ipod for 6 yr old??

[luvwdwfla2]

I am thinking about getting my ds6 some kind of ipod/mp3. I do not know anything about them. We have a mac computer which makes me think getting an ipod is the better idea. He does NOT need anything major. the cheaper the better. He loves to listen to his music in the car so the ipod is my idea. He does not know about them. Any info or opinions would be helpful. I am not looking to spend a ton of money!!!!Thanks

 

[leight]

One of the best xmas gifts I got my two girls were refurbished Ipods. (go to apple's website and look for the refurbs.) I had gotten the older style 2 yrs ago- they were $29- the longer ones and I've been so happy that I've given them as gifts and am thinking about upgrading dd11's to a nano this year. It's a great way to introduce them to it, still get a 1yr warranty thru apple and not spend a lot!

 

[Narnia]

My kids have a mp3 shaker player. that thing can take a beating. It has a speaker built into it too.http://www.sandisk.com/Products/Catalog(1253)-SanDisk_Sansa_ShakerMP3_Players.aspx other places have sold them cheaper I think I paid under $30.

 

[nicki.momof3]

TO YOUNG !!!!

Why rush into all the facny electronics that take away from teh creative play that is so important at this age. If they like music get some CD's that you can all listen to in the car adn all sing along and have fun. A child walkign around listneing to music not commuinicating with aanyone is so sad to see.

 

[Avery's mom]

My DD was using my DH's iPod so much that we decided to get her her own. She listens to it daily, but never so much so that it takes away from family time. Mostly she listens to it in bed as she falls asleep or gets ready in the morning. Also, she takes it with her on long car trips or where she has to be patient for a while (doctor's appt./etc). It has taught her about being responsible for an expensive object. She makes sure it's charged and ready to go. If she forgets, then she doesn't get to listen to it.

I was hesitant about it, but it has worked out well for us.

 

[I Believe n Fairies]

We got my dd one last year and she loves it. She listens to it in her room, in the car, just any where. We got her this one: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8553816&type=product&id=1188561248462

It was on sale when we ordered it for $34.99. We love it, it holds plenty of music and it comes in fun colors.

 

[vegasnative]

My parents got my twins Ipod shuffles last year for Christmas. They had just turned 6. It was the best present ever! They love it and it's small so good for their little fingers. It clips on to their shirt. I think it can hold something like 200 songs. My 4-year old wants one now.

 

[MommaSnowwhite]

My DD was 7 when she got her shuffle (she paid for it herself). She has loved it. We have had 4 refurbished Apple products and have had no problems. I like having Ipods better than other brands because of ITunes. We had 2 different brands of MP3 players and had to have the music in 2 different formats on our Hard drive.

 

[ditchdoc1017]

Shuffle is the way to go but you need to find some kid friendly head phones. Ipod headphones do sit in your ears well. My DW just got me a new set be cause the Ipod ones would come out while I was running.The other thing you can hear there music with the Ipod head phones.They make some small gummy type that work well and are cheap. Shuffle is like $49 at walmart pick your color.

 

[kar0066]

TO YOUNG !!!!

Why rush into all the facny electronics that take away from teh creative play that is so important at this age. If they like music get some CD's that you can all listen to in the car adn all sing along and have fun. A child walkign around listneing to music not commuinicating with aanyone is so sad to see.

I am also wondering if there could be any hearing damage at such a young age.

 

[PrincessNoelle'sMom]

I am also wondering if there could be any hearing damage at such a young age.

You can put a lock on the volume control on the "real" iPods.

OP - to answer your question - do IT!! I got my son an iPod shuffle refurb for his 6th b-day. He LOVES it. It has been in the pool (yes, submerged at the pool at CR) and still works! It is a kid-tough product and not all that expensive. He has learned responsibility for something of value, how to save money to "buy" songs, etc. He uses it at our discretion and I think it is a great gift. So much so, that my dd is getting a pink one for ther b-day.

 

[Familycircus]

I would vote for the ipod.
My three kids each have an ipod shuffle. We purchased one for our youngest this spring when he was 4 1/2. You can pick up a 1GB shuffle for about $40 at Wal-mart, Kmart, or Target. It holds about 250 songs. We too were undecided and naive on this, but went ahead and got them for the kids. We restrict when they can be used, mostly in the car on longer trips than just driving around town. No more scratched cds everywhere. If you get the ipod brand you would need to download iTunes to your computer. Then just pop in a cd, load the songs to your iTunes library, then transfer to the ipod. If you get a mp3 player you will probably have to use a converting program (also download from the internet) to convert the music files to mp3 format then load them to the mp3 player. You could also buy some regular headphones to use if you or your child are not comfortable with the ear buds.

