What age did you get your child a DS??

[Iluvthemouse]

We just got our DD one and she is 10.5..

 

[HelenePA]

Holy Cow !! I think that's all I can say without offending everyone on this thread !!!

My boys got Gameboy Advances for x-mas last year and I have no intentions of buying them a DS any time soon. They are almost 6 and 8. yes they can play some of the games (I ahve one) but the GA games are easy and not too many buttons to get it started, fits in their hands better and the games (although older) are cheaper. Between those games and thier gamecube, it's more than enough. My kids don't play games in the car, we talk and they look out the window and entertain themselves like I dd when I was younger. They do get to use it on the plane since you can't really count license plates or anything like that from that high. They do have Mix stix's for music but only cuz I paid under $10 for them and 1 was mine that I passed on when I got myself a Mix Max.

The older girls both have DS's but were not bought by us. It is not something I encourage them to play much, I'd rather them interact face to face with people. My DSD is the only one wiht an Ipod and she has a phone, both bought by her mother and neither are used here much.

I think some people are starting their kids way too young on this stuff... I mean if you get a DS or an Ipod when you are 4 or 5, what do you give them when they are 13 or 16 ??? I think it's crazy to spend that much money ona young child. especially after I read that an 8 yr old was over it already ??

Mine dont play it in the car we have a DVD player for that! or their iPod Touches! This year they want Netbooks for christmas I've been thinking about it.. we'll see what Santa brings I could really do with out getting a lot more toys.

 

[PatsGirl]

You asked so... I think 5 years old is too young for a DS. There are more appropriate toys for a child just out of preschool/kindergarten. The way I think of it is this: make a list of the top 5 things a child/tween/teen will want as "special gifts" for Xmas or their birthday and then space them out... GBA, DS, Ipod, Laptop, TV/Stereo, cell phone might be some of them. If they get a DS at 5, they will potentially have all the "good" toys before they are a tween They will age out of gifts

Expensive electronic items are more suited to tween ages than little children who are more likely to become victims of theft or loss. How about a bike or some type of lessons, musical, gymnastics, art????

 

[mjkacmom]

Holy Cow !! I think that's all I can say without offending everyone on this thread !!!

My boys got Gameboy Advances for x-mas last year and I have no intentions of buying them a DS any time soon. They are almost 6 and 8. yes they can play some of the games (I ahve one) but the GA games are easy and not too many buttons to get it started, fits in their hands better and the games (although older) are cheaper. Between those games and thier gamecube, it's more than enough. My kids don't play games in the car, we talk and they look out the window and entertain themselves like I dd when I was younger. They do get to use it on the plane since you can't really count license plates or anything like that from that high. They do have Mix stix's for music but only cuz I paid under $10 for them and 1 was mine that I passed on when I got myself a Mix Max.

The older girls both have DS's but were not bought by us. It is not something I encourage them to play much, I'd rather them interact face to face with people. My DSD is the only one wiht an Ipod and she has a phone, both bought by her mother and neither are used here much.

I think some people are starting their kids way too young on this stuff... I mean if you get a DS or an Ipod when you are 4 or 5, what do you give them when they are 13 or 16 ??? I think it's crazy to spend that much money ona young child. especially after I read that an 8 yr old was over it already ??

All of mine have ds's, and ds11 had the dsi - what's the big deal? They don't even make gameboys anymore. They play with them here and there, but even leave them home when we go on road trips and vacations. I honestly don't know of a single 8 year old who doesn't have one, and most 6 year olds here have them, too. I'd much rather spend a lot of money on a few gifts, rather than a bunch of junk (I have 2 black hefty bags filled with toys on the curb right now).

 

[PatsGirl]

I honestly don't know of a single 8 year old who doesn't have one, and most 6 year olds here have them, too.

And, IMHO, that's a problem in itself We are living in an economy that alot of people are having a hard time and most of us are hard-pressed to find a school-age child without the newest electronics. Maybe if our kids weren't given so much so early they wouldn't feel so entitled later on. Not saying yours are, just a general PSA

 

[SaraJayne]

Our son got his for Christmas, a few weeks before he turned 12.

