Don't turn touch screens into toys for your toddler

If you have substituted story books for your toddler with an iPad or smart phone and think touch screens are going to make him or her smarter, pull the plug now.

According to research, children younger than age three who played non-educational games on smart phones and tablets received lower scores in verbal tests.

"The number one toy parents are giving their toddlers are smart phones nowadays," Ruth Milanaik, a physician at the Cohen Children's Medical Center of New York, was quoted as saying in media reports.

In the research, 63 families surveyed owned a touch screen device. The average toddler in the study started using a device at age 11 months, and used it for about 36 minutes a day.

About 60 percent of parents said they believed their kids did gain educational benefits by using a touch screen device.

However, the researchers did not find the kids' cognitive development benefitted from the use of the devices in any way.

Just talking to your child is the best way to encourage learning, Milanaik said.