LilSugar

Cell Phones That Keep Parents and Children in Touch

LilSugar — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 09:00:10 -0700

Staying connected with your kids now involves technology. While back-to-school shopping means papers, pencils and knapsacks for most lil ones, some parents are also adding mobile phones to the supply list.

Thirty-eight percent of LilSugar readers said their children carry a cell phone with them, while 48 percent said they were against a school ban on the wireless devices. The biggest concerns parents have with the gadgets is that their youngsters will overuse them, talk to inappropriate people and not pay attention to class lessons. Cell phone providers are aware of these issues and have taken several measures to make parents more comfortable with them. Among their latest offerings are:

GPS services on popular wireless provider's plans that allow parents to pinpoint kids' locations at any time. Verizon's Chaperone and Sprint's Family Locator allow parents to track their children from their computers on a password-protected account.
Parental control services, also offered by traditional wireless provider's plans, that give parents the ability to set limits on when and where the phones are used.
Specific wireless networks created expressly for young kids, such as Kajeet and FireFly. Designed for elementary school users, the services offer parental controls on all of their phones, allowing parents to limit who can call the phone and who their kids can call. The systems also offer timers that limit when calls can be made to certain numbers and weekly "allowance" minutes that can be added to (or subtracted from) based on the child's behavior.

Check out some of the devices that house these GPS and parental controls below.

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Gadgets to Keep Your Kids Safe

LilSugar — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 04:00:05 -0700

Every mother has at least one of those moments when she starts to panic and thinks her child is missing. Sometimes the tot is hiding behind her leg or the youngster has crawled inside a clothing rack, but the instinct to search for them is the same. To help parents avoid dealing with this stress, there are several gadgets on the market to keep track of kiddos. Would you invest in them or do you find devices extreme?

Cyber Babes: Study Shows Kids Are Well Connected

LilSugar — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 09:00:14 -0700

Even the littlest kids are well connected. According to a recent study by Nielsen Online, more children are catching the wave and surfing the net than ever before. Sixteen million US children between the ages of two and 11 were online in May of this year. That is an 18 percent increase in the number of lil ones over the past five years, while the percentage of all US Internet users increased by 10 percent in that same period. Children are being exposed to technology at earlier ages because they often sit on a working parent's lap or have access to computers at home or in school. The average two to 11-year-old spending more than 11 hours online, a 63 percent increase over the past five years. According to the survey, boys spend seven percent more time online than girls, but girls view nine percent more Web sites than boys. Though the study did not address actions parents are taking to monitor their children's Web time, there are several kid-friendly email services and parental spyware tools that can be used. Do you limit your youngster's screen time?

Blast Back From the Past: Simon

LilSugar — Tue, 19 May 2009 12:00:28 -0700

While today's tots are entertained by a variety of electronic games - many of which fit in the palms of their hands - most of their parents were first introduced to the concept with the simple, four-color memory game, Simon. After first hitting store shelves in 1978, Simon became the must-have toy of that holiday season. As the '80s progressed, the game became even more popular, showing up in feature films such as E.T. and National Lampoon's Vacation.

Though the original version can only be found on eBay these days, Milton Bradley offers smaller, pocket-sized versions of the game and virtually every electronic game manufacturer, like LeapFrog and V-Tech, has its own version as well. While modern games offer a variety of educational benefits and beautiful images, there will always be something magical about the simple, four-colored buttons and unsophisticated sounds that came out of Simon.

Tech Toys That Foster Children's Creativity

LilSugar — Wed, 06 May 2009 15:00:53 -0700

The promise of warm weather and sunny skies may be upon us, but if you are living on either coast of the nation right now, you are little more than a wet rag with all of the rain we have received. Though swing sets and parks may be beckoning, the current forecast has kept many of us indoors. There are a number of new tech products on the market that will keep your lil ones flaunting their creativity and unaware of the fact that they have been cooped up for the past few days. Take at look at some of our favorites.

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Mommy's Lil Helper: iFrogz Tadpole Wrapz

LilSugar — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 10:00:17 -0800

Regardless of how realistic the toy version looks, your lil one will want to get his hands on your electronic gear. Cell phones, BlackBerrys, iPhones and iPods are gleaming objects that seem to scream out, "Grab me from your mommy's hands!"

Keep your tot content and your gadgets secure with the iFrogz Tadpole Wrapz ($15). The Tadpole is a 100 percent silicone cover for your video iPod that allows you to transform it into a toddler-safe toy. The set includes child-sized headphones and a screen protector to keep you from having to make late-night runs to the Apple store for repairs. Perfect for moms who need to distract their kids while waiting in line or on long trips, the Tadpole eliminates the need to buy a separate video player specifically for the preschool set in your home.

Do You Video Chat With Distant Relatives?

LilSugar — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 09:00:54 -0800

I'm lucky enough to live in the same city as my parents and in-laws, but some of the moms at Sugar HQ live thousands of miles away from their tots' grandparents. To break the distance barrier, they use the web cams in their computers to iChat with their parents on a regular basis. They say the online video conversations allow their children to keep up their relationships with their grandparents and satisfy the grandparents' desires to see their loved ones on a more frequent than possible basis.

According to an article in The New York Times, there has been a 20 percent growth in video calling over the last year and that number is only expected to grow as more computers contain built-in web cams.

Do you keep in touch with family members via a web cam?

Motherhood Unplugged

LilSugar — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 04:01:00 -0700

My fingers clicked on the keyboard crafting articles, features, posts and antidotes long before I became a mother. But having my daughter and son has made me more conscious of the time I spend on the computer. It's inspired me to work smarter and faster and become quite the multitasker. While writing is my love and my living, it isn't my life.

This week I'm shutting my laptop, hanging up my cell phone and putting my BlackBerry on the back burner to spend one week of uninterrupted, technology free time with my husband and kids. Instead of spending our days running from jobs to school to errands to activities, we'll leave the car, board a flight, hop shuttles and swim, play and enjoy time without any schedules, deadlines or commitments. I can't wait give my two favorite lil people my undivided attention.
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Web Browser Designed for Autistic Kids

LilSugar — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 05:00:22 -0700

Jenny McCarthy and Jim Carrey aren't the only ones advocating for families affected by autism. John LeSieur noticed his six-year-old grandson, Zac had a hard time navigating the web with all its sights and sounds and decided to lessen the autistic child's hardship. He designed the Zac Browser, a free software that according to the Associated Press, "essentially takes over the computer and reduces the controls available" making it easier for a child with the developmental disorder to focus. It is available to anyone and can run directly from the website or be downloaded.

Parental Investigators: Would You Spy on Your Child?

babysugar — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 09:00:07 -0700

Growing up, I would have been mortified if my parents had read my diary where I divulged crushes and friendship woes. It was my personal way to journal the experiences.

Nowadays, many parents spy without having to sneak under beds or between mattresses. Since kids are online more than ever, moms and dads can download spyware to see what their offspring have been doing. To learn more about the technology trend, read more.

While some parents are fans of keeping tabs of their munchkins in this manner, it seems a tad voyeuristic and intrusive. On the other hand, I've seen Chris Hanson confront perverts stalking youngsters via the Internet on Dateline: To Catch a Predator.

Luckily, my babe is only capable of slamming the keyboard at this point. But ten years from now, I don't know what I'd do.

Would you ever use spy software to peep into your kid's private life?
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