Pregnancy brings exciting times and whether you are creating a family or having an addition, it comes with lots of joy and sleepless nights! Just like sleep, time becomes precious and when we already have one sibling it requires juggling attention between the new baby and the other child.
Trying to keep the first born happy can be challenging when a new baby comes on the scene. Keeping them busy may also be as challenging. We’d like to keep them as occupied as possible, to allow us more time to focus on the newborn.
We feel guilty using the TV as a babysitter, and wish they were at the age where they could read books! Their only involvement in books is either glancing in short spurts at the pictures, or when we are reading to them!
How about the internet? Plenty to get involved in on the internet isn’t there? Yes there is. But … preplanning will go along way in preventing any accidents further down the line.
Parents are quickly becoming ‘internet savvy’, and are realising that for little cost outlay they can provide a safe, fun and friendly environment for their child when using the computer.
Parents now realise the importance of installing filtering and monitoring software on home computers. It is just too easy for young ones to stumble across objectionable material accidentally.
Filtering software blocks categories of internet sites you decide, while recording all internet activity they are involved in, for you to review later. You can setup automatic email reporting or view activity on the computer. After all, you do want to know where they are surfing to don’t you?
“It is just too easy for young ones to stumble across objectionable material accidentally.”
Once you have a safe computer environment, you’ll then need some great age appropriate sites for them to have fun and learn at the same time.
For 2 – 5 years: Try www.hectorsworld.com for a fun cartoon world underwater, while learning about internet safety at the same time. It’s a safe NZ site run by Netsafe.
For 5 – 10 years: Try www.minimonos.com for an adventure on an island learning about the clean green environment. It’s a safe site and also a NZ site.
For 9 – 13 years: Try www.superclubsplus.com for a host of fun stuff to do. It’s a safe site that the school must subscribe to first.
Children are using computers at an ever younger age. Ensuring that environment is safe and secure from their first experience remains a priority.
