What unique gifts to give a two-year-old child?

The Arnova ChildPad is a 7-inch tablet running Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS) that’s

marketed specifically at kids. Children use their parents’ iPads and Android tablets to the

extent that frustrated mums and dads sometimes buy lucky young ones their own, or pass

down the older versions. But there’s certainly space in the market for a tablet designed for

kids. See also Group test: what's the best cheap tablet PC? The £99 ChildPad differs from

other children’s tablets, such as the Leapfrog LeapPad Explorer and VTech InnoTab, in that

it’s a proper tablet running Android, with the ability to run Android apps, browse the web, etc.

This, of course, brings with it its own concerns for parents - worries that didn’t all go away

after testing the ChildPad. Tablets for kids such as those mentioned above were incredibly

popular during Christmas 2011, selling out as parents rushed to entertain their children ...

and keep their own iPads to themselves. We think these child-friendly tablets are aimed at a

4-9 years age range, as older kids will prefer something more adult in style - although there

are plenty of tablet cases that infantalise iPads and other adult tablets.

You'll also need something that's responsive, has content appropriate to the child's age andhas an app store with well-priced apps. See also: LeapPad 2 vs InnoTab 2 children's tabletcomparison review. One of the factors that makes a tablet responsive is the processor. Youcan't tell by the gigahertz ratings how quick it is in the real world. A responsive touchscreen isthe other main factor. When a child taps a button it should respond immediately, otherwisefrustration will quickly set in. In both cases, only expert- and user reviews can give you thisinformation. One disadvantage of most children's tablets is that they have screens with poorviewing angles, unlike an iPad or other tablet with an IPS screen. Some are better thanothers, though. Again, check reviews before you buy. It’s no iPad, but that’s a good thing for many reasons. Here’s some: the iPad is too big forsmaller hands; the iPad links to the bad, mad world of the Internet; kids on iPads keepdemanding new apps; iPads are expensive; iPads break easier when dropped; sometimesyou want to use your own iPad, you know, yourself… There are children's tablets, such asthe Arnova ChildPad, that get closer to the look and feel of the adult tablets but we haven'tbeen convinced yet. Now the Leapfrog LeapPad2 Explorer is out, and my six-year-olddaughter was jumping up and down at the thought of the new version. She loves the iPadand my iPhone, but she likes the LeapPad just as much - maybe because she knows its

made for her. (She a bit of a tech vet, though - and can tell a new iPad from an iPad 2 - soshe might not be totally representative.) What is her latest blog it all about Let me add, the tablet market is HUGE. According to CEA, tablet revenues are expected toincrease dramatically to $29.2 billion in 2012 (an 83 percent increase), and reach $35.6billion in 2013. Any time you have a market that big, there is an opportunity to make productsthat are designed specifically for a segment of the larger audience. For example, our Kurio7tablet is made for families with kids. Much of what is driving family tablet purchases today,just like what happened with home computers, is that there is a kid in the household. Peoplebuy these items not just because kids ask for them (and anybody with kids can affirm thatthese are high on the nag factor list), but also because parents feel it is important for theirkids to have access to the latest technology so that they can compete in school, and so thatthey are not at a disadvantage to kids that are exposed to better, newer technology. The LeapPad2 now includes not one but two still and video cameras, each at a higherresolution than that of the original LeapPad. It features a faster processor, better memorycapability, and improved battery life. In place of the original LeapPad’s rather weedy rear-facing 0.3-megapixel camera the LeapPad 2 boasts much more impressive 2-megapixelcameras on front and back. A lot of the LeapPad apps make use of the camera, and kidslove taking photos of their friends and families for use in various games. With the new front-facing camera they can take photos of themselves without having to ask for assistance. Theimproved camera is therefore a welcome one, although maybe not enough to warrantupgrading your old LeapPad 1 to the new version. People new to LeapPad are getting agreat deal, though. Internal storage is doubled from 2GB to 4GB, and the processor gets aspeed bump from 400MHz to 500MHz. That extra storage capacity is handy with new appsincluding lots of video functionality, and those 2-megapixel photos take up a lot more spacethan ones from the poor 0.3MP camera.