Do you think a laptop is a good gift for a 4 year old?

I would agree that 4 is very young... We do live in a society that puts a lot of emphasis on tech.

The younger your nephew is exposed to tech the more comfortable he will be with it as an adult.

Obviously he/she will not be able to appreciate the full use of a laptop, but he will get more used to it as he gets older.

For example I allow my 3 year old to use my computer under my supervision. He isn't able to surf the web(nor would i let him) yet he is able to use the computer. He certainly enjoys it immensely.

Well different strokes for different folks

Personally I think that is way too young of an age. There are really no practical implications of a lap top for a 4 year old. A four year olds mind still has a long way to go in it's psychological development. He should be playing with toys, playing outside, reading books, and playing with peers. That's just my opinion.

I didn't get my first lap top till I was 18, and I had to pay it with my own money, but most of it was graduation money from relatives.

Odd gift? Yes.

Should you have criticized their gift? No.

It is not your child, it is not your place to second-guess their choice of a gift. Likely they feel this nephew has an interest in such things and considering the cost of laptops these days it is not that big of a deal.

You should apologize for the insult, as I am sure they took it as such.

My gift-giving preferences for your 4-year old nephew would be toy cars and trucks or dinosaur figurines. However, my 3 and 4 year old granddaughters go on the computer to play educational games and are quite proficient. But I sure would not buy them computers of their own! To get any benefit from his computer, your nephew will have to have lots of adult supervision -- unless he is some kind of computer genius at 4!

I'm sure your in-laws had the best of intentions in buying the computer for him. I would side with you in this; but it isn't worth making a big issue of it. What did the child's parents think of the gift?

what? they are crazy. a 4 year old will just break it. there may be some computer games that a 4 year old can handle, but they shouldn't have that responsibility. i didn't get a laptop until last year - and i am 17.

what would a 4 year old even do with a laptop? they can't even read!

To make this work the laptop will need appropriate educational software. My children were using computers from an early age - but with supervision, and with software appropriate for their developmental stages - which meant frequent updates. Don't think of the laptop being used as any other toy, it will need considerable input from his parents. The parents may need to source a range of free/cheap software.

I think its a little odd but on the bright side you got a new laptop. You can use it to your advantage. There are a ton of educatinal kids computer games out there. And yes there are some for 4 year olds.

I agree with you. (In all probability, there will be even better laptops when he is old enough to use one!) Maybe your husband's parents were thinking of getting an "educational" toy and thought that a laptop encompassed that. In the meantime, maybe use the laptop to play some Baby Einstein DVD's?

My daughter has been using a laptop since before she was 3. She loves to play games on Nick Jr. and type out our names in Word.

I don't think it's odd and it's a valuable skill for them to learn.

4 year old its too young for a laptop,crazy thought!I thought the same thing as you,4 year old will not even write in the laptop!Crazy gift;O