immediately access technology, they may regularly take it and go hide somewhere and this is a recipe for disaster. And by disaster I mean them finding something to look at they shouldn’t and/or breaking or cracking an expensive piece of technology in the process. Even with something sturdy like Gorilla Glass and a heavy duty case, technological gadgets aren’t impervious to small children!
5. Supervise
I think it’s a great idea to supervise all internet activity for kids for a good long time. There’s nasty stuff out there and you don’t have to go looking for it to find it anymore. I’m not saying you have to breathe down your kids’ necks their entire screen time, but be around and about. If kids know that you’re there and you’re paying attention they’ll be more careful with what they are doing.
In my home I take things away when kids fight over them. And aside from a very loud and very entertaining (to them) plastic guitar, the phone and tablet are highly sought after objects. Even while watching videos they’ll try to pull the tablet closer to each one for a better view, so supervision for me is a must!
Corning® Gorilla® Glass has been used on more than 3 billion devices from 40 major brands. Is it on yours? Click here to find out.
Corning Incorporated sponsored this blog post. The opinions and text are all mine.
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