––––––––
The fact I have to include this chapter makes me sick.
Do not give a cell phone to a toddler unless it is in airplane mode. The cell and wireless signals should not be passing through the body of a young child. (They should not be passing through adult bodies either, certainly not with the frequency and intensity they do in the modern world.)
What is more, you are priming your child for the electronic addiction that I see so many of you fighting every day. The television used to be known as the “electronic babysitter,” and it still is to some extent. But, that role is being quickly usurped by smartphones, touch screen tablets, and streaming video.
But, you scream: “I need to give a cell phone to my child for safety reasons.” If your child is of the age when he or she is going places alone, then maybe this is a legitimate argument. Since few children before puberty go anywhere unsupervised by an adult, you have no justification for getting your child a cell phone until then at the earliest.