Portable Video Game System for 4 year old?

[4boys531]

We are taking a couple of trips and I was wondering if anyone had suggestions for a portable game system for my 4 year old son. Is he old enough to actually be able to play any of the games? I am not even sure what is out there anymore - Nintendo DS and PSP are about the only ones I know of. Will the DS have easy games, similar to the Wii? Or should I just save my money until he is older?

 

[mickeymaker2003]

Have you looked into a Leapster or Leapster 2 by Leap Frog? They are designed for kids in the 4-6 age group and the games are at least a little educational.

 

[jacksonsmommy]

I second the Leapster. My 4 year old son has one and loves it. The games feature his favorite characters (Cars, Backyardigans, Wall-E, Nemo, etc...) and they are educational. Look online for deals on the system. I got our last year for $30 (I think regular price is about $60) and the games run about $20-25, and you can sometimes find deals on those too.

 

[luvmy3]

When all 3 of my kids were that age they had the Leapster. Most of the games are geared for that age and they were educational as well.

 

[roliepolieoliefan]

I say go for the DS. Both my kids had DS's since they were 4. There are games out there he will be able to do.

The PSP's are nice but not alot of games. Maybe look into a DSI , its the newest Nintendo handheld system.

I understand Leapsters are geard toward the pre-schoolers, but soon enough , your DS will want something like a DS or PSP so my thing is why spend all the money on a Leapster and its programs only to find out in a year or 2 he'll be asking for something else. There are educational games out there for a DS.

 

[4boys531]

OP here - thanks for the thoughts. I hadn't even thought of the Leapster. Does anyone know if you can use headphones with them? We have a 4 hr plane trip coming up and don't want to bother all the other passengers! I have a DS1 who can use this when DS4 outgrows it, so this might be the most budget friendly option right now, especially if I can find a gently used one. TIA!

 

[mickeymaker2003]

Yes, you can use headphones with the Leapster 2. I think you can with the Leapster 1 too, but I know for sure the 2 has a jack (I just checked). I would consider buying a new Leapster 2 with a warranty and buying games second hand.

 

[logan&tylersmama]

we just got the leapster 2 (CARS VERSION) for DS who will be 4 next month - he loves the games: animal genius, cars, i - spy
i got a bunch of games at the local childrens consignment shop - they were $4.00 each.
got soem games for DS7 and it is really helping him with math and spelling - DS 7 is playing this more then his DS. i think its a great educational game - you can put headphone on it and we put rechargable batteries into ours
jennifer

 

[DVCBELLE]

Another vote for the Leapster!

My kids just got a DS this week so we are now officially done with ours but they are so sturdy and really held up well! They are 6 & 8 and played them a lot!

 

[Momof3mouseketeers]

While not a "traditional" portable game system, my DS (5) and DD (3) LOVE playing games on the Ipod Touch. There are so many free games that can be downloaded from the App Store that are great for when we are out and about. The games that do cost money are usually no more than $5, if that.

Also, we've uploaded videos from Itunes for the kids to watch when we are on road trips. Wow, a portable game system and "DVD" player all in one--less to carry.

We do also have a nintendo DS that we got for our DS when he was 3, which he still does play. The games that he seems to go back to time and again are: Mario Party DS, Mario Kart, and Lego Star Wars.

 

[Charitycase20]

I second the Leapster (or was it third or fourth!!)

We bought DD one for christmas last year and she is really starting to get into it now. She'll be 4 in January. She has an original Leapster, I got it on sale through Target.com for like $30 with shipping. Also, sign up on Leapfrog.com, they are always running sales, and sending out coupons you can use in stores too. Of course, we will need to buy DS one soon and Mommy still wants a Nintendo DS!!!

 

[4boys531]

OP here again. My neighbor let us borrow their old Leapster L-Max but I can't get it to work. I cleaned the battery contacts and put in 4 new AA batteries (twice in case the first set was bad) but I can't get it to turn on. There are no cables with it for the AC adapter. Anybody have any thoughts on how to see if it works?

 

[PurpleSurfer]

Leapfrog has a product called DIJI that you put software on your computer for and sync with the handheld to customize the level of learning from toddler to I belive 10 years old?

I found one last year at Wal-Mart for $21 and I had printed a $10 off coupon from the Leapfrog site, final price $11. So even if they want something more traditional in gaming later we didn't spend a ton to get the first one.

I also agree with PP that any adult electronics that you are willing to let your kids play with are a great time killer for enforced sitting.

 

[iheartdisney]

Another vote for the leapster! My kids all love theirs. You can use headphones. The sell a rechargeable "system", but rechargeable batteries work fine. I agree with a previous poster about buying a new one, and then getting second-hand games. I bought DD one off ebay in 07, and only lasted about 6 months, as the touch-screen was not responding any longer. It was the first generation leapsters, the triangle one. And we have another older one, that is still going strong.
You can buy the games in lots on ebay. And they are machine washable. (oops!)

 

[4boys531]

OP here again....who would have thought that the Duracell batteries were bad and the generic batteries were good. We got it working! Thanks everyone! Now I just have to buy some games.

 

[PinkRhombus]

Mine both have a DS.

There are educational games for them, too...but the plus for those is if they are with another kid that has a DS, they can play certain games against each other if they both have that game.

I have girls...they play Littlest Pet Shop and Build-A-Bear with each other. They both like the Mario Kart on the Wii, and have asked for the Mario Kart for their DS's, which they can also play against each other, too.

Or send pictures that they draw to each other.

Another plus is that you can get a game or two for yourself and borrow their DS when they're not using it (or when you've confiscated it for bad behavior).

 

[mombare]

We love our Leapsters (DD6 and DS4) - we have two of them, and they still get a lot of use (by our kids and many others)! It's the one toy I am very happy to have invested money in! Just a note - rechargeable batteries...they really go through batteries. We always bring our battery charger along on trips!

 

[SunnieRN]

I really need to stop reading the budget board. I just bought my grandson a leapster after reading this thread!