Streaming is the best thing that's happened to kids' television since parents first realized they could plop little ones in front of the boob tube and get a few minutes of peace and quiet. (Or maybe I'm just a terrible father—it's a toss-up.)
A monthly fee to Netflix, say, gives you access to endless hours of fun—and often educational—programs that kids can watch on a whim. And now a new contender has entered the ring, with a kids-only streaming service called Kidoodle.TV launching Monday as a free beta for those in the U.S. and Canada. After playing with it for a few days, I can say it shows some promise, and will be even more useful if it extends beyond the desktop with mobile and console apps. (Although free while in beta, the final service will cost $5 a month.)
How it works
When you sign up for Kidoodle.TV, you not only create an account login and password, but also a four-digit parental passcode. With that passcode, you gain access to the special settings that make Kidoodle.TV a very different service than others out there.
Once logged in, you can set up separate profiles for up to five kids, each with its own settings and restrictions. For each you enter a name and pick an avatar from a list of various TV show characters—I went with Brobee from Yo Gabba Gabba and Bo from Bo on the Go—and choose a color theme (blue, orange, or pink).
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