Anyone holding of games console for as long as possible?

[swizzlestix]

My 7 year old son would love a console for Christmas.
Nintendo switch
X box
PlayStation
Wii
He's not fussy but I really want to wait as long as possible as friends who have them say their boys become obsessed and rarely choose to play with Lego etc. He already plays minecraft on our i pad and has a DS and we limit them but can't help but feel he'll be really disappointed if he wakes up Christmas Day and their isn't one. Husband is less hesitant than me so I feel a bit like the grumpy one!
I guess there'll be years ahead that he can have a console. It's tricky too as lots of his friends have them.

[SardineJam]

DS1 will be 9 in April - we currently don't have any consoles for the same reasons as you. He has saved money from birthdays and treats from MIL and said he wants to keep saving until he can buy an Xbox.
DP and I have compromised and said that we will buy him and DS2 (6) a Nintendo Switch for Christmas (to share ) and with his savings he can buy some additional games.
We'll see how it goes but screen time will definitely be limited!

[swizzlestix]

Glad I'm not the only one! I like your plan.
I've just shown him a video of fingerlings and he's now very excited about wanting one of those ( a blue one with its own blanket!) . We'll see..

[CocoPuffsinGodMode]

Yes we’re the same, hoping to put off the bigger tech items for a while!

Mine are 6 and 8 and this year they’re each getting a 2ds. They’ll be thrilled as they’ve wanted them since visiting cousins in the summer who have one but with just one game each (and they’ll be limited in terms of time allowed on them) it shouldn’t become a “won’t play with anything else” situation which is my big concern with consoles/iPads etc.

[Leicesterpiggott]

Why the Switch instead of Xbox or PS?? I’m doing the same with the DCs. They’ll get one to share. But I can’t decide which to go for! Pros and cons pls! Sorry for thread hijack

[SardineJam]

TBH I've not done too much research but seems like Xbox games are for older children (i might be wrong!). The switch is portable, so you can have it set up like a standard console or take it out and about like a DS - makes more sense for us.

[TomatoTomAto]

Just a little food for thought...

Disclaimer...I don't think that myself or my child is perfect and I'm really not meaning to come across as holier than thou (I mess up regularly) 😂 I also 100% get that all kids and parenting styles are different. Phew!

Ds6 has a wiiu, 3ds and ipad...Bloody hell it looks excessive when written down!

I don't particularly limit his screen time because he self regulates pretty well. For instance, today he played minecraft on the ipad for about 1 hr, (15 minutes of that hr were spent looking in a book to find out how to craft something).
After choosing to put the ipad down he played with a marble run and did some writing.
I think that if I was super strict about screen time limits he'd probably be more obsessed with the tech he has. As it is he knows that if he wants to play mario, minecraft or watch YouTube he can. More often than not he's making something with paper and sellotape or playing with lego.

I have a friend that limits her dd to 30 mins a week on her ipad and the little girl is obsessed with tech. For instance, on a play date she will make a beeline to any unattended tech/screen and it's all she wants to do, whereas my ds (and others who have more of a free reign) will engage with their friends at those times...I could be way off the mark, but I believe it's because they know that they'll have other opportunities.

I dunno...
Sweets on the other hand I totally regulate...he'd live on haribo 😂

My tuppence worth, as far as consoles go, for a 6 yr old would be a wiiu or switch. Xbox/playstations are more suitable for older kids imo.

[TomatoTomAto]

Sorry...meant 7 yr old.

[helpmum2003]

My ds is 11 and we've held out on 'no'. When he still believed in FC we said FC had to check with parents if he could give certain gifts...

[knaffedoff]

We relented last year and bought 6 and 8 yr olds an xbox, very difficult to find age appropriate games

[elektrawoman]

We got a Switch for our 9 and 5 year old. The games are good for their age group (e.g. Mario, Splatoon). i think XBox is definitely aimed at teenagers / adults. I like the Switch because you can play it on the tv or on its own so it's quite versatile.
I am not quite sure why people are against consoles but let their children play on iPads / DS - what's the difference?
What I like about console games is that although the initial outlay is more, they don't have in-app purchases, they can work through the story / levels without needing to watch adverts or buy bloody gems coins or whatever like a lot of the iPad games.
We don't let ours have unlimited screen time because my DS would literally be on it all day but when we tell them to turn it off they go and play, read, make Lego etc. So they still do that stuff. But I do have to watch how much time they are playing.

[helpmum2003]

We don't have an ipad either! I find phone and TV and computer are enough to police......

It all comes down to individual circumstances I think.

[SloanePeterson]

We've also bought our ds's a switch for Christmas. I think Nintendo have always been the most family friendly consoles, plenty of age appropriate games available and my dh (proper computer geek his whole life) wouldn't have a different console at home til they're much much older. Our dc also have DSs which get played with when we're out. Ds1 has autism and absolutely hates the car, letting him play his ds with enormous headphones on has helped enormously though it would make me throw up if I tried it. Also makes waiting while we're out much easier. If you're after a cheaper console, our wii U is still played daily and the games are now much cheaper.

