OT: iPad-like toy for 2- or 3-year-old?

[ccgirl]

Originally Posted by Elleshoodat

Thanks for the link!

You are welcome.

Originally Posted by Habbott

I've had some more time to think about this, and I think there are a few things to consider to help you choose the right one for your kid.

First, battery life. Is it rechargeable? You don't want to be replacing batteries constantly.

Second, games or app cost. I prefer the iPad or an android model mostly because there are tons of free educational apps. I've purchased one or two pricey apps, but the majority have been free or $1.99 or less. There's a Facebook page I follow called Good free apps for kids.

Good luck choosing!

Good points. I can speak to the Innotab. It uses batteries. We were going through them very quickly and switched to rechargable batteries and it's much better now. Good point about the game cost as well. Not sure how much the iPad cost (thinking around $300). The gamesbooks for the Innotab are an average of $17 not on sale. I purchase them when they go on sale for $9.99 which seems to be a lot. Using those price points, I would have to purchase 22 games to make the price "comparable". My son has 5 and that is all he cares to have.

I think age is a good thing to keep in mind along with how many games you think they would want.

I went back and forth between LeapPad and Innotab and, in the end, I went with the less expensive Innotab as I know these electronics seems to be becoming "obsolete" so quickly!

Good luck with your decision, OP. You can try out both the Innotab and LeapPad at Target.

[jillianjigs7]

When our DD turned 2 we got her, her own ipad. We do a lot of traveling so it made sense to spend the money on that with some great educational games, shows, etc. She loves it and it lets us have our iphones to ourselves!

[mobesfamily]

We started with the Mobigo when our twins were 2 1/2. They learned all their letters and where they are on a keyboard before they were 3. Last Christmas, just before they turned 4, we got them the Leapster Explorers which you can get recharging docks for so no batteries to change.
Hubby & I got ourselves IPads this past summer and the girls love to play on them but still play with the Explorers. We are probably going to get them the Leap Pad this Christmas which uses the same games as the Explorer.

[scrapquitler]

Originally Posted by Elleshoodat

DS is about to turn 2, and he loves playing with our iPhones and my Kindle Fire. Usually DH and I are OK with it, but sometimes we want to "play" on our smartphones, too.

His birthday is coming up, and we'd love to be able to get him something that

A) comes with learning apps/has learning apps available;
B) he can watch videos on; and
C) hooks up to the Internet (less important).

Is there anything out there like that? I know LeapFrog has some handheld devices, but I'm not sure what they are capable of...

Thanks in advance!

Sounds like you've gotten a lot of good suggestions already. You might want to just consider getting him an iTouch, or waiting until one of you upgrade to a new iphone (next week? ) and let him just use your older version iphone. Pros: he already knows how to use it, and you already own the apps. It's just another option to consider...we've always given our kids our old devices when we upgrade. We get a new one and they get the old one and are thrilled to have one of their own.

[momof3ds]

I would just get an iPod touch or an iPad (with a warranty and a good case)!

Apple sells refurbs on their website from time to time.

[DisneyMaMato8]

Have you seen the new cases by fisher price to protect iPods and iPads?

[DisneyRegulars]

We've been debating this too and finally decided to go with an Ipod Touch 4 and this case: griffin armored survivor case . (You have to watch the video! We can get a refurbed Ipod 4 for around $129, but i don't remember the website. Maybe they will be even cheaper now with the new models out.

We have both an ipad now and android phones and I think the aps on the ipad are way better, and tv content is way easier to purchase too. We may consider the 5th gen, but I think that's a bit out of our price range.

[Mariep26]

I bought a iPod Touch for each of my kids with an Otter Box case. It works out great for us.. and despite the initial investment, has been quite economical because there are plenty of low price or free apps available.

[Habbott]

But if the OP decided to go with an android style tablet like the Nabi, then it does even out pretty well. The Nabi is $200, but it comes with aps loaded on, it can have real movies on it (you can convert your own on a PC pretty easily). You can also buy aps in the google play store. To me, it's a better value overall. the good thing about the Nabi is that it has parental controls, unlike my iPads.

