Mattel’s Fisher-Price brand “$80 Newborn-to-Toddler Apptivity Seat for iPad is similar to many bouncy seats for babies, although this one replaces the standard mobile of toys with a holder for an Apple tablet,” Ina Fried reports for AllThingsD.
“‘We think this toy is the worst of the worst,’ says Josh Golin, associate director for the Boston-based Campaign for a Commercial-free Childhood,” Fried reports. “The group has collected more than 1,400 signatures for a petition asking Mattel’s Fisher Price unit to recall the infant seat. While there are other products aimed at toddlers and young children, Golin said he is shocked to see the iPad aimed at newborns, especially in a setting where they are strapped down and essentially forced to stare at the screen. ‘They are not going to be complaining or crying or asking for the attention that they need,’ Golin said.”
(baby, iPad, and hideous spaghetti-looking, mite-harboring carpet not included)
Fried reports, “Golin says his group backs the American Academy of Pediatrics recommendation discouraging all screen time for kids under 2.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Start ’em young, we always say! 😉
Now, according to the product description, the seat features an “adjustable toy bar has dangling activity toys that are always within reach, and a large, 7” mirror that’s more than entertaining as it reflects baby’s image – it’s also beneficial for facial recognition and developing a sense of self.” Inserting an iPad into the mirror’s case is optional and billed as just “another way to stimulate and engage your child.” Also, the “iPad holder removes completely when you want a traditional seat.” Mattel further recommends that users “download free apps that were created with the guidance of child development experts. Visual content and sounds are slow paced and time out after 10-12 minutes.”
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Lynn Weiler” for the heads up.]
