Issue link: http://hvparent.uberflip.com/i/300258
hvparent.com n Hudson Valley Parent 37 BENJAMIN DANCYGIER, D.D.S. JENNIFER BLAIR, D.M.D. KORLEI MENSAH, D.M.D. offi ce@valleypediatricdentistry.com /VALLEYPEDIATRICDENTISTRYPC /VALLEYPEDDENT GPLUS.TO/VALLEYPEDIATRIC 845.226.8577 1557 ROUTE 82 HOPEWELL JUNCTION, NY 914.245.7100 3630 HILL BLVD, STE 401 JEFFERSON VALLEY, NY (Continued on Page 38) What is a 'digitod'? Does your toddler seem to know more about the iPad than you do? Welcome to the world of the digitods: the young children born into the era of mobile tech- nology. These kids are learning faster and better than any gener- ation that has come before them. And they are loving it! The Digitods are racing down the information superhighway and we've got to be ready for them. But what does that entail? Balance. Parents must make sure that their children retain their hu- manity by balancing their digital excursions with time spent active- ly engaging in the real world. — from Digitod.com it to only when I'm getting the baby to sleep or need to get something done quickly," says Rushkowski. Jennifer Bredin, a Beacon mom to 3-year-old Lena, allows her daughter to use a device while they're wait- ing patiently at her older children's weekly Taekwondo classes. "Some- times it's a lifesaver!" Regardless of the benefits, many parents are still hesitant to put technology into the hands of their toddlers — and not just because an expensive device may end up cracked or in the toilet. Erin Spak, a Highland mom of 16-month-old Bryce, says of her son: "He is a young toddler who learns by exploring his environment and I think that introducing a device would take away from that. We feel that starting technology-reliant hab- its now will encourage him to value those activities over reading books, playing outside, building with his blocks, and all of the things that he loves to do." Roxanne Ferber, a mom of twin 3-year-old girls living in Saugerties, says she and her husband made the