[allinclusive]

We are holding off. DS is 7 but we are concerned it's too soon for DS2 to be exposed to them.

[Inthesleeplessnightgarden]

I have just gone full circle and having said no way to a games console have bought a second hand Xbox for DS for his 7th birthday.

We currently only have one iPad in the house which he and DS 4 can play on after tea and I was considering buying DS a kindle or something for his birthday. He loves playing minecraft.

I decided that a console would be more social than a tablet as it has to be played in the living room, on the one TV we have. It has two controllers so can be played with siblings/friends. It can't be taken to bed. We won't link it to the internet for online gaming so I'm less worried about inappropriate content etc.

I've bought a nearly new Xbox (it was that or a PS3) which came with minecraft as well as some other games. We've ditched the shooting/wrestling/chasing type games and kept LEGO Harry Potter and the London Olympics. All age appropriate and fun for the family.

We're limiting play to after tea, as we did with the iPad, and some time at weekends. So far so good. He's thrilled, but still playing with LEGO, Knex etc as much as before.

[peachy94]

I had a play station when I was younger I used to love that it was something me and my dad would do together. I’d be happy for DS to have one if he asked OH isn’t but then he never had one as a child. He thinks he’d end up glued to it but DS has free access to his kindle and is generally pretty good at not overusisng it but on days where I feel he’s used it abit to much I’ll suggest we do something else like build some Lego and he’s always happy with that idea, I like that we could all play on a console together whereas the kindle is just him and a screen

[elektrawoman]

Yes I think consoles are more sociable than iPads/Kindles/phones/computers. You can play together, my DCs like the dual-player games, they play together or with friends and love it when me or DH occasionally play with them!
The Lego games are great for this age group - mine love the Harry Potter one inthesleepless - DS will play as Harry of course and DD as Hermione

[36plusandtrying]

DSS 10 - has had a PS3 and now a PS4 from a relatively young age 5/6. He also has a DS and access to iPhone's iPads. He has his own iPad at his mums. He self regulates pretty well and will only really spend an excessive amount of time on it when he has a new game (Fifa18) my DH isn't a gamer - so he doesn't see DH spend hours on it. I think he has a good balance with how he spends his time, Lego, drawing, playing, football, watching football, talking about football, helping out, homework t.... I personally think the age they get tech is irrelevant, it's down to their personality and the dynamic of the home.

[Lowdoorinthewal1]

We have an xbox one that is DHs really. DS(7) has Disney Infinity and PVZ for it.

TBH he much prefers his tablet. He likes to play the xbox games with DH,but if he's playing on his own he will sit and play on his apps or watch youtube kids instead. He doesn't complain about xbox being limited to 2 evenings a week, whereas if we tried to cut down tablet time it would be met with great resistance.

I wouldn't necessarily assume it will create dependence.

[MamaOfTwos]

It's whether you have the 'live' element such as Xbox live, where he can talk to friends at the same time, this is what is more likely to create drama as he'll feel he's missing out if he's not online

[WhirlwindHugs]

I think the main thing is never have it be your child's console.

If you want to get one, have it as a family one. That lives on the front room, preferably attached to your only tv. This makes it miles easier to be strict about limits for how much time they spend on it, because they're not holed up in their room being quiet. They're in the front room, where you/other kids are.

[swizzlestix]

Ah good advice whirlwind!

[GherkinSnatch]

What Whirlwind said We have an iPad and a PS4 in the house - both family items that DS is allowed a shot of. We have 2 games that DS(5) is allowed to play - Lego Batman and Project Cars, but he doesn't really "play" them, it's more of a collaborative effort, where he'll sit with DH and they'll talk about the different cars, they'll look up things about them on the iPad or DH's laptop, DH helps him work the controller and it's actually really nice. Because they're family tech, it makes it easier to control access to them.

The Nintendo Switch might be your best bet if you're looking for something with lots of child-friendly/family games.

[kimistayingalive]

Before we had our kiddo we had both an xbox and wii. After he came along we found ourselves to exhausted to play (kept falling asleep) on the xbox and with a new one due to be released we sold it and the games for some money we could use towards treats and days out. A year later we also got rid of the wii as we found we werent using it as much as we thought we would.
Now 4-5 years down the line we have our little munchkin asking for an xbox and we said no. Most games are too adult. They can be expensive especially new ones. Theres a new xbox due around xmas. And hes obsessed with gadgets enough as it is despite having a 2 hour limit per day (sometimes doesnt have any).
Will think about it again when hes older. Meanwhile he has a ds (my old one) and loads of games. A tv and dvd player. Ive given him my old mobile (kept in my room and given to play games on as no sim card currently). He has an leapfrog watch, leapreader pen and the camera. So has plenty of gadgets to use.
The problem with giving them gadgets is they will want to use all the time. Its a case of choice. Are you happy with your child to sit and play all day when home. I make mine go out and play with friends or play with his lego (got too much of that too) sometimes and we also play board or card games regularly. As well as sports activities.