Thursday, March 14, 2013

The iPotty... Tell me it isn't so!

I give up. You already know how I feel about toddlers and technology. I'm not a fan. But this has definitely crossed the line for me and descended into the pit of what-are-we-doing-to-our-kids? hell. I mean seriously. Look at this:
The iPotty by CTA Digital

Tell me it isn't so! Initially, I looked at this and thought, There are no words. But then I got fired up, and guess what? There are a whole lot of words! 

What in God's name are we doing to this generation of toddlers? For a mere $40, we can transform potty training into yet another opportunity to entertain our little ones. Tell me, please, why do parents believe that children should be entertained every single waking hour?! Do they not see the kind of future they are laying out for these overstimulated children who are addicted to technology before they're even old enough to read?! 

I am so fired up right now, so please forgive my rant. Or, if you're feeling the same way, please share my rant with as many young parents or parents-to-be that you know. This madness has to stop!

And let me reassure you... your child is not going to be behind the other kids if he does not have an iPad, iPhone, iWhatever by the time he's 4. He's not. I'm willing to bet that if you sit an 8-year-old down with one of those devices in front of him for the first time, he'll catch up rather quickly to his playmate who has been fidgeting with one since he was 2. 

Aside from the over-stimulation and lack of parent involvement, there is the issue of radiation, which many experts are quite concerned about. And then people have the nerve to blame God when their child ends up with brain cancer. 

As a grandmother, I am here to tell you that your not-yet-potty-trained toddler does not need an iPotty. Period. While potty training reduces the best of us to bribery, do not fall prey to this technological nightmare. If your child needs added motivation and a bit of entertainment while trying to master the art of pooping on the potty, plop yourself down beside him and read a book... GASP... did I just recommend actually reading to your child? How dare me be so old-fashioned. 



My all-time favorite potty training book was Everyone Poops by Tara Gomi. Check it out. There are no apps to download. Just some mommy-and-me time gathered 'round the loo. Some reading. Some talking. Some laughing. And a hug or two. No batteries needed.

So what do you think? Is it about time I caught up with the current parenting trends? Or, just maybe, am I right on about this one? After all, there was a time people thought disposable diapers and formula was the wave of the future. I'm glad I didn't buy into any of that either.




4 comments:

  1. I CAN'T AFFORD THE iPOTTY Nor would I want one. I have a hard enough time trying to protect from not conforming to this world and being obsessed with materialistic items. I went with a very inexpensive potty that plays trumpets when she goes in it. She just started pooping in the potty. Quite honestly, even though she has a leapster GS I limit the amount of time she spends playing on that also.

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    1. Good for you, Jenn! When it comes to electronics and toddlers, I'm of the mindset that less is more.

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  2. I had no idea this was a real product until I saw it on Amazon... Wow... I wouldn't know where to start on how this doesn't seem like a good idea in any way!

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