Babies and Computers Miami FL

Acevedo Armando E MD
305-649-8870
351 NW 42nd Ave
Miami, FL

Benitez Ania MD PA
305-267-4894
8150 SW 8th St
Miami, FL

Aguero Harry MD
305-669-8311
6035 Bird Rd
Miami, FL

Blanco Luis A MD
305-554-0044
8752 SW 8th St
Miami, FL

Brickell Pediatrics
305-858-3737
1799 SW 3rd Ave
Miami, FL

A C D Pediatric Grou
(305) 828-1255
1840 W 49th St
Hialeah, FL

Alsina Jorge L
(305) 556-4447
4980 W 10th Ave
Hialeah, FL

Bonnilly Belkys MD
(305) 828-7374
315 W 49th St
Hialeah, FL

Doral Pediatric Inc
(305) 826-1250
4765 W 8th Ave
Hialeah, FL

Fernandez Maria Victoria MD
(305) 821-1600
801 W 48th St
Hialeah, FL

By Linda Henry

Here's how it starts: You say to yourself, "Why don't I just quickly
check my e-mail while I feed the baby?" In the midst of things, your
baby's little feet strike the keyboard. Suddenly the screen changes and
your little guy abandons the breast or bottle in favor of the tiny
pictures floating in a blue sky, or the brightly colored lines that
move in on themselves in an endless pattern.

Your baby is interested in the same things you are. Like you, he
wants to tap the keyboard and see what happens. Of course, it didn't
take long for software manufacturers to tap into this market. Knowledge
Adventure created JumpStart Baby, which is aimed at infants from 6
months to 2 years. The company calls it "lapware," since it's designed
for babies who are sitting on a parent's lap at the computer.

"Educational" software for babies, toddlers, and preschoolers
introduces concepts such as shapes, colors, counting, and the alphabet.
The problem, says Michael Rich, M.D., a pediatrician at Children's
Hospital in Boston, is that since a baby isn't interacting with the
computer, neurologically the brain is in a passive state. The same goes
for a child watching television. Since neural connections are made
during the first two years of life through live interactions with
caregivers, the American Academy of Pediatrics has recommended that
children under age 2 should not watch any TV. Dr. Rich sees no
difference between a parent clicking a mouse and a Hollywood producer
creating a TV program: Both result in images on a screen that are
passively received.

If you're going to let your kids play on the computer, Dr. Rich
suggests that you play along with them, and judge for yourself the
nature and quality of "interactivity". Set a time limit. Toddlers
should spend no more than 20 minutes at the computer. Time can be
increased as the child gets older, but balance sedentary activity with
larger doses of exercise and live interaction. Especially during the
first two years of life, nothing's more important than relating to
interactive humans.

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