DD5 & DS6 (almost 7) LeapPad2 & Nintendo dsXL or iPod Touches?

[mrseace711]

Kids currenly have their own LeapPads. I was ready to upgrade DS6 to a Nintendo DS XL who turns 7 in Dec I think hes ready to move on. DD5 has really wants the new LeapPad2 so she says that she can add more things on it currently hers is full of apps and she likes the front camera on the new one. We have tons of apps, video & music on our iTunes account my older DDs got iPod Touches last year. The LeapPad2 Princess (which shes drooling over) $124 and the Nintendo Ds XL is $130 (plus cost of games). Ipod Touch previous generation refurbished is $145!! I had planned on waiting a few years before DS6 & DD5 upgraded to Ipod Touches but with the small price difference Im considering it. (Ill be covering the iPod Touches in the Griffith Survivor Cases which I reccommend to anyone considering a Touch)

Skip the LeapPad2 & Nintendo DS XL??

The iPod Touches are their last stop for the next few years if we go that route =)

 

[descovy]

Kids currenly have their own LeapPads. I was ready to upgrade DS6 to a Nintendo DS XL who turns 7 in Dec I think hes ready to move on. DD5 has really wants the new LeapPad2 so she says that she can add more things on it currently hers is full of apps and she likes the front camera on the new one. We have tons of apps, video & music on our iTunes account my older DDs got iPod Touches last year. The LeapPad2 Princess (which shes drooling over) $124 and the Nintendo Ds XL is $130 (plus cost of games). Ipod Touch previous generation refurbished is $145!! I had planned on waiting a few years before DS6 & DD5 upgraded to Ipod Touches but with the small price difference Im considering it. (Ill be covering the iPod Touches in the Griffith Survivor Cases which I reccommend to anyone considering a Touch)

Skip the LeapPad2 & Nintendo DS XL??

The iPod Touches are their last stop for the next few years if we go that route =)

Honestly, I would get the iPod touch. It kills me that we used to pay $15-30 for a DS game when you can get app games for free or just a couple of dollars.

Also, you can share the games once you own them to put on any of the iPods.

To add, the "find my iPhone" is a great feature for when the kids say "I have no idea where I left it" as long as the battery isn't dead, you can make it make a sound to help find it.

 

[LJSquishy]

I would definitely skip the LeapPad2 and get a Touch. It will be way more versatile and will grow with her where the LeapPad will be too babyish in a year (surprised she even wants another one at her age).

As for a Touch vs a DS...that is a little tougher to decide. I would say go for the Touch just because if your daughter gets one, your son will probably also want one...but the DS is much different than a Touch. It is for Nintendo games whereas the Touch can do movies, photos, game apps, etc. You won't be able to play a Nintendo game on the Touch, and you won't be able to play apps on the DS like you can the Touch. They are just so different.

I would probably go for 2 Touches.

 

[pocomom]

I just bought my daughter 7, a leapad because she really loved her brother's who is three. She does love it for now, but she is way above the age for it, honestly. Most games top out at 7, but should really be for 6 and under. I wish the Ipods had more educational games for this age group, but I would still have to say that it is the way to go to get some value out of your purchase. Then again I knew all that and still got my dd a leapad because she really wanted it...

 

[luvmy3]

If it were me, I'd get my dd the Leappad that she is drooling over. She is young and will get years out of it, and then if she wants one I'd upgrade her to the touch.
Is your ds asking for a DS? My dses love their 3DSes and they get played alot, but they do want Ipod touches (mainly for facetime with friends and minecraft app). They will still play their 3DSes for sure.

 

[Madison'smommy]

definatly ipod! My 7 yr old got one for Christmas last year and she still loves it! There are tons of educational games on there! Lots of free/cheap stuff too!

 

[blessedby3]

We have decided to get our dd5 the Ipod Touch for Christmas also. She plays her older sisters all the time and loves it. I figured it would save arguments if we just got her one of her own

 

[lulubelle6188]

Another vote for Ipod touches. I bought my DS5 and DS6 one last year and my family thought I was crazy. Now they think it was a brillant idea. It's probably the only thing they still play with and they absolutely LOVE it.I do have to limit the time they are on it though. It got to be where that's all they wanted to do.

 

[cel_disney]

I have a 6 year old boy. He said he wanted a DSXL so I started asking parents of his friends that have them. They all said the games were really expensive and not really worth it. And all of their children preferred playing with their parents phone instead. A few others told me that had already replaced them with kindles.

We ended up taking DS out nd haing him try the DSXL, the iPod touch, and the kindle fire. ( we own two iPads, an iPhone, and a droid as an FYI...)

He eliminated the DS first. Then he decided that while he liked the kindle, he really wanted something small he could bring with him places. He decided pretty firmly that the Itouch was has favorite and not once has he regretted it!!! The ease of getting cheap/free apps makes all the difference in the world. And we have his favorite music and a movie or two loaded for the car.

