4y old ipad junkie

[homervangogh]

i can not move my boy from playing games on ipad, when i take it from him he is absolutely mad. i tried to switch him to storybooks, but no use and now looking for some good interactive storybooks - any suggestions?

[PurpleAlert]

Seriously?
Let the battery run down and dont charge it back up.
Why are you afraid of him being mad?
Who the hell is the adult here?
Take him to a library.

[homervangogh]

hahha he is screaming like hell, and then i start to scream :)

kiddin' a bit, he is in love with his tablet, and i do not have heart to take it from him (and maybe he is a new zuckerberg :))), i think this is best thing to have him read, especially some positive thinking books (friends, helping etc)

[Fizzybangfanny]

Agree with purple

My nephew is the same. 4 years old, was on iPad 4 hours straight on Christmas Day and when it was taken off him, he trashed the grist as tree.

He is totally banned now and goes mad for my iPhone when I go round.

It's too much stimulation for his young brain. Just remove it when he goes bed and do t get it out the next morning.

Stack up on board games, books, puzzles, colouring.

Lots of people use these as crutches to keep them quiet with out realising what they are doing.

[Fizzybangfanny]

i do not have the heart to take it from him

I feel sorry for him.

[glowstick]

Cold turkey seems the only option - give it a few days and he will have forgotten - he is 4 ffs!

[emmaMBC]

Two words - Nosy Crow.

They are a children's book publishers who have developed some fab book apps. Their latest one - Jack and the Beanstalk - is aimed specifically at young boys who really enjoy the gaming side of apps.

[fuzzpig]

I like interactive books on iPad, but if he's so addicted to screen time and already won't entertain the idea of a 'real' book, then I think giving him story apps will only make it worse - real books will just seem more boring in comparison.

I'd just tell him it's broken tbh

[dobedobedo]

Take it off him. Letting him have so much screen time, and whatever the hell he wants because he screams for it is going to make for a very unpleasant child, and huge problems for you now and when he's older.

[Indith]

My lot have half an hour a day on the wii at weekends only and 10 minutes on phone or ipad (at childminder, I don't have an ipad but they have my old phone with no sim with some apps on and disconnected from Internet) per day. Only one lot of 10 mins, if they had it at cm they don't have it at home. They are 7, 5 and 2. The only one who ever kicks off is the 2 year old. You have to impose limits.

[fuzzpig]

Has he ever enjoyed books OP? Doesn't he have stories at bedtime regardless of iPad use?

[emmaMBC]

It's A Book by Lane Smith, and Press Here by Herve Tullet - both show the power of paper over apps in a great way!!!

[MrsDavidBowie]

I am shocked. Hope you are exaggerating op.

[Selks]

Well if you are allowing him to dictate over the ipad I dread to think what his behaviour is going to be like when he is older. Who is the parent here? You need to exert some control over this. Is your parenting always like this? If so you are storing up problems for him and you.
Strict time allowance on useage. Yes it will be painful to begin with but that's parenting for you! Once he gets used to the idea that he cannot be glued to the ipad he will find other activities such as reading more attractive.

[JiltedJohnsJulie]

Hope you found the app suggestion made by emma useful. Agree with some of the others, I would try to limit his time on it.

Is he at school yet? If not, what do you do in the day? If he is in school, can you pack a snack and take him to the park after school? Sometimes they just need to get out and run around

[JiltedJohnsJulie]

And have a read of this. See whether you agree with any of it

[patew]

Hi, there are some really great storybooks for kids out there...I prefer those with interactive elements, but not stupidly inserted interactions, but interactions which are embedded in the story itself...so that kid could get a feeling of being a part of the story...I don't know, check out some of these :

itunes.apple.com/us/app/monster-at-end-this-book...starring/id409467802?mt=8

itunes.apple.com/us/app/ladybug-zee/id847684162?mt=8

itunes.apple.com/us/movie/doras-christmas-carol-adventure/id476507323

itunes.apple.com/us/app/slibby-snail-adventures-hd/id627699498?mt=8

regards!

[MojoRising]

Find some books he likes and search for audio books for the Ipad, our youngest has these on Saturday mornings when he decides 5am is day time. he will sit for hours reading and being read to. you say out any line of the book and he will finish the rhyme. he is also recognising more words.
all this while I squeeze 20 mins more sleep!!

Also look for Lego type apps. ours love proper puzzles but we have found some for the ipad that allow you to earn points and race cars you build. this has led to them being far more expressive with lego.

[hdoodle]

Hi OP, I think you are being attacked a bit here. We should remember that OP wants to get her DS away from the iPad, so let us be helpful, not judgmental. OP, I think that completely taking away the iPad will be difficult but is necessary as it sounds like it is bringing out some unwanted behavior in DS. If you tell us what DS is interested in, I'm sure we can suggest some good books for him.