Buy Leapster for travel with Kids?

[kids1617]

Anyone recently buy a Leapster for their kids? The price just went down $10 from the last time I looked at them. They seem useful and educational at the same time.

 

[hebbynan]

We just bought one for DS's 4th birthday. He seems to like it, although he doesn't play with it for an extended period of time. We actually only bought one now because the price did come down. Before, I really couldn't justify that price.

 

[alloyd1170]

My 6 yr old ds is on his 2nd one (dropped too many times) and my ~3 yr old dd has one, but doesn't really quite get it (wanted it because big brother has one and was tired of the fights). We love them and ds has learned quite a bit from them over the years. He doesn't know he's learning which is a huge plus! The games can be shared/reused between the two kids. I got dd the L-Max so she can play them on tv, but we haven't done that yet. They also work great while waiting for meals in restaurant. Definitely worth it in our book as it's educational (vs Nintendo DS).

 

[kids1617]

That's great info, thanks! I think we're going to buy one since the price has gone down but not the L-max. He has the click start for the TV. I want something for travel, THANKS!

 

[Girly_Qs]

My now 5yo dd has had one for a couple years now. She LOVES it, and has learned a LOT. She primarily uses it now at her Pre-K 'rest' time (with headphones). I credit it with the fact that she already has a grasp (conceptual and functional) of multiplication!

We'll be getting the new Didj for her (maybe for our trip this Fall?) and passing the Leapster down to her sister (who's not ready for it yet, at just 2).

We have the L-Max, but have never used it with the TV either - as such it's no 'better' than a regular one (so I say: save the $!).

 

[thegrimdwarf]

DS4 has one and loves it. The games are great, and he learns while he plays. I scored one at Walmart right after Christmas - on clearance for $25, and it came with a game. Though honestly, now that I know what it's about, I think it's worth full price.

My son only plays in the morning if he wakes up too early and we need him to stay quiet in his room, or on long car trips.

 

[KayLuvsMickey]

We bought one last year for my then 5 yr old. He didn't use it hardly at all. I will say this though, he got a DS lite for christmas and it "links" to his big brothers, and they play together, WITHOUT FIGHTING, for long periods of time.

I am thinking that this years road trip will be calmer

 

[ScotsMinnie]

I must agree with the last poster. My DD had one and she played with it a little but not nearly as much as she plays with the Ds Lite. They too have games with educational value but there is much more to it and it seems to keep them interested for longer. I wish i had just gone straight to the DS instead of wasting money on the leapster and the games to go with it.

 

[AMaloy314]

We are on our second Leapster and really like it. I have a 7,6 and 2 year old that all use it. My 2 year old can sing the Letter Factory letter sounds song which is basically phonics. I tend to save it for things like trips in the car, Dr appt, etc. Times for when it help to keep them occupied. I think that it really depends on the games that you get with it. As I mentioned, we get a lot of use from the Letter Factory game, but all the boys turned up their noses at the Backyardigans games.

All in all, I really recommend it.

 

[iheartdisney]

My kids LOVE thier videogames! DS4 and DD5 each have one, and they share the games. They come in very handy on long trips, since that is abiut the only time they come out. But I hit up ebay for the older style ones...they seem alot easier to hold than the sqare ones out now.

 

[hopesmommy]

My DD6 loves the Leapster more now than when we got it for her about 1 1/2 years ago. It is a life saver for keeping her occupied. I know some people have issues with giving kids electronics to keep them occupied, but when you have one child and are in the car for long periods of time, I would not leave home without it. Everyone (including kids) need time to themselves. We also take coloring books and books to read and play car games. However if we drive to WDW it is TWO days! My DD kindergarten teacher was so excited that DD had one instead of the other games.

 

[carj]

My son who is 7 got one when he was 5. I liked it because it was educational but he got bored with it pretty quickly. He got a Game Boy the next Christmas and loved it. This year after Christmas, he spent his own money on the Nintendo DS Lite. He even gave his Game Boy to his sister, 4, so that worked out nicely. You can play Game Boy games on that so he has a nice variety of games.

I would say that it really depends on the kid but that you will get more mileage out of the DS Lite if he is really interested in games.

 

[DevilDuckie]

We borrowed one for a couple weeks from a friend who never used his. My son didn't use it past the first day either. We didn't buy one because it seemed like a waste.

Could you borrow one to test it out?

 

[Grumpy'sWife]

We're on our second Leapster. DD7 got one when she was 4 and it lasted till last summer but when her younger sis kept dropping it, it went kaput. Bought DD4 one for her bday this year and it has been used constantly.

That said, I am planning on buying DD7 a DS before our WDW trip as an early bday gift. That way they'll both have something to play with during the drive.

I highly recommend the Leapster! My kids have learned so, so much from those games.

 

[Kimberly Hill]

My DD played with a friend's Leapster at a restaurant (very long wait) last summer and loved it but I didn't want her playing 24/7 (she's OCD) and we had no long trips coming up so we held off. She got it for Christmas this year and we love it! We limit the amount of time she spends on it but her problem solving skills (puzzle game) and reading (Letter Factory) have skyrocketed since she got the game.

She loves the princess games, Letter Factory, and Pet Pals.

 

[kids1617]

Thanks for the great replies. Very helpful! THANKS!!

 

[tweedlemom]

My DS5 and DS6 have Leapsters and love them. The Leapfrog website is advertising a Leapster 2 due out soon, so you may want to wait and see how different that product is, in terms of price and quality.

 

[DebRMN]

My twins got them for their 5th bday......huge hit for my DD, so so for my ds, which was a shock to me at the time.

I let them play all the time the first week or two to get it out of their system lol.....now they use it for times we anticipate long waits.
I asked them if there was anything to put on the list to not forget for the plane.....dd said Leapster. I think I will get them a new game for the flight.

 

[Disney Mommy 3]

We have them and love them!!

 

[mcfulkerson]

The Leapster is the best thing we've ever bought our DD(4)!! She loves it - and so do I!! It's great for car trips, restaurants, waiting in line at the post office, etc. I like that it's educational and has taught her so much in the past few months. She's doing math now and is learning to write in cursive among other things! I've already got her a new game cartridge that I'll give her the morning we leave for our WDW trip in June since it's a 10 hour car ride! I can't say enough good things about the Leapster! I love it, love it, love it!