Toddlers' Favorite Toy: The iPhone
By HILARY STOUT
October 15, 2010
THE bedroom door opened and a light went on, signaling an end to nap
time. The toddler, tousle-haired and sleepy-eyed, clambered to a
wobbly stand in his crib. He smiled, reached out to his father, and
uttered what is fast becoming the cry of his generation: "iPhone!"
The iPhone has revolutionized telecommunications. It has also become
the most effective tool in human history to mollify a fussy toddler,
much to the delight of parents reveling in their newfound freedom to
have a conversation in a restaurant or roam the supermarket aisles in
peace. But just as adults have a hard time putting down their
iPhones, so the device is now the Toy of Choice - akin to a treasured
stuffed animal - for many 1-, 2- and 3-year-olds. It's a phenomenon
that is attracting the attention and concern of some childhood
development specialists.
Natasha Sykes, a mother of two in Atlanta, remembers the first time
her daughter, Kelsey, now 3 1/2 but then barely 2 years old, held her
husband's iPhone. "She pressed the button and it lit up. I just
remember her eyes. It was like 'Whoa!' "
The parents were charmed by their daughter's fascination. But then,
said Ms. Sykes (herself a BlackBerry user), "She got serious about
the phone."
Kelsey would ask for it. Then she'd cry for it. "It was like she'd
always want the phone," Ms. Sykes said. After a six-hour search one
day, she and her husband found the iPhone tucked away under Kelsey's
bed. They laughed. But they also felt vague concern. Kelsey, and her
2-year-old brother, Chase, have blocks, Legos, bouncing balls, toy
cars and books galore. ("They love books," Ms. Sykes said.) But
nothing compares to the iPhone.
...
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/17/fashion/17TODDLERS.html
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