Are iPad Toys Are Taking The Fun Out of Childhood?

Straight from the technology frenzy of CES we have two new toys that assume kids can't get away from their parents' (or their?) iPad, even to do kid-like things like play with toys, or go to the bathroom. 

The iPotty, comes with a docking station so your little one can be just like Daddy and take his or her reading material to the can with them. Luckily, it also comes with a splashguard, though as one commenter noted, you would probably want the whole thing to be waterproof.

The company that makes the iPotty also makes a giant iPad docking cube with squishy corners so your toddling techno-tot can stand and play with the iPad. I didn't realize that the Kindle (is my Canadian bias showing?) has a driving game that is so great, that it would motivate you to invest money into a blow-up car just to enjoy the full driving experience.

On a scarier note, Fisher Price is introducing their iconic farm with an iPad dock where the farm used to be. The Fisher-Price farm would be on my top ten lists of great toys because all my kids loved it. But if your kid is just too tired to open and close the gates or make animal noises themselves, they can use the iPad Apps. I have no doubt that some of the games are be fun but lots of games are fun; it is imagination that is best part of play.

I don't mean to give the winner of the worst toy of the year a hard time. Despite the warnings of the medical establishment, most of us give our screens to our kids under the age of four. Fisher-Price is no doubt responding to market demand when it comes to what parents want and what they choose to spend their money on. So in the end it is our fault. We are taking the fun out of childhood.

Would you buy one of these toys for your kids?

 Want more chaos? Last year, I had a night full of blood and anxiety, but decided it was for the best. 

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