Is this a dumb idea?

[deva]

I just looked up the FP3 player on Amazon. The cheapest one is $150. I wonder if they are no longer making them...

Maybe I need to sell mine! This is like the one I have

http://cgi.ebay.com/PINK-FISHER-PRI...emQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item1e5ab32ddc

I purchased on ebay probably just over a year ago. It was new and was $30. You are right it looks like they might not make them anymore, but I do see lots of used ones on ebay that are cheap.

 

[MichelleinMaine]

My kids (9 and 13) both just have mp3's. I'm not willing to risk the $. I get nervous I'm going to crack the screen on my itouch, don't want to put that on them!

I worry too about the whole entitlement sort of thing. If she has an itouch at 3, what bigger and better thing will she want at 5, 7, 9 when that is too boring/old/(gasp!) babyish?

Also will point out that itouch of course has internet access if you have wifi in the house. (Another reason I'm not giving my kids one, lol!) I realize your daughter is young now, but as said- they figure things out quickly and could potentially get in trouble with that (even unintentionally) in a few years.

 

[badblackpug]

Good lord, NO! I won't buy an Ipod touch for my 12 year old!

 

[zoemurr]

Good lord, NO! I won't buy an Ipod touch for my 12 year old!

Seems I'm in the minority but I don't know why a 3 year old needs any electronic entertainment. Get her some CDs and a CD player to listen to music and books. If you get a nice one it should last a long time. You can get a jack to plug your ipod in if you have downloaded stuff.

Kids used to be able to keep themselves busy for hours at a time before all this electronic stuff. I don't really understand "needing" it when waiting somewhere. What happened to books puzzles and playing "I Spy"?

Mine are 8/11. Older one does have an ipod (from grandma) 'cause she is very into music and musicals. Younger one only wants it for games, so that isn't going to happen. I have an ipod and a phone they play on occasionally when we have to wait somewhere, but I refuse to buy DSs. There are so many other things for kids to do..

 

[gillenkl]

Seems I'm in the minority but I don't know why a 3 year old needs any electronic entertainment. Get her some CDs and a CD player to listen to music and books. If you get a nice one it should last a long time. You can get a jack to plug your ipod in if you have downloaded stuff.

Kids used to be able to keep themselves busy for hours at a time before all this electronic stuff. I don't really understand "needing" it when waiting somewhere. What happened to books puzzles and playing "I Spy"?

I totally agree with you both. I don't think it's something a 3 yr old needs. I have 10 year olds and they just got an ipod shuffle and this is mainly for them to use on long car trips which we take in the summer. We do not have Wii or DSs.

 

[Perditamarie]

Your idea sounds convenient and that is a good price, but you would be doing her a bigger favor to give her skills that allow her to entertain herself w/o needing a gadget to do it. Let her borrow yours if in a pinch.

A cd player would solve your problem. So would books, drawing paper and conversation. Do you want your child plugged in electronics at 3? Will she need the next generation at 4 or a lap top at 5? A phone at 6? Some of the best conversations start at this age -unplug yourself and just take advantage of the time to chat!

 

[Kellydelly]

Nope!

 

[Evi]

I think it would be fine but honestly there are lots of other brand mp3 players that you could buy for a 3 year old that would cost less so if shes rough with it you could replace it easily.

 

[zoemurr]

But on the other hand - the FP item will be outgrown and in just a couple of years where the IPOD would last much longer. That is something to think about too.

Liz

There will always be a bigger better ipod out there too that the child will "need". Both my kids have very nice CD players by their beds that they had learned to use as toddlers. To me that would be your best investment. I got my DS an upgrade Christmas with 6 CDs and a remote (used from CL) and he absolutely loves it.

 

[mickeymaker2003]

We aren't going to use CDs, she will be using some sort of MP3 player like the rest of the household. We don't want to use disks when everything is already available on the computer and we can have it all on an MP3 player at once.

Have no fear about her "plugged in" status. She gets daily use out of her crayons, coloring books, dolls, blocks, toy trains, story books, dress up clothes, play kitchen, Little People, and other assorted stuff. She does not require electronics to be entertained and spends the vast majority of her day playing.

As far as "what will you get her when she's older" if she's already got stuff now, she won't be getting the latest and greatest of whatever it is. It just happens that the Touch would be easier for her to use and about the same price as a nano, which was the other thing we were considering that would do what we wanted. We were looking for something that can work with iTunes (since our music library is already loaded into it) and have a way to see and select a specific song (or specific story) but it doesn't need to have a ton of storage space.

The availability of internet access on it doesn't bother me since access can be blocked.

