Would you let Santa do this.....

[kristenrice]

Check out the refurbished iPods at Apple.com. I've bought three iPods, all refurbs, and they are just like new! I bought a 3rd gen touch, 64GB for $250. I just bought DD7 a 3rd gen touch, 32GB, for $179. Worth every penny!

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

I'd do it. Plus you'll be set with at least one gift for every birthday and christmas - an Itunes gift card.

I'm going to be upgrading my kids Ipod touches to 32GB ones this year for christmas and giving them each a nice Itunes gift card and those will be their gifts I think.

Both of my kids have filled up their little 8GB ones and have to keep removing stuff every time they add something new.

The bonus is I'll take one of their 8GB ones so I'll finally have an Ipod touch. LOL

 

[mymickeyfans]

My 8 year old son will be getting a Touch this Christmas too. This year I think the "best" gift will be from us and not the big man in red. He can leave a few toys under the tree! I'm hoping this will actually keep my son from stealing my iphone constantly

I say go for it!!!

 

[BlueBeagle]

I'm asking for friend is this starbucks in grocery store or actual starbucks store in strip mall type place? Any other places to check out? I've never personally been in starbucks!!!

Any Starbucks (my favorite is the one at Target because you can get refills on hot/iced coffee or tea for 50 cents - or free if you have registered your gift card. Which you can do at any Starbucks you just can't leave the store and come back and get it. That makes refills an awesome deal at the mall or grocery store). They also have free music cards. It's just a little card holder on the counter.

 

[danygirl]

I got my girls itouch's last year. Target had an awesome deal with a gift card, big discount, and a one day discount in electronics. When I stacked them I got the itouch for around $150 for each girl, and one got the high memory one.

These are an awesome gift. They can play games, they can use the camera, they can post to facebook, use googlevoice to use it as a phone, they can email and text, and so much more. plus listen to music.

because of all it can do, I would be careful with younger kids, checking on what they are doing with it, but for older kids it is just a great gift.

 

[bookgirl]

Both of my nephews had apple products (shuffles, touch, classic) while they were still in elementary school (they just turned 13 this summer) I think they may have been just 7 or 8 when they got their first ones. They were fine with them and honestly with the way technology is today it's better that they learn to use it early than later.

The only bad thing is that they had their first cell phones (really an extra my brother had that they shared then when they were 10 they got basic phones of their own) and decided that basic technology sucked.

Next year all they wanted for presents was money and they bought their own iphones.

They have the addiction early (and lets face it Apple is not cheap), but darn are can they use tech with an ease that I will never match no matter how much I try to learn.

As far as the internet goes, it's everywhere, so much that we do is through the web and frankly I think you do your kids a disservice to not prepare them for the future by teaching them early how to safely navigate it. There are plenty of safeguards you can use to limit or monitor them but the early they learn to be safe the earlier they can use it to make thier skill set competitive in a digital world.

 

[Mariep26]

I haven't read other responses but my 2 and 3 year old each got an iPod Touch for Xmas. I did the math against the Innotab and Leappad and decided that the iPod worked better for us. I got an OtterBox for them and it has worked wonderfully. Some of their favorite apps cost 0.99 or nothing.

 

[Fire14]

Any Starbucks (my favorite is the one at Target because you can get refills on hot/iced coffee or tea for 50 cents - or free if you have registered your gift card. Which you can do at any Starbucks you just can't leave the store and come back and get it. That makes refills an awesome deal at the mall or grocery store). They also have free music cards. It's just a little card holder on the counter.

thanks I'll let her know and I might even try sb myself.

 

[ajordan79]

I'm with the PP who say go for it. My daughter got one last year and she loves it. She uses it for everything from playing music to researching tree frogs. If you wait until the Thanksgiving sales you can probably get a good deal. I bought hers for $150 and got a $50 gift card to boot from Best Buy.

 

[eyor44]

Yep, Santa got my DD9 one last year for Christmas. She has to ask before downloading anything and we have her password to check what is on it. So far, so good and no problems. She now asks for Itunes GCs for gifts so she can download music and movies.

 

[fairestoneofall]

Ds got an XBox last year and that was pretty much it. he got a few very small things. he was really happy with that.

 

[#1DopeyFan]

For sure!! Best investment ever. My Mom and I went in half and half on one for my youngest Ds's 5th birthday because he was constantly swiping the rest of ours. 2 and half years later, still in great condition and gets used on a daily basis.

 

[diamondpixienc]

DS got his last Christmas and he was 8 at the time. Only, his dad and I can down load things to it. We only allow internet access only when traveling.

 

[EMAW_KSU]

We got our 9 year old an ipad for her birthday. She has used that gift more than any other we have ever gotten her.

 

[mom2maggie]

Yeah, my 7 year old and 3 year old have ipod touches. I think they are great!

 

[Tented1]

[QUOTE="bas71873"
What I was going to say about the Internet, we disabled Safari too, BUT, just this week I read on another thread about an app called K-9 Browser and it's a kid safe browser. DD never used Safari much (before I figured out I could disable it) anyway, and I'm not even sure she's realized K9 is different. She has used it to look up definations for her vocab worbs when she can't find them in her kid dictionary .

OP, you may know this, but there is a way to put restrictions on things on the Touch too in the settings. I have everything set to the restrictions DH and I choose and it's password protected (different password from Itunes) and DD does not know that password.[/QUOTE]

I'm so glad I found this thread AND learning about a kid safe browser might have just sealed the touch decision for me. (I just researched earlier today about parental controls.)

