Children know how to text. The average 11-year-old can operate a computer better than most adults. Now a new iPad program is allowing mothers to bond with their newborns in intensive care post-delivery — even if the mom and child are being treated on different floors. Now babies can learn to “facetime” as young as 24 hours old.

The program, called BabyTime, allows moms to visit with their infants while they are being treated in the neonatal intensive care unit, over a secured Internet connection.

The Children’s Health Center at Cedars-Sinai in California is pioneering this program.

Experts believe this program will not only bridge a gap between the bond a mother and an infant miss out on by the separation, but also will allow mothers to be more active in the first hours of their newborn’s life.

Using the iPad allows a new mama to be right there to ask questions and get updates and not miss out on any of her own treatment.

Here’s how it works: Once the baby is admitted to the NICU, an iPad is positioned next to the infant’s incubator. Another iPad is sent to the new mom, who can log onto BabyTime twice a day.

Doctors say that 20 to 30 percent of moms who undergo C-sections don’t feel well enough to travel from their bed in the labor and delivery unit to the NICU for the first 24 to 48 hours of their child’s life.

Beyond being able to see and talk to their infant’s medical team, the iPad allows moms to see and talk to their little ones, too.

Nothing can compare to the joy of holding your baby. But sometimes that’s not possible. Having the ability to see that red, scrunched up little newborn face and those tiny fingers can offer a great deal of comfort for mommy and baby.