I would recommend this choice to others!!! We got an otter box defender case for it to be extra sturdy!

 

[connorsmom911]

Sorry to hijack the thread, but...

My almost 10-yr old finally saved his allowance for a new ipod touch this past summer (he saved half, I kicked in half). Little brother is 5, and is always trying to be just like his big brother (never played with age appropriate toys, always wanted to play with whatever older brother plays) Little brother had a used DS lite until he inherited big brothers DSi now that he has the ipod. Still nothing but fights over the ipod, no matter what I do.

Was thinking about getting little brother a used ipod touch for xmas, but not sure how I feel about it. It seems that older brother works for the things he gets, but to keep the peace I wind up having to get a similar item for little brother.

Another option I was batting around was getting a ipad mini for "the house" that I could use, as well as the youngest.

Thoughts?

 

[letsgoreds]

We're in the same boat...and leaning towards the Nexus 7 vs. the ipod touch. Still can't decide!!!

Then there is our 2.5yo who is far to adept with the ipod touch...he does better on ipad/ipod touch than his older brother's Leapster. So...no leappad for him, just leapster + shared family pads.

 

[cel_disney]

We're in the same boat...and leaning towards the Nexus 7 vs. the ipod touch. Still can't decide!!!

Then there is our 2.5yo who is far to adept with the ipod touch...he does better on ipad/ipod touch than his older brother's Leapster. So...no leappad for him, just leapster + shared family pads.

Yes! Our 2 yr old mastered the ipad at age 1 without looking back! I can't imagine she will ever use anything else! She has her own folder of apps, knows how to turn it on, unlock it, find her apps and enter and exit them at will...she even manages to get 'back' if she ends up down a purchase or advertising path! I wish everyone had the second nature she does with it!!!!

 

[StuckInKS]

Honestly, I would get the iPod touch. It kills me that we used to pay $15-30 for a DS game when you can get app games for free or just a couple of dollars.

This. It costs a small fortune to get a variety of games for LeapPads and DSs. Most of the games I have on my phone that they like were either free or $.99. And, honestly, my two oldest recently got 3DS (DD9 in May and DS 8 in Sept) and they STILL want to play on my phone! So, I see now that they really should have got iPod Touches instead. I'm considering getting them for Christmas anyway. If they still play with their 3DSs that's fine, but I probably will stop buying games for them. I will let them know that they can still ask for games as birthday/Christmas presents, but a $30 iTunes card will go a lot further. If they stop playing them, I will sell them and get iTunes cards or other accessories for them with the money. Now the problem is, what do I do about the DD6 and DS4 (who will be 5 by Christmas). They will want something, but I really hate the thought of buying something like a LeapFrog because of the game costs, plus they are ALWAYS running out of batteries! They have had vPockets and Mobigos and they rarely got played with. But is an iPod Touch really appropriate for them?

 

[mrseace711]

Im sure now the iPod Touches are the answer Im just going to have to look into some educational apps. Paying $125 for a LeapPad2 with Princess on it and it to only last another year before DD5 is begging for an iPod is a waste. DD5 has been asking for an iPod since she was 3yrs old =] DS6 has asked for a ds because his cousins have one, but hes always begging his sisters for a turn on their iPods =] we are in the car a lot this is when the kids pull out their electronics I usually end up with their LeapPads and iPods in my bag it would be nice to downsize to 4 iPods =]

My older DDs have Nintendo DSs that they lost most of those tiny cartridges with smh and their ds's have collected dust DS6 and DD5 have rarely picked them up to play with.

Any headphone recommendations for this age group I don't really like earbuds at this age.

 

[lovetheduck]

Im sure now the iPod Touches are the answer Im just going to have to look into some educational apps. Paying $125 for a LeapPad2 with Princess on it and it to only last another year before DD5 is begging for an iPod is a waste. DD5 has been asking for an iPod since she was 3yrs old =] DS6 has asked for a ds because his cousins have one, but hes always begging his sisters for a turn on their iPods =] we are in the car a lot this is when the kids pull out their electronics I usually end up with their LeapPads and iPods in my bag it would be nice to downsize to 4 iPods =]

My older DDs have Nintendo DSs that they lost most of those tiny cartridges with smh and their ds's have collected dust DS6 and DD5 have rarely picked them up to play with.

Any headphone recommendations for this age group I don't really like earbuds at this age.

I bought (from amazon) the kidz gear wired headphones for my dd and she loves them. They are sized for a younger child. My dd is 8 now and I think they will be too small soon.
FWIW, I would go with the ipods. They are great for watching movies in the car when you are on a long drive. They can do so much more than the game systems.

 

[Elinor Dashwood]

Having gone down the leap pad, DS, DSI path, I wish I would've just gotten an ipod touch to begin with. My youngest never uses any of them but is just chomping at the bit for an ipod touch. What a waste of money all that other crap turned out to be...she outgrew it and the games which irked me because it was expensive (games range from $20 and up!).