My DD will be 10 in Nov. we are going to WDW for Christmas and Santa has already planned for a Cinderella formal that he found on eBay that will be under the tree at FW for our Christmas dinner at GF 1900 PF. (Cinderella photo op to go with the one from 2007.)

I too figure this may be the last Santa belief year.

I just have to decide if I want/should spend that much $ on top of the WDW Christmas.

 

[bas71873]

I'm so glad I found this thread AND learning about a kid safe browser might have just sealed the touch decision for me. (I just researched earlier today about parental controls.)

My DD will be 10 in Nov. we are going to WDW for Christmas and Santa has already planned for a Cinderella formal that he found on eBay that will be under the tree at FW for our Christmas dinner at GF 1900 PF. (Cinderella photo op to go with the one from 2007.)

I too figure this may be the last Santa belief year.

I just have to decide if I want/should spend that much $ on top of the WDW Christmas.

Glad to have helped. I stumbled on that kid safe browser here on the DIS on another thread! You can check out refurbed iTouchs on Apple's website and everyone I know that has purchased a refurbed product directly from them, has never been disappointed. Often times they are much cheaper than in stores and and they come with a warranty too. I was going to go that route until DH went out and bought a new one for DD (he can't control himself with tech gadgets). I personally think if you can swing it, go for it. Maybe it can be an early Cmas gift from mom & dad or her birthday gift so she has it while you travel to WDW for the holidays

 

[Tented1]

Glad to have helped. I stumbled on that kid safe browser here on the DIS on another thread! You can check out refurbed iTouchs on Apple's website and everyone I know that has purchased a refurbed product directly from them, has never been disappointed. Often times they are much cheaper than in stores and and they come with a warranty too. I was going to go that route until DH went out and bought a new one for DD (he can't control himself with tech gadgets). I personally think if you can swing it, go for it. Maybe it can be an early Cmas gift from mom & dad or her birthday gift so she has it while you travel to WDW for the holidays

I was thinking the same thing about pre-Chris too since we have a 14 hour drive to WDW! I'm gonna check out the apple sight for refurbs too. This has been very helpful thank you!

 

[hops&dreams]

I think i'm in the minority here as I would NOT do it. DH and I might be super old-fashioned, but for our family, our kid needs to be just that - a kid. I think today's society gets so caught up in "oh, it's educational" that they forget, or overlook the other things it can do. Yeah, that's all fine and good that they can email their friends. Why don't they just go play with them, or talk on the phone over texting? I see so many kids now-a-days who are losing valuable social skills because most of their time is spent looking into a screen instead of at other people. It's one of my biggest pet peeves! (yes, I know I sound old, but I'm in my early 30's). It makes me SO mad when I go to a restaurant and I see a whole family together and they are all engrossed in their phones/electronic devices, and not saying a word to each other - through the whole meal! And I see it ALL THE TIME!!!!

In our house, DD (who is almost 9) will be asking Santa for books, Barbie stuff, craft kits, science experiment kits. This is the kind of stuff SHE is interested in, and darn it, I'm gonna bask in every single last second of her being a care-free kid!!!

Yes, there are apps that DD can learn from. Actually, all their spelling study-stuff is done through the Spelling City app. But a few mins of her playing/homeworking (the whole notion that playing and homework can be interchangable is another topic that ticks me off!) on my phone while I am in the same room is different than her having her own iPod Touch, where she has access to everything. Who knows who is texting her and what they are saying/sending pictures of, or what she is saying/sending pictures of? Who knows what she's looking up on YouTube? there are so many things that my daughter is still not ready/old enough to see, that it boggles my mind.

Also, I think I need to stop hearing work stories from my neighbor who works in the federal courts system. ick! There are some sick people out there!

And yes, I have an iphone, and I use it for work, but there are many times/places it does not have a place, and I refuse to let it take the place of real human interaction. (and yes, we also have a Kindle and Nook, so we are not technologically averse - just annoyed by what it's doing to our society, and the rude-ness that it makes okay).

Just my humble opinion. It would not work for my family.

 

[Colleen27]

I think i'm in the minority here as I would NOT do it. DH and I might be super old-fashioned, but for our family, our kid needs to be just that - a kid. I think today's society gets so caught up in "oh, it's educational" that they forget, or overlook the other things it can do. Yeah, that's all fine and good that they can email their friends. Why don't they just go play with them, or talk on the phone over texting? I see so many kids now-a-days who are losing valuable social skills because most of their time is spent looking into a screen instead of at other people. It's one of my biggest pet peeves! (yes, I know I sound old, but I'm in my early 30's). It makes me SO mad when I go to a restaurant and I see a whole family together and they are all engrossed in their phones/electronic devices, and not saying a word to each other - through the whole meal! And I see it ALL THE TIME!!!!

I think the days of just going to play with friends or even expecting to be able to talk on the phone for extended periods of time are pretty much over. Kids just aren't freely available in their after school hours, friendships aren't limited to neighborhoods, and people in general are far more mobile than they used to be. I love that my kids text. When I was a kid and a friend moved away, it was a couple long-distance phone calls (that we usually got in trouble for because of the per-minute charges), promises to write, and then drifting apart. My son's closest childhood friend moved 12+ hours away but they text and voice-chat online through their video games so they're still very close even after 4 years of living in different states. To me, that is really, really cool.

I do think there need to be limits. My kids know better than to bring their gizmos to the table - that's a pet peeve of mine too - or check them in the middle of a face-to-face conversation. But IMO the answer to one extreme (overuse) isn't the opposite extreme (prohibition); it is good old fashioned common sense, limits, and moderation.