Child’s Play

Dealing with a precocious child could need a special kind of fortitude for many.

Children’s Day lineup or gifting season, retailer shelves are dressed with cool gadgets for young fingers

Dealing with a precocious child could need a special kind of fortitude for many. But a simple solution would be to hand over your TV remote to them or simply let them run their hands over your laptop. This generation, after all, is not about stuffed toys and building blocks but X-boxes and hi-tech gadgets that have caught the imagination of tiny tots. Toy manufacturers seem to have caught on to this trend quickly as the plethora of gadgets in the market testify.

“Convergence is the way forward. Children must be exposed to gadgets very early in life. If they are technologically comfortable at an early age, then handling difficult devices or gadgets in future becomes easy,” says Atindriya Bose, country manager, Sony Computer Entertainment who launched Playstation3000 series last week, a device that has special games for children based on spellings and music. For those who want to burn a smaller hole in their pocket can opt for an Xbox 360 console instead.

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There is a fascination and admiration for technology from a very young age, making hi-tech gadgets the gift of choice for most children. “But one must make sure that these gadgets have educational value in them too,” says Bose.

From creating greeting cards to flying airplanes, the Digital Arts and Crafts Studio created by Fisher Price especially for pre-schoolers makes sure your kids have fun while helping them learn. “The range has been designed to get children to learn, using their creativity to the fullest and ensure the overall development of little ones, while they are getting entertained,” says Rahul Bhowmik, marketing head, Mattel Toys, India. Priced between Rs 2,000-3,000, the collection is also inclusive of Computer Cool School with CD-ROM software, keyboard, writing tablet and stylus for left or right-handed children and All-in-one Learning Desk where your child will learn school-ready skills like letters, numbers, counting, phonics, vocabulary and writing. “The desk has spaces to put regular paper, markers and crayons which help the child tidy up the room,” says Bhowmik.

While gadgets these days are mainly designed to encourage educational activities, Disney proves that you’re never too young to have an MP3 player with the introduction of the Disney Mix Stick digital audio player. And not just this, for kids who have a penchant for music, ELC Toys introduces the Funky Beats Keyboard with pre-recorded demo songs, rhythm and drum sounds and a microphone. “You can even record your performances and dance to your own music when you play it back,” says Prema Saldanha, mother of a four-year-old.

If your tiny tot is not into action toys or computers, there are lots of other gadgets like skincare devices, body massagers, flip-top mobile phones, fancy stationary and even a battery operated eyelash curler that range from Rs 30-300. Available at Heera Panna at Mahalaxmi and Alpha at Andheri, these are among the new entrants. “While the need for gadgets cannot be undermined, one must be sure about what goes into the hands of their children,” cautions Bhowmik.

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Value for Money
* Playstation 3000 series – Rs 39,000/-
* Digital Arts and Crafts Studio – Rs 2,999/-
* Computer Cool School – Rs 2,999/-
* All-in-one Learning Desk- Rs 3,999/-
* Disney Mix Stick MP3 – Rs 1,800/-
* Funky Beats Keyboard – Rs 2,870/-