Ipod for 10 yr. old

[FutrImagineer]

New Nano.

I'm 21, and even though I really want to treat myself, I still think of the iPod touch as a luxury (and unnecessary) expense. I sound like an old woman when I say this, but I just don't understand kids these days. In my opinion, there is no reason for a 10-year-old to need or even want an iPod touch. If you start out giving things that extravagant at this age, what will have you to give him/her when they're 16? You'll be up to BMW level by then.

Your husband is right that the touch is the way of the future, but I think your child will be thrilled to get the Nano alone.

 

[Justsyd2]

I recommend the Touch. It's worth the ability for movies, games, internet, ect... It's a far better value. I think that your husband is spot on! I have an 8 year old DGS who handles the responsibly well.

 

[luvmy3]

Ok, my first thought would be that would be a reason to pick the shuffle - I don't want her to be able to watch movies, TV, whenever. DD15 only uses her ipod for tunes. When is it handy for your kids to be able to watch stuff on the go? Trying to see if it's worth it. I do think taking pics would be great, she loves using my camera & that is another of her wish list items.

My dd mainly uses hers for tunes too but we do alot of weekend road trips ( 1 hour or more) and she watches her movies or TV shows then. Occasionally she watches something in her room, but thats pretty rare. She does take it with her pretty much everywhere, but for around town errand she sticks with her music.
I have a 30GB video ipod that dh got me for my birthday 3 years ago and I've yet to watch a video on it Dd used it for hers before she got her nano, and once I got it back the videos were taken off. I do like to be able to see what is playing, or to be able to search for a specific song, or playlist and I'm not sure the shuffle allows that.

I just downloaded a couple songs and a Miley video onto dd's ipod. She told me I can take Twilight (the movie) off her ipod because she's watched it 16 times

 

[luvmy3]

New Nano.

I'm 21, and even though I really want to treat myself, I still think of the iPod touch as a luxury (and unnecessary) expense. I sound like an old woman when I say this, but I just don't understand kids these days. In my opinion, there is no reason for a 10-year-old to need or even want an iPod touch. If you start out giving things that extravagant at this age, what will have you to give him/her when they're 16? You'll be up to BMW level by then.

Your husband is right that the touch is the way of the future, but I think your child will be thrilled to get the Nano alone.

If you are talking about cost, you can get an 8GB touch for the same price as an 8GB new nano. You are right there is no need for a 10 year old to have one, but there is also no need for an adult to have one either. Its a want for everyone
IMO, I would rather spend $150-$200 on something my dd loves and will use for years to come instead of spending that much on a bunch of junk I'm going to end up throwing out in a year, but to each his own.
And no, my kids will not be getting BMWs at 16 unless they have enough $ in the bank to buy one themselves

 

[carissanboys]

I'm 35 and I still only have a shuffle. Works just fine for me and holds a couple of hundred songs.

 

[mrsbornkuntry]

I bought my 12yo and 13yo nanos and they are both happy with them. I got them new so I could have them engraved, less chance of them getting stolen. But if you go the refurbished route (which I think I'm going to for my 10yo for Christmas) check out Overstock.com, I think their prices are a little less than Apple's.

 

[carj]

We bought both kids a 16G touch at the end of the school year last year. They were 5 and 8 at the time. We specifically wanted them for our road trip from Texas to California so that they could watch movies and play games. This worked out really well for us!

They both already knew how to operate them since DH and I have iphones. They have 10 or 11 movies on each ipod, plus around 60 songs and lots of free games.

I know that some people think that they are too young for such a pricey little device and I was a little skeptical myself. This was DH idea. We had just bought a new vehicle and it didn't come with a DVD player. I didn't like the idea of messing around with a portable and the installed DVD players had mixed reviews. Honestly though, they only watch a movie if we are in the car for a long time. (Like on the way to California.) It is actually better than the DVD player in the car, which always seemed to be playing something.

We bought them each a rubber cover and the anti-glare screen protector.

 

[gopack]

Last Christmas my DS10 (he was 9 at the time) asked for an iPod. We got him the Shuffle because I was not sure how much he would use it. Well he loves it and listens to it all of the time, especially on car rides. We will be getting him the Touch for Christmas this year. My DD16 has the Touch and it is really fun. I would go ahead and get the Touch.

 

[RitaE]

Can I vote both?
Really 'cause that's what my kids have, they're older than 10 though.

I bought the Touches - they both have added Nanos and Shuffles at various times because they're better for running, the weight room etc. from their own money.

Touches are good for long car trips, music plus Apps as well as playing movies on the cool screens.

my opinion, there is no reason for a 10-year-old to need or even want an iPod touch.

There's no need for them to want one? Of course they want one. I wanted one myself so I got an iPhone. There's not a stinkin' thing wrong with wanting something. What's wrong is insisting you deserve something that you haven't earned and can't afford to buy.

And really, when it comes down to it there's no "need" for them to have a Shuffle either. They could just hummm quietly to themselves.

 

[Blue.Fairy2]

I bought my 12yo and 13yo nanos and they are both happy with them. I got them new so I could have them engraved, less chance of them getting stolen. But if you go the refurbished route (which I think I'm going to for my 10yo for Christmas) check out Overstock.com, I think their prices are a little less than Apple's.

Good point about the engraving and apple does it for free!

 

[d'Isigny]

You would be best to answer how responsible your 10 y/o is. knowing that one good drop it 'might be' worthless...leaving an ipod/itouch unattended it could disappear (in a heartbeat).

We've purchased 10 ipods in the past 3-4 years and 9 have been from the refurbished web site. LOVE EM!!! All 9 refurb's work...and most get daily use.

granted...we stared with the shuffles (they looked like todays thumb drives). my 9 and 12 y/o did very well with them. the following year, they each got 1g nano...again...I was impressed how well they took care of them. So, this past december holiday...they got the 4g nanos.

