Best Tips for 2 1/2 old for waiting what game Pixter. gameboy, leapster...help!

[Pienut]

Which video game system. We have them all. I personally love pixter the best. It is the most creative for my daughter. She is however, not good at video games. But 2 1/2 for a gameboy might be asking for disaster. It can be difficult to maneuver for little hands, I would say your advanced 4 year old will do great with a gameboy but 2 1/2 seems too young. Leapster is fun and we just got videonow which we love!

If you do decide to go the gameboy route, look at ebay and ask around your friends if anyone has one you can borrow to decide if its perfect or not. I have 2 game boy colors and 2 gameboy advances that I will be listing on ebay with a load of games soon (my boys are 15-13 and they are moving onto gameboy ds...with their own money THANKGOD!) I have always had really good luck getting things on ebay for great savings, is it a risk? Sure but the savings over the course of raising 2 video game heads has been worth it.

A funny thought on video gaming. While they are young all you do is say...get outside, stop playing, go get active. Then suddenly they are 15 and 16years old and a Friday and Saturday evening with all their friends at your house playing video games and eating pizza seems suddenly TERRIFIC! I know where they are who they are with and what they are doing. I am newly reformed! Now it's finish your homework, do some reading, tell me about your day..and SURE play some darn video games...in fact how does the x button work?

 

[SqueakyMouse]

Your DS sounds much like mine at 3. He was addicted to his brother's gameboy. Shortly before he turned 4, we gave him his own Gameboy Advance PS. He played it continuously during our 16 hour car trip! This past Christmas (at age 4 1/2), he graduated to the Nintendo DS. I worried that it would be too much for him, but he can play it better than his 12 yo brother. LOL!!!!

 

[littlesuitcase]

I highly recommend the Leapster - it is one of the best products that I have seen for preschoolers in a long time.

The other newer product is VideoNow Jr. Unlike the player for older kids, the Jr.offers the titles the kids like which tend to include learning opportunities - blues clues, dora etc..

Good luck

 

[littlesuitcase]

Forgot to mention that there is one cartridge for the Leapster that lets kids draw, color etc.. Even my 8 year old has fun with it. I am not sure if is is as detailed at pixter = haven't seen it lately.

 

[littlesuitcase]

I missed Kate's post - sorry I repeated what she said -

 

[SueM in MN]

I thought of some other things as well - I don't know if they apply - but if you don't mind me sharing:

My one friend has a son who has speech problems - the therapist has had her and the child learn and use sign language - started very young. The therapist said it would help with behavior problems.

That is a good suggestion. The Speech Therapist should be able to help you with some non-verbal methods of communication (sign language or picture communication boards). Some people are afraid that if they start those, their child won't speak, but the opposite is true. Once they have a way to communicate, their frustration around communication goes down. As they get more oral language (speech), they start speaking more and the other non-verbal communication drops out.

Also, Disney has special passes that they issue to families with members that have certain challenges - ie autism, aspergers syndrome, downs syndrom, etc. Waiting in line is really a hardship and problem for these families. I don't know the specifics (maybe someone else can help) but if you have your doctor write an excuse - you can go straight to the head of the line.

Laura

That's partly true, but has a few common misconceptions.
WDW doesn't have any "special passes" that allow front of the line access, except for those on WISH trips (like thru Make a Wish) or people on things like ventilators which breathe for them and have a limited battery life.

What they do have are Guest Assistance Cards. When people see someone using one, they often assume that family is getting front of the line access, but what often is happening is that they are being taken to a different place to wait. Guest Assistance Cards are not meant to (and usually won't) shorten or eliminate the wait in line. What they are meant to do is provide a more appropriate place/condition for the person to wait. Not all Guest Assistance Cards provide the same assistance; what they provide depends on the needs of the person with a disability. Some common things might be a place to wait out of the sun for someone with sun sensitivity, bypassing the part of a line that has steps for someone who can't climb steps.

The Guest Assistance Card will not really help much with the OP's concern about how to pass the time while waiting for parades/show. You will still have to wait the same amount of time; what the Guest Assistance Card miight do for shows or parades is provide a designated spot to watch the show or a roped off area to wait for the show (Bug's Life is an example) rather than waiting in the large communal waiting area. For shows, the seating is usually in the back row (to provide wheelchair access). For parades, there are designated spots listed on the park maps. We don't usually use those since they are usually quite full and you often have to get there quite early to get a spot.
If you follow the link in my signature to the disABILITIES Board and search for posts with "Guest Assistance Cards" or "GAC" you will find a lot of information.

