This new toy will teach your kids to code before they even start nursery

If you're the type who sighs when you see a toddler bashing away on an iPhone while its parents enjoy dinner, it might be time to give up the ghost. Because baby is just getting a head start on what will probably be a glittering Silicon Valley career.

Toy titans Fisher-Price are set to launch a new toy that will begin to teach kids to code before they even start nursery. The (admittedly cutely-named) Think & Learn Code-A-Pillar has eight sections with different command icons. Depending on how the segments are ordered (or programmed), the toy will then follow the instructions — moving, blinking, beeping and smiling. When it goes on sale in the US (reportedly in July), it will cost $50 — a small price to pay for a future whizzkid.

Once they’ve graduated from the Code-A-Pillar, six to 12-year-olds will be able to snap on the first 3G-enabled smartwatch for kids. The dokiWatch has surged past its Kickstarter goal, suggesting parents are keen to keep tabs on their youngsters before they let them loose with smartphones.

Features include GPS tracking, a fitness monitor, messaging, voice and video calling. An emergency SOS mode alerts preset contacts and sends them a 60-second recording of the child and any background noise.