Just in time for Christmas, Fisher Price has released a new iPad-equipped seat for babies.

The seat, called the Newborn-to-Toddler Apptivity Seat, isn’t designed to completely turn a little snowflake into a pint-sized Candy Crunch player. It offers other ways to stimulate young minds, as well: toys that hang from the removable bar and a mirror, for instance.

Given that the American Academy of Pediatrics says children under age 2 should avoid all screens, the Apptivity Seat has come under some criticism.

“A child’s brain is going through incredible development and change during those early years,” says Dr. Richard Besser, a pediatrician who is also ABC’s chief medical editor. “The best thing for a child is extensive interaction with people, hearing voices, seeing faces, physically touching toys. I worry that screens will replace these important interactions.”

Mother Libby Conover agrees. “Babies should be entertained by looking around and by their family or caretaker, not a screen,” she says. (ABC News)

Paul Asay has covered religion for The Washington Post, Christianity Today, Beliefnet.com and The (Colorado Springs) Gazette. He writes about culture for Plugged In and wrote the Batman book God on the Streets of Gotham (Tyndale). He lives in Colorado Springs with wife Wendy and his two children. Follow him on Twitter.