iPad locked out

I got my nephew an iPad and set up parental controls and configured the device lock, making sure I the option to wipe the device is not selected.

Nephew enters the password incorrectly multiple times until it's prompting him to sync it with the Mac it was last synced with, which would be mine. I connect the device but won't let me do anything, saying the iPad has a password.

How can I fix this without wiping the device?

If both you and your nephew do not know or have forgotten the password unlock, you'll need to reset it from iTunes which will wipe the iPad. Did you make a backup of the iPad to your computer or to iCloud?

On the computer.

I did not select the option to automatically wipe the device because I was expecting him to lock himself out one day. Is there no way to go around it?

I use my iPad at work regularly and use the password lock to keep students from accessing it without permission. I locked myself out of the iPad one day because I changed the code mid-day and didn't remember the new code later.

I ended up resetting the iPad from within iTunes which erases everything as chscag suggested. I haven't seen anything that says this has changed.

I guess I have no choice then. Thanks!

on another note do not turn on iCloud for your son if you ever need to factory wipe the device from the device because the device will ask for your user account and password and it bypasses the parental controls through a glitch so don't let your son know. and make sure the security is changed every 2 months so he cannot guess it by accident.