'iPad baby seat' draws flak for being 'unhealthy'

The iPad baby seat, manufactured by Fisher-Price, has reportedly received a lot of criticism for being an unhealthy product exposing babies to a lot of screen time at a tender age.

Children’s advocates have argued that babies need laps, not apps, and have called on the company to recall its product.

According to CBS News, the Newborn-to-Toddler Apptivity Seat for iPad, that lets parents insert an iPad so that baby can watch content on it has been described by the manufacturer as ‘another way to stimulate and engage baby’.

However, the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood (CCFC) have started an online petition campaign, urging Fisher-Price to recall the product, arguing that encouraging screen time at such a young age is not healthy for an infant's development.

The group’s director, Susan Linn said that the seat is the ultimate electronic babysitter and its very existence suggests that it is fine to leave babies all alone with an iPad inches from their face.

The report said that the American Academy of Pediatrics discourages any electronic ‘screen time’ for infants and toddlers under 2 and points that research has shown infant videos can delay language development.