Christmas gifting Ipod touches

[marlynnp]

I have been reading in this list and hearing from friends how popular the Ipod touches are. My question is, why? I know some kids who are 6 or 8 years old are getting one for Christmas with Itunes cards. What "tunes" are they going to download? I must be living with my head under a rock because I just don't seen the appeal in these machines. What's wrong with a $50 mp3 player? That's all my kids have and we put music on them from cd's we either already have or get from the library. They are 9 & 11 and don't need an expensive player with hundreds of songs on it.

Yes, my girls have mentioned wanting an I-touch but only when they hear that someone else got one. They don't really want one and I'm not going to buy one just so they can feel like everyone else. (And it's not really EVERYONE else, more like 1 in 20 or even less than that).

So enlighten me, why spend over $200 on this gadget, and do so for kids so young? I'm not trying to judge, just trying to figure out the allure because obviously I have missed something.

I think it should also be noted that it's not a money issue for us. We could easily buy these for the girls, we just don't seen the need. If we bought them each one for Christmas that would be $500 and they'd expect more than one gift under the tree. If I didn't buy them that, spent around $150 - $200 total, I could put the remainder in their savings account for college. To me that is the sensible thing.

Thanks for your thoughts. I really do want to know.

Of course you are judging, stop kidding yourself. You should ask yourself why. Do you feel inferior because you can't afford to spend as much as your friends?


I buy my child what I do, because I can and I want to.

end. of. story.

You get your kids what you want and I'll do the same with mine.

 

[peacelover]

My kids never touch their DSi's anymore.

I didn't and would have got them any "i" anythings, but this past summer, my daughter caught on fire and burned 60% of her whole body. My Dad flew up and he got her an iPad and got my other two iPod touches.

Oh my, I am so sorry and I hope she is doing well now.
To the OP, I am getting one for a young adult who is in their first yr of college, better than lugging around a laptop between classes.

 

[fredflintstone]

My kids never touch their DSi's anymore.

I didn't and would have got them any "i" anythings, but this past summer, my daughter caught on fire and burned 60% of her whole body. My Dad flew up and he got her an iPad and got my other two iPod touches.

Oh my, I am so sorry and I hope she is doing well now.
To the OP, I am getting one for a young adult who is in their first yr of college, better than lugging around a laptop between classes.

Have you thought of getting the iPad instead of a laptop? It is smaller than a laptop but bigger than the iTouch. Of course the prices are different. But depending on what the uses are for, the iPad could be a lot better cause the screen is better! I take mine into meetings and take notes on it, and that is way better than trying to do that on an iTouch! Just a thought! Again, I don't know the needs!

 

[Anne34]

I have to say I'm thinking along the same lines - these types of questions never seem as innocent as they are stated to be - they usually seem like a backhanded way to criticize the choices of others or act superior. And I got that vibe as well from the OP's 2nd post.

Was thinking the same thing??? Why did you even ask, since you obviously don't like them?!

 

[figment3258]

For me personally both my dd's 5 and 9 will be getting one. My dh has one and so both kids love to play on it.

My youngest loves country music and she will use it in the car.
We also stream Netflix so hey both can watch movies on them.
Also my oldest will use it as a kindle which saves me the money of one of those.
They can also play games on them.


I think it just depends on what you want for your kids. I know my dh would never buy a non apple product simply put apple is the best. Which I have learned toi except this and enjoy my iPad and iphone

I think it was a great ? To ask.

 

[mrseace711]

So, your kids don't need anything portable...

Except their DS, your Nook, and an MP3 player.

Sorry, but you are contradicting yourself (and make no sense). The iPod touch is a "luxury" to you, because your kids already own (or have access to) many other "luxury" items that cover many of the uses of the iPod touch.

I completely AGREE!! OP was on another thread 'bashing' parents for THEIR choices to buy iPod Touches....


OP if your NOT looking to buy your kids iPod Touches because they ALREADY own a DS and an MP3 player as well as getting to use YOUR Color Nook then GREAT!! You continue to imply your somehow better? Are your children better versed? Are they above all other children because they live by YOUR rules? 'NO iPOD Touch, but you can have everything else' I guarantee your kids are NO better off than a parent whos child owns an iPod Touch, the only difference is your children do not own an iPod and some other children DO. My kids are NOT above yours because they will own one after Christmas

 

[mrseace711]

After reading this all last night, I was talking with my daughter. She said Mom I have an iTouch it's in perfect condition give him that. (She has an iPhone) I went online found an otter box.

I guess this is the upside of having adult children and then a 5 year old. We're going to preload with some things for him and see how it goes.

Now I have to find out, do we give him his own account? Do I just use mine? I'm not sure how it all works.

