Two facts about handing a keyboard to a toddler:
- They will press every key, including the ones you did not know existed.
- A fullscreen game hides the browser's buttons, but it does not disable the keyboard shortcuts behind them.
This guide is about the second fact. It goes device by device, from the free built-in options to the one or two extra steps that make a laptop genuinely toddler-proof.
Start with the site's own lock
The best smash sites lock themselves. It saves you most of the work below, so check the parent lock column in the directory first.
TinyFingers and TypeChars exit only when you hold the top-left corner for two seconds or type the word "parent". Smashing Board exits on Ctrl+K. ToddlerSmash uses a hold-to-close button. Those cover the mouse and the obvious keys; the rest of this guide covers the shortcuts that no website can block.
The shortcuts that get through
A web page cannot stop these, on any site:
| Key | What it does |
|---|---|
| Ctrl+W / Command+W | Closes the tab |
| Ctrl+T / Command+T | Opens a new tab, with the address bar ready to type into |
| Alt+F4 / Command+Q | Closes the browser |
| Windows key / Command+Space | Opens the Start menu or Spotlight |
| Escape | Leaves the page's fullscreen (the good sites re-enter on the next press) |
| Alt+Tab / Command+Tab | Switches to whatever else you left open |
Two-key combinations need two fingers on two specific keys, which toddlers manage less often than you would fear and more often than you would like. Single keys (Escape, the Windows key) are the real problem.
iPad and iPhone: Guided Access
The easiest lock of all, and the reason a tablet is the low-stress choice.
- Settings > Accessibility > Guided Access. Turn it on and set a passcode (Face ID or Touch ID can be allowed too).
- Open the game in Safari or Chrome and let it go fullscreen.
- Triple-click the side button (or the home button on older devices), then tap Start.
- To leave, triple-click again and enter the passcode.
Guided Access disables the home gesture, the notification centre and the other apps. If the game's own page has a link or a button you want to block, you can draw a circle around it on the set-up screen to disable that area.
Android: app pinning
- Settings > Security (or Security and privacy) > App pinning (older versions say Pin windows). Turn it on and turn on "Ask for PIN before unpinning".
- Open the game in Chrome.
- Open the recent-apps view, tap the icon at the top of the Chrome card, and choose Pin.
- To leave, hold Back and Overview (or swipe up and hold, depending on the phone) and enter the PIN.
Pinning keeps Chrome on screen, but Chrome's own address bar still exists. Turn on the site's fullscreen first, and pin after that.
Fire tablets use Amazon Kids profiles instead; add the browser to the child's profile and the profile does the locking.
Windows: the built-in options, and the real answer
The free, five-second version: open the site, press F11 for the browser's fullscreen, close every other window first. This handles the mouse and stops Escape from revealing the toolbars. It does not stop the Windows key or Alt+F4.
The Windows key. This is the key that ends most sessions. Options, from simplest to most thorough:
- Many gaming keyboards have a Win Lock key or a switch that disables it. A cheap one makes a good dedicated toddler keyboard.
- Windows 11's Settings > Accounts > Other users > Set up a kiosk restricts a separate account to a single app, usually Microsoft Edge in kiosk mode. Availability varies by Windows edition; if you see the option, it is the most complete built-in lock.
- Chrome or Edge in kiosk mode: create a shortcut and add
--kiosk https://tinyfingers.net/to the end of the target. Fullscreen, no toolbars, and only Alt+F4 gets out.
The real answer if the toddler has claimed a Windows machine: install the original, free, open-source Baby Smash!. It is a program, not a page, and it takes over the keyboard and screen entirely.
Mac: fullscreen plus a few settings
macOS has no equivalent of Guided Access, so a Mac is the device that benefits most from a self-locking site.
- Open the site in Safari or Chrome and press Control+Command+F for the browser's fullscreen.
- Close everything else, or at least save it. Command+Tab still works in fullscreen.
- Spotlight: Command+Space opens a search box on a fullscreen page. You can remove that shortcut in System Settings > Keyboard > Keyboard Shortcuts > Spotlight for the duration.
- Chrome kiosk mode works on a Mac too. In Terminal:
open -na "Google Chrome" --args --kiosk https://tinyfingers.net/. Command+Q still quits, and that is fine; it is a two-key combination on opposite sides of the keyboard. - If a small child is a regular visitor, a separate macOS user account with Screen Time limits and no email set up turns a wrong key into a non-event.
Chromebook: guest mode and fullscreen
Sign out and use Browse as Guest. Nothing you care about is in the guest session. Press the fullscreen key (the one above the number row) after the game loads. There is no consumer kiosk mode on a Chromebook, but a guest session plus fullscreen plus a self-locking site is close enough.
The physical layer
- Silicone keyboard cover. Stops crumbs and drool, and stops keycaps being pulled off, which matters because a loose keycap is a choking hazard.
- A spare USB keyboard. Cheap, big keys, no attachment to it. Plug it in, unplug the laptop's own keyboard from the equation by closing the lid on a stand, and let them go.
- A tablet stand with a handle. Flat tablets get leaned on; a leaning toddler is thirty taps a minute.
- Volume. Down before the first key. Every site here makes a sound per press.
The two-minute checklist
- Save and close.
- Open the site, press one key, let it go fullscreen.
- Press the browser's fullscreen key as well.
- Tablet: Guided Access or app pinning on.
- Windows: Win Lock, kiosk mode or Baby Smash!.
- Mac: Spotlight shortcut off, or a separate account.
- Sit within arm's reach for the first few sessions and see what they go for.