Our daughter got hers for her 8th birthday.

The only time they play them is in the car...it isn't like they are glued to them all day, every day.

 

[dismom2005]

My 3 YO knows how to play a DS and enjoys the Mario games.

 

[FLAngie]

I have been thinking about a DS for our DD for either her birthday or Christmas. She will be 5. She can play some of the Sports things on WII, but I don't know if she is too young for her own DS. I am not worried about any durablity issues as we would help her with it for now.

Have you looked at the Leap Frog Didj? My daughters love theirs.

 

[pyrxtc]

the kids up here don't have. DD12's friends are just starting to get them now. I can't think of any of them who own an MP3 player, much less an Ipod. I can think of 2 that have a cell phone and that was given to them to use in emergencies.

Gamestop is one of many palces you can pick upa Gameboy Advance, they are still around $50 to buy and there are a ton of games to get as well. Someday when they get a DS, they will be able to use those Gameboy games on it.

 

[lillygator]

Holy Cow !! I think that's all I can say without offending everyone on this thread !!!

My boys got Gameboy Advances for x-mas last year and I have no intentions of buying them a DS any time soon. They are almost 6 and 8. yes they can play some of the games (I ahve one) but the GA games are easy and not too many buttons to get it started, fits in their hands better and the games (although older) are cheaper. Between those games and thier gamecube, it's more than enough. My kids don't play games in the car, we talk and they look out the window and entertain themselves like I dd when I was younger. They do get to use it on the plane since you can't really count license plates or anything like that from that high. They do have Mix stix's for music but only cuz I paid under $10 for them and 1 was mine that I passed on when I got myself a Mix Max.

The older girls both have DS's but were not bought by us. It is not something I encourage them to play much, I'd rather them interact face to face with people. My DSD is the only one wiht an Ipod and she has a phone, both bought by her mother and neither are used here much.

I think some people are starting their kids way too young on this stuff... I mean if you get a DS or an Ipod when you are 4 or 5, what do you give them when they are 13 or 16 ??? I think it's crazy to spend that much money ona young child. especially after I read that an 8 yr old was over it already ??

a car!!

just kidding...

I think to each their own....my dd's are 6 and 4, neither have any kind of gaming system but they both can play the Wii and the DS, as others have had it around them and let them use it. I told my eldest I will buy her one after her first report card if she gets all a's and a new game with the other report cards.

 

[roliepolieoliefan]

Holy Cow !! I think that's all I can say without offending everyone on this thread !!!

My boys got Gameboy Advances for x-mas last year and I have no intentions of buying them a DS any time soon. They are almost 6 and 8. yes they can play some of the games (I ahve one) but the GA games are easy and not too many buttons to get it started, fits in their hands better and the games (although older) are cheaper. Between those games and thier gamecube, it's more than enough. My kids don't play games in the car, we talk and they look out the window and entertain themselves like I dd when I was younger. They do get to use it on the plane since you can't really count license plates or anything like that from that high. They do have Mix stix's for music but only cuz I paid under $10 for them and 1 was mine that I passed on when I got myself a Mix Max.

The older girls both have DS's but were not bought by us. It is not something I encourage them to play much, I'd rather them interact face to face with people. My DSD is the only one wiht an Ipod and she has a phone, both bought by her mother and neither are used here much.

I think some people are starting their kids way too young on this stuff... I mean if you get a DS or an Ipod when you are 4 or 5, what do you give them when they are 13 or 16 ??? I think it's crazy to spend that much money ona young child. especially after I read that an 8 yr old was over it already ??

Wow a little judgemental! IMOP, a gameboy Advance is a huge waste of money. My son had one because when DH and I bought him his first gaming system that was the only thing around. Games are very hard to find for it and if you actually do find games they certainly aren't the new ones that the kids actually want. My son was 6 when he got his GBA.

At 9, he got a Nintendo DS and at 10 got a PSP. My daughter got her DS when she was 4.