IMHO. I would not hesitate in ordering from Apple's refurbished site. The 1g ($39) and 2g ($59) shuffles just don't hold enough. I'd recommend the 8g nano for $99 - the screen and interface are fantastic. it's very easy to find a song...artiest...shuffle...play some games...etc. I also like the option to input a password...limiting the volume these can play at --- a major reason the $40 difference is well worth it. Also...since these are last year/season models...accessories (covers - screen protectors - etc) can even be found at the dollar store.

I wish I could offer some personal experience with the Itouch...have seen em - like em...maybe some day. I did see an earlier post...about the internet useage....am not ready for my dd's to have that freedom...yet. again - IMHO.

good luck......k

 

[RitaE]

FWIW - I just cruised by the family room and my 16yo is in there reading Dan Brown's new book on his iTouch -- Kindle App

He's reading!!!!

 

[bookgirl]

I think it depends on your kid and how aware they are of electronics. Have they been responsible in the past, do they have a history of breaking/losing items? Is she the type to lay it down without keeping up with the location?

I would start her with a nano at 10 (shuffle would work but it won't play a movie). Although the touches are great cause you can download free games to keep a kid busy in a resturant or waiting in line, but as a first timer I'd say go with a refurbed nano until you can judge her ability to upkeep the item.

Just a FYI if you're interested in how we decided if my nephews were ready for advanced electronics.

My nephews play with my Itouch and thier mom, dad, and dad's girlfriends Iphones constantly. They have had access to all our electronic gadgets since they were probably 5 or 6. They have had an assortment of DS's, cd players, hand held videos and leapsters, they have never broken of lost any of those. They are both tech savey kids who while normal scatterbrained boys, are also very aware that electronics are delicate, and that they are not to ever be left somewhere unattended. I would probably let them wonder around with any electronic gadget I had. They were careful with them knowing that how they used our things would determine if they were responsible enough for thier own.

At ten they now have video nano's, cell phones, and mini laptops. We don't have any qualm about buying them advanced electronics (their phones are NOT iphones but cheaper samsungs, but they do have text and web capabilities).

But we made them work up the line so to speak. They started with shuffles when they kept those for two years then they got video nano's which they've had for two or maybe three years, last christmas they got laptops, and they just got thier phones in June for thier birthdays. They still play with and covet ours but they know they have to keep what they've got to get something better.

 

[loonytoony]

too young - get her a radio

 

[3boymthr]

I bought the 13 yo (then 12) a 4 GB iPod nano last year - he loves loves loves it. This year I bought the 8 GB for the 9 yo. He's getting it for christmas. Both are refurbished. I paid $104 for each from the Apple Store including taxes and shipping, they arrived in 4 days. The 9 yo loves using his brother's nano.

I definitely recommend the nano over the shuffle as that way they can see what they are going to play and don't have to keep listening to each song before the start to listen.

I found the nano itself to be very sturdy, but be prepared to invest in an extra pair of headphones (I got skull candy for $10 on sale); DS' original pair broke after a couple of months.

The movies, etc. are very expensive compared to the music ($4 and up as opposed to 99 cents) and just one uses most of the memory. I also found that by making him earn his itunes money that after pricing them as compared to music he doesn't use it for movies. For videos they use my old cell phone; it works just fine and they have a blast with it and it didn't cost me anything.

 

[Kitzka]

where did you get the green speakers ( green is my favorite but was considerng the blue but if I can get green speakers! well )

I lucked out and found it at tj maxx. but it was a while ago. she has 2 green acessories. one is an ihome (we actually found this at target) and the speaker 'system' is actually a pair of speakers that plug into the ipod and it plays the music. we mainly use it for sitting on the porch or listening to tunes in the bathroom (i hate silence)


lara

 

[LIBLULA]

I would go for the Ipod touch. My DH got our DD9 one in Feb. At first I thought he was crazy--way too young!! But I have changed my mind. She plays it all the time (hardly ever plays with her DS that takes pictures). I have downloaded lots of apps (games, dictionary, educational games), music, and movies. She has no desire at this time to searach the internet, but I have turned it off in the settings. She has been very responsible with it--otherwise I would take it away!!

 

[StitchandPooh'sMom]

We bought DD10 a Touch for her tenth birthday. She wanted it instead of a birthday party, and it was the only thing she asked for. It replaced a refurbed shuffle that she had for several years and never misplaced or broke.

The Touch is awesome! She loves it, and I keep thinking I might want one too! Besides music and movies, she can play games (she has downloaded the Toy Story Mania app and the Disney Fairies app as well as several free games). She can't download without help and permission - even if it is free. I'm looking forward to downloading the WDW wait times app to her touch for our next WDW trip. She uses the built in stop watch to time her fluency reading for language arts. She wants to download a texting app, but we won't let her.

She has internet restrictions just like she does on the computer, and she doesn't connect to the network at home without the password and permission.

It all comes down to your child - how mature and responsible you think she is and whether or not this is a reasonable request.

 

[ljcrochet]

I would not go with the shuffle. The suffle does not let you see what song is playing. You just play a playlist (or on the newer ones you can have more then one playlist). My 4 year old DDs prefer to use DH's 2nd generation IPOD over the shuffle even though the shuffle has the playlist that they are listening to on the IPOD.

 

[Blue.Fairy2]

I lucked out and found it at tj maxx. but it was a while ago. she has 2 green acessories. one is an ihome (we actually found this at target) and the speaker 'system' is actually a pair of speakers that plug into the ipod and it plays the music. we mainly use it for sitting on the porch or listening to tunes in the bathroom (i hate silence)


lara

ty

will check out Target and TJ Maxx