Add him to your account =)

 

[violetrose]

I always hated that argument "if you get X when they are young, what will you get them when they are older?"

Honestly, it's not necessary to increase the gift each year. Just because they get something when they are young does not mean each year it just has to get bigger and better. Unless, of course, you are raising Dudley Dursley.

Last year, my kids' got the iTouches. This year, they aren't getting anything remotely like that.

I didn't mean it in terms of "bigger and better", I just think the older they are the more inclined they would be to take care of said expensive gadgets. We start small and move up as they get older and more responsible.

 

[violetrose]

I completely agree! I buy my kids things now that I see they will enjoy and have fun with. I only get them 18 years out of their life, and even those 18 years aren't guaranteed. So I want to see them happy with life. I am not going to wait until they are off to college and living their own lives to buy something that I think at that point they will appreciate more cause they are older, and not even see them enjoy it. No thanks. It's just an itouch for pete's sake, or a laptop...guess what....We are now in a Technology world...it is what it is. Either embrace it or not, but don't judge other's cause they are willing to embrace it and help their children embrace it! I am so over people judging others! UGGG Sorry for the rant, but the judging with kids won't stop cause the parents can't stop!!!

Who is judging? I thought this was a discussion of whether or not you would buy an I-pod touch for your child who was 6 or 8 years old? Like a thread where people share their opinion and why?

The DIS boards are confusing.

 

[tiff211]

I completely agree! I buy my kids things now that I see they will enjoy and have fun with. I only get them 18 years out of their life, and even those 18 years aren't guaranteed. So I want to see them happy with life. I am not going to wait until they are off to college and living their own lives to buy something that I think at that point they will appreciate more cause they are older, and not even see them enjoy it. No thanks. It's just an itouch for pete's sake, or a laptop...guess what....We are now in a Technology world...it is what it is. Either embrace it or not, but don't judge other's cause they are willing to embrace it and help their children embrace it! I am so over people judging others! UGGG Sorry for the rant, but the judging with kids won't stop cause the parents can't stop!!!

I was looking for the "like"button like this was facebook! I agree wholeheartedly. Its no longer a big deal for a 10 to have a cell phone or laptop. Its the growth of the tech age.

 

[mjkacmom]

Who is judging? I thought this was a discussion of whether or not you would buy an I-pod touch for your child who was 6 or 8 years old? Like a thread where people share their opinion and why?

The DIS boards are confusing.

The OP started this thread, pretending not to understand the capabilities of the ipod touch (claiming not to understand why parents would spend $200 on a device to download a ton of music). People tried to be helpful, and let the OP know that the ipod touch is much more than that. The OP then came back to state that his kids didn't need video on the go, games (even though his kids do have ds's and their expensive games, so I don't get that), etc., because they read and color. The OP was clearly trying to put down parents who purchase ipod touches for his kids (but wasn't judging...).

 

[powellrj]

Who is judging? I thought this was a discussion of whether or not you would buy an I-pod touch for your child who was 6 or 8 years old? Like a thread where people share their opinion and why?

The DIS boards are confusing.

Because there tend to be lots of threads started by people who try to sound like its an just a question when in reality its a bash against parents who don't agree with them.

Along the lines of My child will never have a cellphone because.... and then act like parents who do let their kids have cellphones are not as wonderful a parent as the OP is.

 

[luvmy3]

I didn't mean it in terms of "bigger and better", I just think the older they are the more inclined they would be to take care of said expensive gadgets. We start small and move up as they get older and more responsible.

I guess people take the approach that a 7 year old can take care of an Ipod Touch and appreciate it. My 7 year old has an Ipod nano and has had a Nintendo DS for a couple years. He has always taken good care of his expensive electronics, he doesn't need to wait until he is a teen to learn that
I guess I just don't understand the whole concept that a young child wouldn't be able to appreciate and take care of something like an Ipod Touch. Granted, there are those who wouldn't, but there are also older teens who wouldn't either so its really an individual thing, not something that should be based solely on age.

 

[mdsoccermom]

Enlightening so far . . .

My kids use their DS for games, have no need for portable movies or tv (they read or draw or listen to music when on the road) have access to my Nook color for books and internet, have mp3 players for music and aren't allowed to touch my cell phone so running off with it would be out of the question. I understand the portability of an I-touch but I guess I'm in the minority, because my kids just don't need anything that's portable. They have their favorite books, card games, puzzle books, or their parents to entertain them if we are on the go somewhere. At home they have a real tv to watch tv and movies on, a stereo to listen to music, various video game machines to play with and so on. In MY opinion, for a young child the Ipod touch is just an elaborate toy, a luxury, and my kids won't be getting one at this point.