We takes lots of trips in the summer. Our pool that we belong to is 40 minutes from our house and we take at least 3-4 over 3 hour drives also for various outings during the summer so yes those DS's come in handy. You can only count so many license plates. What will I buy my kids at 13 or 16? I don't know too many 16 yo's asking for Nintendo Ds's. Nor do I see them walking around with one.

And, IMHO, that's a problem in itself We are living in an economy that alot of people are having a hard time and most of us are hard-pressed to find a school-age child without the newest electronics. Maybe if our kids weren't given so much so early they wouldn't feel so entitled later on. Not saying yours are, just a general PSA

Again a little judgemental! You buy your kids what you want and let me buy my kids wht I want. Those newest electronics as you call it has saved me on many plane rides and car rides.

Like I said we travel alot. Not just 1-2 trips a year. You can only do so much talking a license plate counting, because we do, do that too.

My daughter is not a good traveler. So her DS , DVDplayer and Ipod has been my salvation these past couple years.

 

[mickeyboat]

DDs turn 9 & 10 this week and got them (early) for their birthdays. They don't even have any games yet and use them mostly for pictochat. They aren't huge into video games and I don't expect them to get addicted to them, but they begged for them for a long time, and Grandma was the hero.

We are considering Netbooks for them for Christmas this year. They both already have MP3 players and digital cameras, which they have had for almost 3 years and take very good care of. I don't figure we will have trouble finding things to buy for them when they are older.

Denae

 

[SaraJayne]

DDs turn 9 & 10 this week and got them (early) for their birthdays. They don't even have any games yet and use them mostly for pictochat. They aren't huge into video games and I don't expect them to get addicted to them, but they begged for them for a long time, and Grandma was the hero.

We are considering Netbooks for them for Christmas this year. They both already have MP3 players and digital cameras, which they have had for almost 3 years and take very good care of. I don't figure we will have trouble finding things to buy for them when they are older.

Denae

Grandma was the hero here, too. 'Cause Mom and Dad wouldn't buy one.

 

[HelenePA]

Gamestop is one of many palces you can pick upa Gameboy Advance, they are still around $50 to buy and there are a ton of games to get as well. Someday when they get a DS, they will be able to use those Gameboy games on it.

I'm to cheap to keep buying basically the same thing over and over again. I'd rather just spend the extra money on a DS (or DSi) and be done. That's why my kids have them. I'm cheap!

 

[ZachnElli]

I got my older kids theirs a few Christmases ago. My DD (10) plays her's way more often than my DS (14). Actually, DS never plays it, so I was thinking of passing it down to our youngest who's 4. I'm worried he's too young, but he can play x-box 360 games, so hopefully he'll be able to play this. As for spending the money, I'm not, we already have it just passing it down. And he certainly doesn't sit all day and play video games, that's actually why I want to pass it down! There are times I'd really like the 4 year old to sit quietly for a while! LOL! I'm hoping this might help him!

 

[MickeyCrazedMom]

My DS got one for his 6th bday. He had been begging for over a year because he was bored to tears with his Leapster. He was capable of playing the games but I was more concerned about him losing the games or the DS itself.

DD plays her brothers all the time and now wants one, but the same rule applies. She has to wait until she turns 6. I am not really worried about her losing anything, but since we made him wait...

 

[HonnyDipp]

I got my kids one last year. They LOVE it!

 

[ljcrochet]

My DD got DS's when they turned 4. One of my girls was always trying to play my old gameboy advance, but I did not have kids games for it. I knew my girls would get much more use out of the DS then one of the kids handheld video systems since they would rather play the wii then their v-smile. So when FIL asked what they wanted for their birthday, we told him the DS.
They don't play it that much, but when they have fun.

 

[jeepgirl30]

I did not read all the answers so sorry if this was already suggested but we bought the NERF cases for DS6 and DD9. The case has saved DS's DS many times over!

DS got his when he turned 5.

 

[browneyes106]

My sister bought my a nephew a DS for his fifth birthday in March.