toddler and gadgetAs innocent as they look, toddlers can cause havoc, an unstoppable weapon of mass destruction, or perhaps a fire breathing dragon.

“One second, he was watching TV then the next second, he has managed to pull out the plug, losing my few hours’ worth of work because I wasn’t able to save it yet at that time,” a story told by a mother from North Carolina about how her 2-year old son.

In Sydney, a mother reports what happened when she let her 4-year old daughter play with her tablet, “I allowed her to play Angry Birds, the next thing I know, I just purchased on eBay a doll house and some $200 worth of toys of different sorts.”

One can take steps to protect your hard earned devices from the mind and hands of cherubic threat. Here are six useful tips to toddler-proof one’s gadgets: 

1. Disabling the Power Button

Never underestimate toddlers. Whether you’re using a laptop safely placed on top of a table or a desktop which its CPU sits on the floor, be mindful of their presence. Before you know it, they just turned off your laptop for you, with all your unsaved documents gone – just make sure to have backup of your laptop files. You can disable the power button by managing the settings of the device. 

2. Use a Power Strip Cover

Toddlers can still turn off your device even if the power button had been disabled. Either they flip the switch on the power strip or pullout the wire. What’s scarier is that they might hurt themselves, which are of course more precious than any data. Invest on Power strip covers, and have all the outlets and the switch covered. 

3. Password protect your devices

Toddlers, to your amazement, have pick pocket skills. Some people willingly their child use their devices. Still it is best to use a password which should be strong and long. Make it a habit to lock your device or mange the device’s settings to activate auto lock.

4. Use a Jelly or a hard Case

Toddlers could just quickly make their way of holding on to your gadget, then throw it or simply just slam it on the floor. It can help your device withstand some serious banging or a hard fall. 

5. Always sign Out of Shopping Services

Online shopping services, even after you have closed the application and the open it again, still keeps you signed in to your account. Habitually sign out on your shopping account when you’re done using it. 

6. Parental Controls

It is important to enable parent control, to have control of what applications and sites they may not access.

With our changing culture and further advancement in technology, children will continue to gain more interest in technology. Toddlers have very little understanding of their actions. As parents, more than we should protect our gadgets, it is more important to protect the child form his innocence and curiousness.