Now having said that, I do know high school kids who use the GPS feature, look up things for school online, etc. so I do see the usability there. Of course a lot of those kids do most of that on their Iphone though so they have the texting and talking capability too.

I have a little friend, 9 years old, she watches movies on her Ipod touch and I'm not sure how she hasn't gone blind the screen is so small! She'll watch an entire 2 hour movie that way. Go figure, my old eyes couldn't take it.

And a tv in your youngest child's room is not a luxury? Is it not a want, rather than a need?

If you don't want to get your kid an iTouch, because you are spending money on a tv, fine. I wouldn't give both at once, either. But please, stop the hypocrisy. It's painful.

10-18-2011, 03:44 PM #50
jm-mom
Mouseketeer


Join Date: Oct 2006
Posts: 165

I'm impressed by everyone's Christmas spending budgets. I have an 11 year old and an 8 year old who's birthday is the day after Christmas and she'll be 9. I haven't even considered getting them an I-touch as much as they beg. We are going to WDW right before Thanksgiving and that's part of their gifts. For Christmas/birthday my youngest is getting a tv for her room. My oldest is getting a computer printer which isn't very costly. The rest of their gifts are craft kits/supplies, board games, clothes, nothing terrible expensive. I would estimate our budget per girl is about $150 for Christmas and then $100 for her birthday.

 

[robsmom]

My DD (she is 10) loves her iPod Touch - she bought it herself earlier this year with money she had saved.

She uses it for music, videos and movies, games, takes pictures (her camera is sitting somewhere dusty), FaceTime with me and her dad, and we all use Cozi for our family calendar so she has access to that as well. The Cozi app allows her to get e-mailed reminders of things on our calendar as well (things I choose to have her reminded of - dentist appointment, picture day @ school, field hockey games, etc.). She doesn't use her e-mail account for very much at this point, but she does have one and gets her mail on the Touch.

Our whole family also shares 1 iTunes account so we can all share music and apps purchased on that account. We are an Apple family so her having an iPod makes sense for us (we have multiple iPhones, iMac, iPad, etc.).
QUOTE]

This is why my son has one. I think the apple family thing is key. We have ipads, itouches, and my husband has an airmac. we wil gradually replace other laptops and our desktop with apple as we go. The shared account is a great feature. Last christmas EA games had a sale and were selling many games for 99 cents. We purchased 10 or so games that we all can use on our devices. The other thing is that we use or itouches and ipads with our kindle accounts. Kindle allows up to 6 downloads for each purchase so we can all read the same books for one purchase. No need for nooks or kindles.

 

[momto2inKC]

Because there tend to be lots of threads started by people who try to sound like its an just a question when in reality its a bash against parents who don't agree with them.

Along the lines of My child will never have a cellphone because.... and then act like parents who do let their kids have cellphones are not as wonderful a parent as the OP is.

Exactly!

 

[mrseace711]

For me personally both my dd's 5 and 9 will be getting one. My dh has one and so both kids love to play on it.

My youngest loves country music and she will use it in the car.
We also stream Netflix so hey both can watch movies on them.
Also my oldest will use it as a kindle which saves me the money of one of those.
They can also play games on them.


I think it just depends on what you want for your kids. I know my dh would never buy a non apple product simply put apple is the best. Which I have learned toi except this and enjoy my iPad and iphone

I think it was a great ? To ask.

OHHH you can stream NetFlix on them?! I had NO idea!! ANOTHER THUMBS up! My hubby wants a PS3 to play games with his brothers that live in other states and I want NetFlix for movie night. With Netflix can a movie be downloaded onto the iPod for say a day so that it does not have to stream and we can take the movie with them for a day then 'unload' it?

 

[momto2inKC]

OHHH you can stream NetFlix on them?! I had NO idea!! ANOTHER THUMBS up! My hubby wants a PS3 to play games with his brothers that live in other states and I want NetFlix for movie night. With Netflix can a movie be downloaded onto the iPod for say a day so that it does not have to stream and we can take the movie with them for a day then 'unload' it?

Netflix is streamed...and I must say my husband and kids use it a LOT on their phones/ipods!!

 

[smokeyblue]

oooohhhh can you get that even after purchasing it?

I think you can buy the warranty up to three months after purchasing. I might be mistaken and it might be only one month after purchase, but there is a small window that you have after purchase to get a warranty.

You can also cancel your warranty at any time and get a pro-rated refund back (maybe if your iPod gets lost or stolen) and the warranty is transferrable if you sell or give your iPod away before your three year warranty expires.

 

[mrseace711]

Netflix is streamed...and I must say my husband and kids use it a LOT on their phones/ipods!!

We have had cable now for a few months and more and more are finding it NOT worth it, we do not watch TV during the week due to our schedules I think NetFlix will be our answer! THANK YOU