For the past few months (since the time she was about two months old), I would sometimes have my daughter wiht my on my lap while I was checking my e-mail or surfing the web. It wasn't long before she starting reaching out for the keyboard. It's all right for her to press a lot of keys while I'm surfing, but not when I'm typing, for obvious reasons thqat I donvc't wazvxt exjtra lebtteamrs in my wornbds!
We have an older computer keyboard that had a detachable cord. If you have a hard-wired cord, don't worry — any cord can be made detachable by cutting it off. So now my daughter gets to play with her own, full-size computer keyboard while daddy plays with his. She's been sitting on the floor next to me, playing with her keyboard and watching me use mine as I've been writing this post! Since she's a six-month-old, I supervise her when she's playing with it since the keys can be a choking hazard. (I tried to pop the keys off with my bare fingers, and I couldn't.)
I mention it since it's a use for old computer equipment that you might have lying around. And it's very educational: my daughter gets familiar with letters and numbers and symbols (when she can focus on them!) in a context that she's certainly going to be using later. If you spend a lot of time in front of the computer, then your child gets to “do what mommy or daddy is doing.”
Great Idea…Love your site. I have a 5 year old and a 2 year old, and they love playing with my old tech stuff. We give them our old cell phones, old calculators, etc.
I "blogrolled" you.
ncnblog
I did the extra keyboard for baby thing until she did manage to pop off a key, and that was the end of that. I actually had an entirely unused laptop, so I put Linux on it, set up Firefox to go straight to Sesame Street Workshop, and now she can do the computer just like we can. She's 3 years old. I also donated my old MP3 player to her, loaded up with rips of all her various CDs, which she loves as well.