Seeking: Kids Tablet Reccs

[aristocatz]

My DD6 is asking for a tablet from Santa this year. We would like to get her something durable that will access Google apps/Google Store, Netflix, Youtube Kids, PBS Kids, etc...

Thanks!

 

[Meriweather]

My 5 yr old DGD has a Kindle Fire.....and a broken IPad

 

[aristocatz]

My 5 yr old DGD has a Kindle Fire.....and a broken IPad

Lol! How is ty Kindle Fire?

Can you access Google apps on it? Does it work well?

 

[aprilgail]

an ipad- and put an otterbox case on it so it will last!

 

[SG131]

I think the kindle fire is a great more affordable version of a tablet. I have both that and an iPad. I use the iPad and let my foster daughter use the kindle fire cause the iPad was just too expensive to replace if something happened to it. A lot of kids I know do have iPads but I personally wouldn’t spend that kind of money unless the kid is super responsible.

My only issue is that it took me a little longer to find free kid friendly games than it does in the apple App Store. My phone is an iPhone and I’ve put kids games on that before so I’m just more used to the way it worked. Also had an old galaxy tablet until it died. That was very hard for me to navigate since I wasn’t used to Samsung’s settings, especially since I wanted to block purchases. The kindle was a lot easier to find various settings.

 

[smiths02]

My 6 year olds have the Kindle Fire kids (7" 16 GB). The deal was really good and came with a year of FreeTime Unlimited (so I didn't really have to buy them any games or books). Also comes with the case. I like that the parental controls and the content. I have put Netflix and Minecraft on them.

My DD just broke hers...about a month after the 2 year warranty was up. No questions asked. She left it on the floor and someone stepped on it. They have survived a lot of abuse between twin preschoolers. Anyhow, Amazon just replaced it free of charge even though my warranty was up.

16 GB is a little short on memory, so my kids often have to delete stuff to then add other stuff, but it isn't a big deal at this age. I haven't looked into adding a memory card.

 

[amberpi]

We just bought the kids' version of kindle fire tablet. They have access to ipads, but for the cost, this absolutely covers them and I feel very confident in Amazon products. I say that as a huge Apple fan.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

Samsung Galaxy Tab E Lite Kids Edition?

 

[BLAZEY]

I just ordered DD9 a kindle fire 8 32gb for $99 CAD. FIL got her one last year to share with her cousins while at their house. It seems to do everything she needs. She has been using my iPad. but I want it back. Especially when we travel, I like to download books from the library and read on my tablet but she wants to watch movies or play games. . My OLD motorola xoom won't support her games anymore, even with a memory card in it. She can still use my iPad to Facetime with her BFF on the other side of the country but all the time to just play.

 

[Happyinwonerland]

My 6 year old has an ipad. We use it a lot for our homeschooling. We chose ipad because she wanted the Osmo games and at the time, they were only available on ipad.

We also have kindle fires and a samsung tablet. I am typically a samsung girl, but honestly, I really love our ipad, and will probably stick to that from now on.

 

[Floridaman999]

For the price and quality I'd go with the Fire. We have several of them now and I have had nothing but good experience with them. We gave one to my granddaughter and she's liked it a lot.

 

[jaybirdsmommy]

Kindle fire. We have gone through several with both kids. They use them constantly. Get a square trade warranty, its inexpensive and easy to use. My son's quit charging, they had a new one to him in less than 48 hours plus a box and label to send the broken one back.

 

[Meriweather]

Lol! How is ty Kindle Fire?

Can you access Google apps on it? Does it work well?

She loves it and it is loaded with games and movies.
We got the kid protective case for it. She has gone on 2 plane trips with it and it has worked great for her.
I have a couple too. Love them. Not expensive.
Google....not sure. I think there is a way, but I haven't tried it. Her father does most of the loading for her.
DH just bought the 10" for $99.

LOL...the broken IPad was her mother's. It became hers broken.

 

[Kitty 34]

So how much time do these little ones spend on these devices vs just playing with toys? I'm not starting a debate just genuinely want to know when I start doing Christmas shopping in a couple of years for grandkids that will be near the ages you guys speak of.

 

[Meglen]

Do not get a Kindle fire. They have no kid mode that has good options like Samsung does. My son added so many games /videos/ books with the Amazon kids apps on there that I had to delete things daily.. I gave it away to an adult who wanted it to read books.

 

[Floridaman999]

It's really easy to turn off downloading and installation of apps from your Amazon account if you didn't know that. Took me about 3 minutes to change the settings for the one I gave my granddaughter and now she can't download or install anything without my changing those settings or providing a user key.

 

[bcla]

16 GB is a little short on memory, so my kids often have to delete stuff to then add other stuff, but it isn't a big deal at this age. I haven't looked into adding a memory card.

My kid uses a Fire HD 8 with a 32 GB. We have Prime, so a lot of what happens is that Prime Video's "On Deck" feature seems to use up some of that space. It's supposed to automatically delete them as needed. There might be a way to turn it off though. We've got it set up so that apps are partially stored on the SD card. We got a special Amazon-specific one from SanDisk, although we didn't have to. Last year the 32 GB was $10 while 16 GB was $9.99. The prices seem to fluctuate though. It wouldn't have to be these, although they're specifically marketed as certified for use with Amazon Fire tablets and Fire TV.

https://www.amazon.com/SanDisk-micro-Memory-Card-Tablets/dp/B013TMNKAW

As for the tablet itself, a Fire HD 8 isn't that powerful. I think the HD 10 is a bit more. However, they're sold a good price point and the apps available generally work well, even though they might not have the same features or performance as equivalent ones on other platforms. For watching video it's fine. I believe that typically gets handled by a video processor, so the CPU performance may not be that critical. Here's a couple of example benchmarks of a Fire 8 vs an iPad Mini 4.

https://browser.geekbench.com/v4/cpu/10687757
https://browser.geekbench.com/v4/cpu/11017740

 

[wenrob]

We just bought the kids' version of kindle fire tablet. They have access to ipads, but for the cost, this absolutely covers them and I feel very confident in Amazon products. I say that as a huge Apple fan.

As an Apple Girl myself, I agree. Young kids, Kindle Fire is perfect. The Kids version comes with a year of Free Time. It’s inexpensive after that and was enough for my kids for a couple years. I would suggest getting one with more memory if you can swing it. At least 32GB minimum.

Do not get a Kindle fire. They have no kid mode that has good options like Samsung does. My son added so many games /videos/ books with the Amazon kids apps on there that I had to delete things daily.. I gave it away to an adult who wanted it to read books.

Not true at all. The kid mode is excellent and you can lock it down as tight as you want. Know your devices and what they do especially if you’re handing them over to kids.

As far as Google Play, I think you’d have to side load apps to get them on there. I remember it being a huge pain in the butt but it’s been a few years so it could be easier now.

 

[aristocatz]

So how much time do these little ones spend on these devices vs just playing with toys? I'm not starting a debate just genuinely want to know when I start doing Christmas shopping in a couple of years for grandkids that will be near the ages you guys speak of.

Mine use my computer and DH's old tablet at the moment. They are only allowed access on weekends during their rest time in the afternoon (if we are home).

 

[Kitty 34]

Aristocrat, one of my granddaughters will be three next year. She's rather hyper but loves to just sit and stare at a couple of cartoons. Would she be too young to get anything out of one these devices? She's lives far from me and I don't see her much so I really don't know. I wanted to get her a kitchen set at Christmas but my son and DIL said she wouldn't want that.