Alternatives to YouTube Kids for 2.5 year old
January 25, 2019 5:53 AM Subscribe
My 2.5 year old gets screen time on an iPhone. I do not want her watching whatever the YouTube Kids algorithm spits up. What are the best alternatives?
She likes Storybots. She likes Daniel Tiger. The goal here is to have an app she can use by herself that will show only videos that a person created with the goal of entertaining and maybe even educating a child. Too much on YouTube kids does not fit that description.
She likes Storybots. She likes Daniel Tiger. The goal here is to have an app she can use by herself that will show only videos that a person created with the goal of entertaining and maybe even educating a child. Too much on YouTube kids does not fit that description.
Is there a reason you aren't using playlists to control what she watches?
posted by Hermione Granger at 6:03 AM on January 25, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by Hermione Granger at 6:03 AM on January 25, 2019 [1 favorite]
My two and four year old use a Kindle Fire of kids. We have pre-loaded books, games, and videos. There is a timer you can set too. It is a great option! This is the one that our kiddos use.
We kept the YouTube App on our smart TV, but the grownups control the kids' content there.
posted by Hop123 at 6:41 AM on January 25, 2019 [2 favorites]
We kept the YouTube App on our smart TV, but the grownups control the kids' content there.
posted by Hop123 at 6:41 AM on January 25, 2019 [2 favorites]
We kept the YouTube App on our smart TV, but the grownups control the kids' content there.
But how?
posted by amanda at 8:04 AM on January 25, 2019 [1 favorite]
But how?
posted by amanda at 8:04 AM on January 25, 2019 [1 favorite]
With a Chromecast, you can use your phone to send videos to the TV. That's a nice situation, because you're in control. Also great: they don't see the sidebar of suggested videos, so can't whine because you're not playing the garbage show that they really want to see.
posted by chrisamiller at 8:15 AM on January 25, 2019
posted by chrisamiller at 8:15 AM on January 25, 2019
My kids watch PBS Kids shows via Amazon Prime. They are free with AP membership. There is a separate app for AP Video.
We also use Netflix Kids, but iirc they do not have PBS Kids shows (they do have Octonauts, your kiddo might enjoy that one).
posted by vignettist at 8:21 AM on January 25, 2019
We also use Netflix Kids, but iirc they do not have PBS Kids shows (they do have Octonauts, your kiddo might enjoy that one).
posted by vignettist at 8:21 AM on January 25, 2019
PBS Kids video app and Netflix app are both good for this. Netflix you can add an account just for the child or go into Kids Mode in your profile and choose age range for appropriateness.
posted by jillithd at 8:34 AM on January 25, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by jillithd at 8:34 AM on January 25, 2019 [1 favorite]
"Also great: they don't see the sidebar of suggested videos, so can't whine because you're not playing the garbage show that they really want to see."
Warning: they will eventually learn to look over your shoulder!
If you're willing to pay the subscription fee, that eliminates ads, and lets you download videos in the youtube app. Then you could download videos for them and just turn off the network.
posted by bfields at 8:50 AM on January 25, 2019 [2 favorites]
Warning: they will eventually learn to look over your shoulder!
If you're willing to pay the subscription fee, that eliminates ads, and lets you download videos in the youtube app. Then you could download videos for them and just turn off the network.
posted by bfields at 8:50 AM on January 25, 2019 [2 favorites]
Best answer: Enter the PBS Kids app and turn on Guided Access for your phone. They can do whatever the heck in there and learn to explore apps but can't leave the app.
posted by skittlekicks at 8:55 AM on January 25, 2019
posted by skittlekicks at 8:55 AM on January 25, 2019
We ended up solving this by buying my kid an amazon fire kids tablet. The walled garden of apps keeps them from using or downloading any variation of youtube, and she can access educational games and TV shows. There are even time limits that you can impose.
Whenever she ends up on our phones it's back to youtube and huge tantrums when she has to turn it over.
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 11:48 AM on January 25, 2019 [2 favorites]
Whenever she ends up on our phones it's back to youtube and huge tantrums when she has to turn it over.
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 11:48 AM on January 25, 2019 [2 favorites]
PBS Kids Video app is great. All the Daniel Tiger she can handle. Netflix Kids is ok. I mean, it's Netflix. There's great stuff and there's... not so great stuff. But at least they're not going to stumble into QAnon randomly.
However, you can on the YouTube kids app (at least on the Android version) put it into a mode where it's whitelisted videos only. You tell the app what videos or channels are ok, and that's all the kid has access to. Expand the "Approved Content Only" accordion here for the how-to. (Source: I have done this.)
posted by soren_lorensen at 11:59 AM on January 25, 2019 [5 favorites]
However, you can on the YouTube kids app (at least on the Android version) put it into a mode where it's whitelisted videos only. You tell the app what videos or channels are ok, and that's all the kid has access to. Expand the "Approved Content Only" accordion here for the how-to. (Source: I have done this.)
posted by soren_lorensen at 11:59 AM on January 25, 2019 [5 favorites]
PBS Kids app and buy one or two seasons of shows you'd like her to watch.
posted by typecloud at 1:58 PM on January 25, 2019
posted by typecloud at 1:58 PM on January 25, 2019
In Canada: CBC kids app. It’s like PBS, only Canadian. And it has big block sing song, which you should look up.
posted by Valancy Rachel at 5:43 PM on January 25, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by Valancy Rachel at 5:43 PM on January 25, 2019 [1 favorite]
Are you definitely after TV shows on iPhone? Because she’s at an age to start with easy games, like the sago mini games. We do those for plane rides and do TV on a television.
posted by vunder at 9:17 PM on January 25, 2019
posted by vunder at 9:17 PM on January 25, 2019
Netflix has Pokoyo, which is very sweet and appropriate
posted by Enid Lareg at 8:19 AM on January 26, 2019
posted by Enid Lareg at 8:19 AM on January 26, 2019
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Karaage at 6:02 AM on January 25, 2019 [17 favorites]