What a Baby Wants
Choosing Titles for Your Tot
 

Cloth diapers or disposable? Breast milk or formula? PC or Mac? Thanks to the growth of software aimed at babies, more and more eager parents put their little ones on the computer before they're off the bottle.

Some parents are understandably skeptical about the benefits of putting mere babes in front of a glowing monitor for any amount of time. Others argue that software is a valuable teaching tool, and that the ubiquity of computers demands that responsible parents make their tots comfortable with a keyboard, mouse, and screen. We're not going to address the controversy that surrounds this topic; there are plenty of wonderful articles on both sides of this issue for parents who want to educate themselves about using software as a teaching aide. Regardless of which side you land on, the fact remains that baby software is a $30-million-per-year industry, and those numbers are growing.

What a Baby Wants
We talked to some of the folks who design titles for the truly tiny. We wanted to know if they use real babies to test their software, and we were curious about what works and what doesn't for the binkie-and-blankie set.

Brad Carlton is design director at Humongous Entertainment, the company that created Putt-Putt and Freddi Fish. Though age recommendations for their toddler titles don't go lower than 3, he sticks to some hard and fast design rules regarding software for the very young. Anything scary is a no-no: "No sharp things, no open flames," says Carlton. He adds that characters with baby appeal lack edges, both literally and figuratively. "Putt-Putt is soft, he has those big eyes, that huge smile, and he's always really happy. Toddlers love that."

Buyers of baby and toddler software should be on the lookout for more than cuddly characters. Programs should be easy to use: whapping the keyboard, or simply moving the mouse, should trigger an immediate response onscreen. If a baby starts mashing multiple keys, the program must stay stable without freezing up. Bright colors, varied audio, and simple concepts should be present, but be wary of any program aimed at babies that drills ABCs and 123s.

"Specific goals or tasks the child must accomplish, with instructions and feedback, are less appropriate at this age," said Susan Fryer Patrick, educational designer for The Learning Company. "This age is better suited to open-ended exploration."

Choosing Titles for Your Tot
Buyers should also consider whom they're buying for. Little ones whose parents expose them to TV and pop culture may gravitate toward already familiar characters.

Sesame Street Baby scores big on the familiarity scale with Ernie, Elmo, Big Bird, and the rest of the residents of the most educational neighborhood in the world. This fast-installing program isn't the slickest of the bunch, but it has some good points. It ensures that parents participate by requiring them to click the mouse while babies poke the keys. Parents also control the action with arrow keys while babies sweep the mouse. The 12 activities in this program range from singing and playing peekaboo to seeing and hearing letters, numbers, and shapes. Remember that your 1-year-old would probably rather hear Elmo sing than learn what a triangle looks like.

Winnie the Pooh is another baby software celeb whose approach works well for little ones who prefer a quieter, slower pace. Winnie the Pooh Baby explores music, colors, cause and effect, and the fine art of peekaboo. Babies whack the keyboard while parents sit by and use the mouse to provide positive feedback, repeat events, and move from game to game. Keyboard pokes and mouse sweeps run this program, but directed play requires that toddlers click, which means parental help is necessary to make the program really hum.

This is as good a place as any for one big caveat regarding baby software: if your child is under 3, he or she will need your help on the computer. Most programs are designed with this in mind.

"Software for the youngest user is always designed to be experienced with a parent or other adult. It is not meant to be used by a toddler alone, and could prove frustrating in that circumstance," says Fryer Patrick.

Even if your tyke is truly gifted (and whose isn't?), you will need to launch the program, get your baby to the desired activity, and shut everything down when your child somehow manages to make Piglet start rapping. Just accept that fact now so you don't waste time and money looking for a CD-ROM that will keep your 2-year-old occupied long enough for you to clean the bathroom. That software simply doesn't exist. That's what Barney videos are for.

JumpStart Toddlers and Reader Rabbit Toddler are programs that don't have movie or TV tie-ins, though both are elements of extensively marketed software learning systems aimed at educating kids far beyond babyhood.

JumpStart and Reader Rabbit titles share many similarities: animal characters, cartoonlike graphics, and a conventional, sugar-sweet approach.

It's an approach that seems to work. Even edgy, urban parents who dress their babes in faux leopard are eventually worn down by the cute characters in these programs. Mat the Mouse, Teddy, and the rest have such a way with babies that eventually even the hip succumb.

Jump Start Toddlers is set in a garden where kids will find letters under every toadstool and numbers splashing in the pond. This pastoral program is heavy on the academics. Programmers couldn't resist the urge to slip letters into a lyrical musical waterfall, and the alphabet shows up again in the pond activity that's supposed to be devoted to numbers. Some researchers say that exposing babies to letters and numbers too early, with no context, registers on their experiential little brains like so much white noise. If that's true, this program may be overly ambitious.

Reader Rabbit Toddler has improved graphics and is a bit more engaging for older babies. Letters and numbers are introduced here, along with shapes, colors, and matching. From hide-and-seek to peek-a-boo games or playing with onscreen blocks, drawing crayons, and more, this title's characters come to life onscreen and create an enchanting learning environment for toddlers. No mouse clicking or other computer skills are required; toddlers strike any key to move the activities along.

Fun & Skills Pack for Toddlers may be a good choice for parents who can't make a decision, as it's a bundle of four titles that are hard to find separately: Reader Rabbit Toddler (see above notes), Dr. Seuss's ABC's, Crayola Magic 3-D, and Golden Books Interactive Storybooks featuring The Pokey Little Puppy and The Velveteen Rabbit. Because this bundle's programs really push letters and numbers, it is more appropriate for preschool-age children than truly tiny tots.

Baby software isn't meant to replace building blocks, The Cat in the Hat, and wading in puddles on a rainy day. And it certainly isn't meant to replace Mommy, Daddy, and playmates. But if it is chosen carefully, used for short periods of time, and never employed as an electronic babysitter, baby software should be considered another toy in the toy box.

Just don't let junior get ahold of that CD-ROM with his newly sprouted teeth.

Anne Erickson writes, produces television, and reviews children's software. Her boss is her 2-year-old daughter, who enjoys helping out with the software reviewing immensely.