I did buy a fisher price iXL for my guy for Christmas. It was on clearance for $22 and I couldn't resist it. Since he doesnt get to hold the iPad on his lap in the car, I figured it would be a decent system (even if I can't buy any new games than the ones I bought on clearance).

Originally Posted by ccgirl

Good points. I can speak to the Innotab. It uses batteries. We were going through them very quickly and switched to rechargable batteries and it's much better now. Good point about the game cost as well. Not sure how much the iPad cost (thinking around $300). The gamesbooks for the Innotab are an average of $17 not on sale. I purchase them when they go on sale for $9.99 which seems to be a lot. Using those price points, I would have to purchase 22 games to make the price "comparable". My son has 5 and that is all he cares to have.

I think age is a good thing to keep in mind along with how many games you think they would want.

I went back and forth between LeapPad and Innotab and, in the end, I went with the less expensive Innotab as I know these electronics seems to be becoming "obsolete" so quickly!

Good luck with your decision, OP. You can try out both the Innotab and LeapPad at Target.

[momto3pirates]

I got my niece a Nabi tablet for her 7th birthday last month. My sister said it has been the best thing ever. It has a lot of educational games and aps preloaded. It also has a lot of just for fun games preloaded. She can read books, watch movies and play games. It comes in a rubber case. Baby sister is 2 1/2 and loves it so much they might have to get a second one.

[Happyjen27]

Just buy the iPad. Most people who share devices with kids and buy the kid substiute STILL have to share their deviced with the kids.

If he likes an iPad, get him an iPad.

[Elleshoodat]

Originally Posted by Habbott

I've had some more time to think about this, and I think there are a few things to consider to help you choose the right one for your kid.

First, battery life. Is it rechargeable? You don't want to be replacing batteries constantly.

Second, games or app cost. I prefer the iPad or an android model mostly because there are tons of free educational apps. I've purchased one or two pricey apps, but the majority have been free or $1.99 or less. There's a Facebook page I follow called Good free apps for kids.

Good luck choosing!

Thanks, and great points!

Originally Posted by scrapquitler

Sounds like you've gotten a lot of good suggestions already. You might want to just consider getting him an iTouch, or waiting until one of you upgrade to a new iphone (next week? ) and let him just use your older version iphone. Pros: he already knows how to use it, and you already own the apps. It's just another option to consider...we've always given our kids our old devices when we upgrade. We get a new one and they get the old one and are thrilled to have one of their own.

That wouldn't be a bad idea, but neither of us is eligible for an upgrade until next year. Bummer.

Originally Posted by DisneyMaMato8

Have you seen the new cases by fisher price to protect iPods and iPads?

Yeah, we actually have one of those, but we also have Otterboxes for our phones so we don't use it.

Originally Posted by DisneyRegulars

We've been debating this too and finally decided to go with an Ipod Touch 4 and this case: griffin armored survivor case . (You have to watch the video! We can get a refurbed Ipod 4 for around $129, but i don't remember the website. Maybe they will be even cheaper now with the new models out.

We have both an ipad now and android phones and I think the aps on the ipad are way better, and tv content is way easier to purchase too. We may consider the 5th gen, but I think that's a bit out of our price range.

I agree -- in general, I find Apple to be more user-friendly than Android.

Originally Posted by Happyjen27

Just buy the iPad. Most people who share devices with kids and buy the kid substiute STILL have to share their deviced with the kids.

If he likes an iPad, get him an iPad.

I would love to, but that isn't in our budget right now. Plus, Mommy doesn't even have an iPad yet!

Still reading reviews, but right now I'm leaning toward the Nabi or the Tabeo. A refurbished iPod touch would be nice, but I worry about his eyes looking at that small screen. (DH and I have horrible eyesight, and I'm sure we passed it on to DS.)

Thanks, everyone!

[hgeisler]

Just got Nabis for my kids that are 2 and 4. They are awesome! They have tons of apps, books, and Laurie Berkner music(She's like my kid's crack). I also added Netflix on them so they can watch their shows It's well worth the money!