My youngest nephew is two years old and has already been playing on an iPad for half of his life (and he’s already better at it than some adults I know).
 
But sometimes, tiny fingers and expensive technological devices do not mix well. Devices can be dropped, screens can be scratched, calls can accidentally be made to Peru, and your entire Amazon wish list can be ordered. Oops.

So Savvy Aunties, how can you childproof your technology?

CTA Digital is releasing an Inflatable Cube in March to protect your iPad and Kindle from children. Think of it as a bouncy castle for your tablet. As this C/Net article points out, it would be absolutely insane to put your tablet into the cube and hand it over to your nieces and nephews (who will probably bounce on it and throw it around).

So let’s look at more practical tips.

Limit access
Keep your tablet and cellphone where small children can’t reach them, and make phones, tablets and laptops off limits unless you are supervising them. If you want to play a game with your nieces and nephews or read a story to them, then do it together.

Get tough
If you don’t want to carry your phone around in a miniature bouncy castle, consider getting a rugged and tougher phone case. Some of the earlier rugged phone cases were not always so attractive, but as you can see from this list, newer models are better looking and sleeker. There are a few rugged cases out there for iPads too, and this list shows off cases that will help save your tablet from harm.

Use your passwords
Lock your device with a password. This is a wise security move regardless of who picks up your phone. Don’t use weak passwords such as 1, 2, 3, 4. On banking apps, don’t save your log in information so someone can see your banking information. To avoid downloading expensive or unwanted apps, don’t share your app store ID and password with your nieces and nephews either.

Find it
If your iPad or iPhone have “wandered off,” use Find My iPad or Find My iPhone to see where your devices are located. You can cause your iPad to beep until you find it (even if it’s on silent mode) or send messages to the child holding your tablet or phone hostage. Interrupt their Angry Bird game by sending a message such as, “Aunt Janice wants her iPad back,” proving Aunties – just like Moms – can be everywhere and know all. If your device is stolen, you can use the apps to help police locate it and/or remotely wipe it. Never fear, Android users have their own Find my Android app too.

With these tips, you can protect your tablets and phones from expensive incidents. Save the bouncy castle for birthday parties.

Published: January 21, 2012