 

[Tiffany_MommyOf3]

My 5 and 3 yr olds both have iPod Nanos. Well worth the money. They are both really into music and listen to the same song over and over until they memorize it. This keeps me from going completely insane and keeps them from fighting over which song to listen to LOL. My 3 yr old sometimes needs help working the controls but handles it by herself most of the time. My 5 yr old never needs help with it.

 

[AuroraBeauty]

Hello fellow MAC user!

We've been a MAC family for quite some time. We have 6 iPods and 2 iPhones. DD got her own iPod at about 3 b/c she wanted to listen to her kid music and after awhile on a car trip we got tired of it. She has her own video iPod so she can watch things when we travel. Smaller, easier to transport than a DVD player and then we don't have to manage DVDs -- did that and the iPod is so much easier.

I think for you that getting an iPod of some sort would be easy since you have a MAC. You/DH can create your DS6 his own playlist and you can easily control the music. The shuffle is inexpensive but it's not as easy to control which song comes on -- hence the name shuffle. It's easy to use though and he would be able to skip through songs if he's looking for something specific.

As a MAC loving family, I would highly recommend the ease of using the iPod if you already have a mac. Also if you order from the Apple website you can have it personalized free (w/o actually putting your ds's name on due to security).

I also agree with the other poster who mentioned getting kid friendly headphones. My dd does not like the ones that stick in her ears, she wants the over ears traditional looking headphones.

Best Wishes!

 

[Emmaline Lola]

my dd3 has one, a nano that plays video too.......so for long car rides to grandma's after she is done telling us her stories about her imaginary friends, she asks if she can watch it.......

we also got her a speaker that she can carry around with it when she doesn't feel like using her fisher price kids headphones.......it is great for trips away from home, and also wind down in her bed after a LONG day for a 3 year old.........

and it has taught her how to take care of something, she puts it away in the same purse every time, and they wears the purse across her body when she wants to bring it with us..........

Apple is going to continue to succeed if my 3 year old is any sign of their future!

 

[Babsicles]

Absolutely! My DS4 (5 in 2 weeks) received his last Christmas. The best investment I ever made. I actually got him the ipod touch. I used it as a portable movie player . Once apple started with all those applications (games, maps, etc) he has an all in one device, that he can take with him in the restaurant, grocery store, waiting on lines....etc. Best investment I ever made. He just started kindergarten, and he walks around with his ipod touch and enters words from all around the house/stores into his address book. He just started doing that all on his own. I am a mac person too, all our computers are macs and I run my business off of one too. Very easy to use, plus I set him up with his own playlist for all his kidz bop songd, laurie berkner from noggin, and disney soundtracks!

 

[mangocanon]

TO YOUNG !!!!

Why rush into all the facny electronics that take away from teh creative play that is so important at this age. If they like music get some CD's that you can all listen to in the car adn all sing along and have fun. A child walkign around listneing to music not commuinicating with aanyone is so sad to see.

Music is a blessing to many. It too is creative, and doesn't need to be broadcast to enlighten. Mine use their ipods when they want to listen but I don't. Or when we want to listen to different things. This isn't a gaming system beign discussed. Like everything in a 6 year old's life, it should be attended to by an adult. Moderation, whether playing with clay or listening to "Beauty and the Beast" is the key.

We bought the refurbished ipods a couple of years ago and love them.

 

[DearDaisyinDurham]

not to hijack - BUT - we love our ipod and would love input about the ipod touch OR the iphone! need to get a new phone & torn between a cheapie phone and the touch OR an iphone.

mac families, please help! thx!!

 

[mom23boys]

We bought our middle DS an Ipod Nano for his 7th birthday he is 9 1/2 now. He loves it. He has of course music on there but also he has a reading problem, so I put audio books on there so he can follow along.

The only thing I have to watch is since we only have one library, he does not put songs on there that are inappriate for his age. But my oldes DS 14 looks at his playlist every so often and tells me if there is. We only had one problem with this.

 

[5 for WDW]

Both of my boys have the iPod Nano's. They are 11 and 8. They love them!

Our daughter is 5 and has been asking for one. We are thinking about getting her one for Xmas.

I bought the Sprint version of the iPhone last month. Its called the Instinct. I love it. I have 50 or so songs loaded on it now. My DD wants to listen to it all the time.

I say go for it. As long as you load the songs on it, and monitor how much it is used there shouldn't be any problems (of course )