 

[ktlm]

Well, if it makes you feel any better my 3 year old (now 4) has a Cannon sureshot SD450 camera. She had gotten 2 kiddie cameras, and she got really frustrated with them because they had no memory space and the quality of the pictures was not good. She was always trying to grab my camera and use it instead of her own. I had upgraded to the SD1100, so I finally got fed up and dragged my old one out of a drawer, shoved in a memory card and battery and handed it to her. She absolutely loves her grown up camera and uses it all the time (loves to catch me with no makeup). She is very careful with it (a surprise because she usually isn't careful with anything). If you think it will work for her, or want her to have it, that is your deal, not anyone elses. However, I will say that I have a concern with my DD using anything with headphones or earbuds as I worry about how that will affect her hearing. I have a feeling with all these kids continually using earbuds with Ipods etc now, that when they are all adults we are going to see a big growth in people with hearing issues.

 

[mickeymaker2003]

However, I will say that I have a concern with my DD using anything with headphones or earbuds as I worry about how that will affect her hearing. I have a feeling with all these kids continually using earbuds with Ipods etc now, that when they are all adults we are going to see a big growth in people with hearing issues.

I agree, which is why she will have the volume limiter set to a nice low level and is only allowed to use the headphones that go over her ears (not earbuds).

 

[zoemurr]

you've already made up your mind.. so it doesn't really matter what anyone else thinks.

We love CDs as we borrow tons of them from the library, especially books on CDs. My kids really love listening to long chapter books (Harry Potter etc. even though they have read them) when they are in bed. You really shouldn't download these to itunes if you don't own them. (I'm not saying you are..I'm just saying that library CDs save us a ton of money.) You might be pleasantly surprised by the selection.

My DD is 11 and I would have trusted her with most anything at 3. However I think that music should be there more in the background while you're doing something else, not sitting on the couch. We have music on all day long.. radio, CDs whatever. Sitting on the couch is only for limited TV time or books here.

Everyone is different.. do what you want.

 

[kamikazecat]

My 4yo son has a 120 GB Ipod Classic. We were debating an IPOD touch but 8 GB won't get you far, especially if you are planning on putting movies on it. He absolutely loves it. Will he drop it or damage it? Possibly but a 13 year old can do the same thing. We just ensure that he is sitting down when using it. We set the volume and select the movie and lock the unit so he can't adjust it. We also use the leapfrog type headphones (ours are Disney Cars Kidsafe headphones).

 

[princessfionasmom]

I think it's a great idea. My 6yr old DD is always on my iPhone playing games watching movies or listening to music. She has an mp3 player but she can't play her favorite math and spelling games on it or watch movies. My only recommendation is get a really good case. I have the otterbox on my iPhone and I love it. I have dropped my phone a few times and I never worry this case is awesome. We might get them for our kids next Xmas if we can afford it. I would love to only have to carry those around vs. DVD players and mp3's and her handheld vsmile. You know what's best for your child. BTW any chance you'd want to share were you found it for that great price . . . Please!!!!!!!!! : )

 

[zoemurr]

but when my kids were 6 we carried around a box (they called it their "briefcase") with books, crayons, pipe cleaners, a few matchbox cars and a deck of cards. Hangman, tic tac toe, word searches and cross word puzzles go a long way if you plan ahead a bit.

We use DVDs and video games on long car rides, but even then I wish they would look out the window and see what's around them. Waiting at the Drs office, or at a sibling's lesson we can always find something else to do.

 

[mickeymaker2003]

BTW any chance you'd want to share were you found it for that great price . . . Please!!!!!!!!! : )

It was listed on Craigslist. There have been several used ones listed here (people are selling them when they get an iPhone).

 

[PinkRhombus]

I think it would be fine but honestly there are lots of other brand mp3 players that you could buy for a 3 year old that would cost less so if shes rough with it you could replace it easily.

I bought my 5 and 7 year old some inexpensive non-brand name mp3 players and some iDogs (speakers) for Christmas.

These stay in their rooms on their desks.

I've loaded lots of songs and some audio books on there...some I got from our library.

 

[mom2brina]

Really, it sounds like you have thought of everything, and as long as you are not going to be upset if it gets damaged, then I don't see anything wrong with it.

If I added up what I spent on Leapsters when mine were little, I am quite sure it would be more than the cost of the iTouch. It allows you to simplify your life by using one program to store music, one kind of docking station to play it, no game cartridges to keep track of, no batteries to buy, no need for a personal dvd player on trips, etc... Just because they are designed and marketed to adults, doesn't mean you should feel guilty about buying one for her.

 

[badblackpug]

you've already made up your mind.. so it doesn't really matter what anyone else thinks.