What next? Now toddlers are playing on iPhones

Dan Frakes' 3-year-old daughter likes to play in the sand, finger paint and sing along to "The Wheels on the Bus."
The preschooler can do these things the good old-fashioned way. She can also do them in a decidedly new way: by using Dad's iPhone.
Colorful and interactive applications such as finger painting, bubble popping and sing-alongs for the iPhone and iPod Touch have proliferated for the junior consumer, raising questions about when to introduce young children to new technologies.
"Kids -- including toddlers -- increasingly have no barrier and no inhibitions when it comes to technology," said Gareb Shamus, editor of Toy Wishes magazine. "And there's no question that toy companies are using technology in devices for younger and younger children."
He added, "The iPhone is a very practical device. I have real business applications on it, and my kids have their game applications on it. I see it as having educational value for everyone."
San Francisco pediatrician Cyril Ramer, who has been in private practice for decades, cautions against using games or applications on a smart phone for anything more than occasional play or placating.
"Early childhood is about movement, so I do worry about kids staying focused on that tiny screen," said Ramer, remembering when her son was young and became overly fixated on a Game Boy. "The work of childhood should be play."
At the same time, Ramer understands the allure. A dad was in her office recently with his child who could not be calmed.
"He got out his iPhone and turned on a Disney movie," Ramer said. "The child was suddenly fine and the dad could talk to me. So that's great. What I would say, though, is that parents are not making their kids smarter or giving them a head start by introducing them to these things early."
For many parents, handing a young child an iPhone is the modern-day version of extracting a set of shiny, jingly keys from a purse or pocket. It is a slightly desperate tactic to keep an antsy child seated at a table, standing in line at the checkout counter or cooperative on a trip.
Frakes, the father of the 3-year-old and a 1-year-old, said, "Our 3-year-old loves books and playing with blocks, but every once in a while, she decides she wants to play with the iPhone. We do sort of worry and ask whether we are letting her play with it too much rather than spend time on other things."
So generally, Frakes -- a senior editor at MacWorld.com -- keeps iPhone usage to last-resort moments, such as when the family is on a long drive and a meltdown seems imminent.
"I think the overall theme is that kids these days, especially kids growing up in tech-savvy households, are getting introduced to things at a much earlier age than you and I did," Frakes said.
There are more than 35,000 iPhone applications available through Apple's App Store. The company generated controversy recently when it had to pull one application that centered on quieting a virtual crying baby by shaking the phone. On a more positive front, Apple recently recorded the 1 billionth download of its iPhone applications, an impressive milestone given that the store has been open only since July.
IPhone applications for the toddler and preschool set range from the mindless popping of bubbles to more educational programs aimed at developing pre-reading and writing skills.
Heather Piper, a mother of two, calls her 5-year-old son her "gadget boy."
"Children are hardwired for technology, whether it's something as simple as a remote or more complex like an iPhone or BlackBerry," said Piper, an early-childhood interventionist at Russian Hill School in San Francisco. "Kids are interested in what we as parents are doing. We keep these phones in our hands all the time, so kids learn through watching and modeling."
Like anything kids are exposed to, moderation is key, Piper said.
"I think all of the technology is good if you're right there with them," Piper said. "It's about being thoughtful and careful and making it a learning opportunity."
Len Simonian, a toy-industry expert, said the iPhone is especially appealing to kids because of its touch screen and colorful icons.
Simonian urges parents to set clear rules for use of the iPhone. These include telling the child to hold the device with both hands, use it only while sitting down and return it when requested.
"Nowadays, you try to give a child a plastic phone and they're like, 'You think I'm stupid? I want the real thing!' " said Simonian, who runs a small toy company called Only Hearts Club. "All of this technology is going to be a huge part of their lives. They're starting young, and by the time they're my kids' ages -- 7, 10 and 12 -- it's totally second nature to them."
Most iPhone applications for toddlers and young children are free or cost 99 cents to $1.99. Here are a few fun ones for young children:
-- FingerPaint by Mobility Ware, 99 cents, offers finger painting and doodling onscreen.
-- BubbleWrap, free, asks the user to pop as many bubbles as possible. A score is kept and bubbles reinflate.
-- Animals Sound Machine by Frank Rizzo, 99 cents. Tap an image to hear animal sounds. The sounds can be played on top of one another.
-- Puppy Parade by Formal Friday, 99 cents, provides a new puppy and bark with the shake of the phone. It includes pictures of more than 100 dogs.
-- iGotchi by SmackFu Productions, $1.99, offers a virtual pet that benefits from being fed and given water and love. The pet responds when touched.
-- Cowbell Plus by Frontier Design Group, $1.99, allows the user to shake the iPhone or tap the screen to choose from a variety of instruments, from cowbells and drum sticks to egg shakers.

(E-mail Julian Guthrie at jguthrie(at)sfchronicle.com.)

(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)
Must credit the San Francisco Chronicle