Hand Held game system for 4 year old

[DVCJones]

Another vote for the Leapster. My DD4 got one for her b-day last year. She LOVES it. We took it WDW last April and it was great for the long road trip from Massachusetts. She has about 8 of the pre-k games. We keep them in a little ziplock bag. When she gets tired of playing one, we give her another. It is great!

Oh, I wouldn't buy it at Toys R Us. They have a terrible return policy on electronics and games. My DD got a new game at Xmas from her grandfather. It didn't work. When I went to exchange it for the same game, they would not take it back. (no receipt=No return) not even and even exchange at Christmas time!!!! It had their price tag on it too

Target has a great selection and are better to deal with if something is wrong with it.

 

[Jack&Ryan'smom]

Leapster is the greatest. My DS got it when he was 4. I can honestly say that from the time he was 4 until he was 6 and got a Gmaeboy, it was the most used toy he has ever owned. I loved it too because all the games are educational. He learned a lot about letters and sounds they make...this really helped him when he was learning to read. It also was great for car trips...we never left home without it!

 

[Aneille]

We first bought the LMAX when my 5 year old was 3. We have yet to use the TV feature of the LMAX.

So last year we bought my now 4 year old the Leapster. We bought it when she was 3. She has never had any problem using it.

 

[Perditamarie]

Has anyone bought any of the new Leapster games? Any reviews?

 

[Wilsonfamily4]

Has anyone bought any of the new Leapster games? Any reviews?

I don't know about new but my daughter loves her games but really loves the animals one. Can't remember the name. I cannot wait to get my son his own leapster and get boy games!! Reviews on games would be great!

 

[alloyd1170]

My ds 5 has just about all the pre K games, and is now playing the K game. He really seems to like that one, and it challenges him. I also got him the new puzzle game for Christmas since he loves puzzles.

alison

 

[trulygoofy]

My kids like the Leapster. We bought it for our 3 YO but our 7 YO likes it too. I got the silver triangular one because I read it had more games built in. It has been dropped quite a bit and still works great.

 

[joeysmommy]

My 5 yr old loves his Leapster L-Max, it comes in handy for long shopping trips, waits at the dentist/doctor's office etc.
I was reluctant to get him a "video game system", but since he's learning something I didn't feel too badly about it.

We test toys for Leapfrog in Emeryville so he gets software for his Leapster L-max for free.
If you live near the SF Bay Area it's a great "first job" for your child.

 

[Wendi2000]

Max has had a vSmile Pocket for 2 or 3 years now (can't remember exactly) and it is going strong. He got a Leapster LMAX almost a year ago and it's great too.

I originally bought the vSmile because it had games for younger ages, they seem to be more educational, and the games are cheaper (that makes a difference in the long run).

A friend of mine works for LeapFrog and gave him the Leapster plus a ton of games and he plays with it more than he ever did the vSmile. I don't really know that one is better than the other, they are really very similar. I would look at the games that are available to each system and decide which ones would seem more appealing to your child.

 

[hellokittiemama]

Adding in another vote for the Leapster/ L-max!

 

[ktkerber]

Vote for leapster or leapster l-max here. We have both and they have both held up great!! Kids love the games.

 

[scrapquitler]

My 4 year old inherited my 10 year old's Nintendo SP when the 10YO got the newer version. The SP is the one that opens like a flip phone but is square (not rectangular) when it is closed. He has been playin a Dora The Explorer game everytime we've been in the car lately, and he loves it. Also, it is much smaller than the Leapster or VSMile.

 

[chia92]

My DS4 loves his Vsmile so much we got the handheld version for the car. It is going strong despite MANY falls. We don't have the Leapster so I can't comment on that but a big for Vsmile from us.

 

[PrincessBelle39]

I have bought the L-Max for my DD5 for Christmas based on a couple of friends who's children have them. At the time I bought it, the L-Max and the Leapster were the same price. I figured the only difference was the added bonus with the L-Max of being able to connect it to the TV. I might be wrong though.