Computer and kids' age question (teaching, games, parent, play) - Parenting -Children, problems, school, daycare, behavior, age, teenagers, infants - City-Data Forum

nuala · 10-11-2009, 06:57 AM

It's getting crowded lately on the single computer here. The kids are 5 and 6 years old. There are kids' sites with games that they like to play (PBS, Nick, Peep).

What age did your kids get their own computers?
If your kids were close in age, did you buy a desktop for each, or requested sharing of one computer?
Did you put the computers in their own room, or in a common area so you'd be able to monitor?
How reliable are parental filters? (the last thing I want the dirt in front of the very young eyes)

golfgal · 10-11-2009, 07:02 AM

Our kids will get their "own" computer when they go to college. When the kids were in 4th and 7th grade we got a second computer for the family, now that we have 3 high schoolers we have 3 computers for the family.

Momma_bear · 10-11-2009, 07:07 AM

We never used parental filters (we still don't). My kids are currently 15, 13, 10. When the oldest started school we had a desktop and my husband had a laptop that he used when he travelled. That was fine until the third child was around 6.

At that time my oldest was 11. He saved his money and we paid for half his laptop (he paid for the other half as a hanukah gift). When my middle was 11 we did the same with him. My youngest will be 11 soon but he doesn't seem to want his own laptop because he can use the desktop that is upstairs. I have my own laptop and my husband still has one for work. We each have a computer to use.

I would say that if you can afford another computer, it is convenient to have more than one. I would think about laptops. Even though they are more expensive than desktops they are convenient for monitoring what the kids are doing because they can bring them to wherever you are so you can see what they are doing.

txtqueen · 10-11-2009, 07:10 AM

I had an old dell laptop that I got when I was 16. I was about 4 years old at the time. Wouldn't hold a charge and had a short in the power outlet so if moved wrong would shut right off. And it lacked USB ports and was very bleh. It did last me another 4 years.

I was allowed to have it in my room.
My mom never checked it or snooped on it.
Never had controls set on my laptop.

I am 20 now and got a new laptop last Christmas and I have it in my room and its password protected and everything.

When I have kids I plan on getting them one in middle school and they can have it in their room, i'll monitor but I plan on teaching them from early on right and wrong and the dangers of the internet and everything.

nuala · 10-11-2009, 07:24 AM

I need to add, this one computer is used for a business, too, so both my dh and myself need it. In the evening dh wants to browse his sites and watch some shows. It's really getting competitive, one computer for 4 people.

I was thinking of giving this current computer to the kids, and upgrading us to a faster desktop for his shows. And for myself, a small Netbook (maybe a xmas present

) I would be nerve-wrecked to be giving laptops to 5 year olds

txtqueen · 10-11-2009, 07:50 AM

Get the kids a desktop to share.
Get yourself the netbook and a faster computer for the business/husband.

My mom has a laptop and a desktop.
She shares the laptop with my brother[15] till he gets one.
He also has a desktop which is down in the living room.
I have a laptop and am getting the old desktop.

ADVentive · 10-11-2009, 07:54 AM

We have always had more computers in the house than people b/c my DH is a programmer and we keep the old computers around for parts and stuff. My laptop has been acting up (no longer holds a charge at all, the fan makes a bad noise...) so I will probably get a new one in the next year. At that point, this one will likely become a dedicated "kids" computer even though my oldest is only 3. She will be able to use it at the kitchen table for PBSKids games and the like. I've never tried parental filters, but don't see much need at this point, especially b/c she'll be using it in the kitchen.

maciesmom · 10-11-2009, 07:57 AM

We have always had one desktop in a room that everyone shares. Last year, I got a laptop which may be used by anyone if the desktop is occupied by someone else. DD bought a laptop with her highschool grad money and took it to college with her. Never had a problem with this situation.

NCyank · 10-11-2009, 08:38 AM

At that age how much time do the kids spend on the computer? Ours could play for 30 minutes per day at that age. I'd not get them their own computer at that age.

Not until we had two kids in high school did we have a 'need' for an extra computer. Even so, the computer labs are available at school if we didn't have one at home.

Sunnydee · 10-11-2009, 08:45 AM

We had one computer in the livingroom for everyone to share. When my son got to jr. high they indicated he needed a computer, so we got another desktop and located it next to the first one in the livingroom. That worked well until both kids were in high school. I then got a laptop, so we had three computers for four of us to share. Now that our son is in college, he has his own laptop - graduation present, daughter has my old laptop, and I just got a netbook.