 

[siennacrew]

He actually is doing better than even I thought. He was evaluated last week and is at the bottom of the average range for his speech. His comprehension is at the high end of the average range. I don't really want any special privledges or anything...just want to get him through the waiting. I'm probably being more paranoid than I need to be. I guess one to many meltdowns at Target can do that to you.....

 

[Laura66]

Sue,
Thank you so much for posting the specifics on Guest Assistance passes.

I would have hated to pass along bad info - I knew there was something - just wasn't sure what it was.

Laura

 

[SueM in MN]

Sue,
Thank you so much for posting the specifics on Guest Assistance passes.

I would have hated to pass along bad info - I knew there was something - just wasn't sure what it was.

Laura

You're welcome.

 

[mjmcca]

If he is having problems with speach then i think a leapster would be a good investment for you. It is very fun and educational.

 

[kboles]

Leapster vs Leapfrog - I'm having a brain fade. Are these the same things? I think my DS3 has a Leapfrog (the preschool one) and he doesn't like it to much. He plays games on the home computer, that holds his attention better. The Leapfrog is to repetitive with its instructions and he gets impatient waiting for it to explain how to play the game. Everytime you turn a page you have to touch a specific symbol and that is hard for him to remember. JMO

 

[NotUrsula]

"LeapFROG" is the name of the product line in general. What you are talking about is a LeapPAD, I believe (works with a book; turn the pages and touch the icons, right?)

The LeapPAD is not the best for situations where you can't sit down. The LeapSTER is a different product entirely. It is set up kind of like a PDA, a game console with a touchscreen that uses a stylus, though not all games require the use of the stylus; some use the directional buttons on the game unit. The games are on plug-in cartridges that fit into a small slot on the top of the unit, which is rather small, just a little larger than a paperback novel.

I like the Leapster, but we don't have one b/c I feel that the availability of games for its upper age range is poor, and the games are rather expensive.

I carry a PDA anyway, so my compromise has been to load several kid games onto it. I let DS use it when he is restless in waiting situations. I can download the games in minutes from shareware sites, and they are seldom as expensive as commercially produced games. Though DS would be thrilled to have a GameBoy, his dad is against the idea, so he doesn't have one.

 

[alphabet]

If you go the Gameboy route they now sell cartoon modules that plug right in like games. Can watch all the kids favorites like sponge bob, Rocket Power, etc. you can find them @ Sams or BJ's for around $12.00. I'm heading down w/ a 4yr old and these work great. (Do get addicting quickly though)


Good Luck

 

[siennacrew]

Thanks for all of the great advice. I'm going w/ the Leapster! I think he will really love it!

 

[jeancbpugh]

About the Leapster: my 5 year old had speech delay when he was 3 (now outgrown), which led to slight delay in letter identification, letter sounds, and phonemic awareness. The Leapster cartridge Letter Factory is magnificent. He got the Leapster and some cartridges for Christmas. He loved watching it during our drive to Florida at Christmas, and came home having all the letter sounds down pat. We also have the Kindergarten cartridge, the Learn to Draw and Write Cartridge, and the Word Factory. I've just ordered the Mr. Mole cartridge because I'm told it goes over silent E. I didn't get any of the cartridges based on TV shows because I didn't want to dilute the value of the learning cartridges. For pure play, he has Gameboy (which he enjoys too). I ration the Gameboy use.

About waiting in line: I agree with the above poster-- don't wait in any lines. Use fastpass. Get to the parks early and do lesser attractions when it is crowded. No little kid will be patient standing around for a long time, even with electronic diversions. (And you can't bring a stroller in most lines). You'll all have more fun.

 

[siennacrew]

We went w/ the leapster! My son loves it! It was great for waiting times and on the airplane! The fastpass is the best...used that a lot! My son did great I think he did better than my 6 year old! He quickly learned that if he waits a short amount of time he will get to do fun stuff....parades, rides, shows, etc. He loved the spinning top I bought too! These were both new things and I think that made a difference too! He loved Pez and his fruit snacks too! His hardest time was sleeping at night. He would wake up and cry a little bit and that happened several times a night. I would pat him and tell him it was ok or hold him. He napped in his stroller when he got sleepy. I took him out & about before our trip during nap time to get him used to napping in the stroller. The last part that was hard was our trip home. My son was pretty cranky. He didn't want to sit in his carseat anymore. He did not take to the characters very well...only Wendy...he loved her!! Thanks for all of your wonderful advice! His vocabulary increased a lot too!

 

[becky7953]

When we went we got the kids (2 and 4) the gameboy color on half.com. It was cheap and I didn't care if it got lost or broken. They loved it! It occupied them at the airport and on the plane too.