Nick Stepka knew what gift would make his daughter's 3rd birthday a hit. It wasn't a toy or a doll.

He gave her a tablet - not a sleek new iPad or a hand-me-down Samsung, but one specifically designed for little ones. It even came with a purple protective casing and was loaded with kids' apps and games.

"Her eyes lit up when she opened it," said Stepka, 34, a Shakopee, Minnesota, father of three. "Everything else got put to the side."

And that's exactly what tablet makers and companies that create children's entertainment were hoping for.

Thick Plastic Bumpers

For more and more people, traditional children's toys and games are not enough. Compared to two years ago, almost twice as many kids ages 8 and under now own mobile devices.

Children are also spending more time on these devices: 15 minutes a day on average last year, up from five minutes in 2011. Meanwhile, kids' use of televisions, video games and computers has declined.

That's the reason Jim Mitchell started Fuhu. The company makes tablets designed for kids ages 3 to 14.

"We were tired of giving our kids the iPad," he said. "They wanted to play with all the games on the iPad, and it would come back all smudged, or if they dropped it, for heaven's sake, it would shatter."

Fuhu makes Nabi tablets, which sell for between $100 and $300. It had $200 million in sales last year.

The company is betting that demand will continue for devices packed with kid-friendly apps and thick plastic bumpers to prevent damage.

Apps And Shows

Kids can customize the machines with stickers featuring film and TV characters. They also get other extras, like alphabet letters that attach to the tablet. They can use the tablets to watch TV shows and movies, play games and explore the Web. Parents get to decide which apps, movies and websites their children can see.

Companies such as LeapFrog, Toys R Us and Samsung also sell devices for youngsters. Even traditional toy makers such as Mattel have entered the app business.

Hollywood has taken notice too. Walt Disney, DreamWorks Animation and Nickelodeon are putting out tablet and mobile apps.

Education-focused cable channel BabyFirstTV has unleashed 27 apps aimed at young children. Sharon Rechter helped start the channel. She said she expects demand for the apps to keep growing.

"Parents are constantly looking for good educational content," she said. "Kids' apps and devices are definitely here to stay, and they're going to grow. Kids can learn from using a tablet, and they have fun with it."

Entertainment companies and tablet makers are teaming up. For instance, BabyFirst has co-developed a series called "Albert & Junior" specifically for use on Fuhu's tablets.

Getting The Cartoon Treatment

Fuhu also has made deals with Disney and Nickelodeon for special-edition tablets. And the company is taking the technology and entertainment relationship further with its next device, the DreamTab. It was built in partnership with DreamWorks Animation.

The $269 DreamTab will be released in some stores this month. It will become widely available in June.

The tablet includes animated interactive videos and games based on "Shrek," "Kung Fu Panda" and "Madagascar."

DreamTab also comes with educational features. For example, it can teach kids how to draw and animate their favorite characters, create books and edit video. Even the parental controls get the cartoon treatment. A short video of a DreamWorks character tells children when it's time to take a break from the screen or shut down for the day.

"As a parent, you'd much rather have a penguin tell the kid it's time to go outside than make the parent take the tablet away," said Jim Mainard of DreamWorks Animation. "That's a big win for parents."

Stepka doesn't plan to switch to the new DreamTab: He already owns six Nabi devices. Although his children certainly use them to have fun, he said, the most important thing to him is that they learn and stay safe while using the technology.

"We don't want the tablets to raise our kids for us," he said. "But I don't want" them to miss out on "using the technology to educate themselves."