DS aged 5 really wants a DS???

[cheekymonk]

Hi All,

I am trying to balance being a responsible parent with not being OTT or denying him something he enjoys and is a massive part of today's culture.

We have a Wii and he loves Mariokart, Supermario Galaxy and some of the other kids games. He has also really got into playing PC games and can spend ages on the Nick Jr etc websites.

I do worry about how much time he should spend on a PC. His Wii consumption is not excessive but I do have to pull him the PC. He is asking for a Nintendo DS for Christmas. Is he old enough??

He gets very frustrated with Mariokart and it can end in tears so I am not sure whether is is a clever move to introduce more technology. He is very fit and active and eats well but its about habits too isn't it and I don't want him to be a video game addict!!!

Any thoughts/ideas/opinions/experience??? Happy Halloween everyone!!

[foxinsocks]

oh yes, nintendo ds's are fun. You can get mariokart on the ds too

[FrightsMonth]

I went for a Wii, rather than buy each DC a DS, because I didn't want them asking for it at every spare moment. Also the Wii is more sociable and we can play together.

5 is too young IMO.

[DougalDoneGood]

I thought this thread was about your son wanting a DSister!

[TombliBOOOOOObs]

The fact that you are sceptical and can already foresee problems would make me say no. He has a computer and a Wii and is already getting frustrated and tearful.

They are not an essential in life, no matter what DC would have you believe

[littlemisschatalot]

we have same dilema, and have said no. we dont have any other games like wii, but he does sometimes play on the pc. i just think 5 is too young to really appreciate it.

[sockmonkey]

If you get him a DS you can play on it after he has gone to bed like I do

They are great for keeping the LOs entertained in the car.

[ChasingSquirrels]

i have said no to my 7yo (well he hasnt actually asked but i know he would like one).

we have a wii and he uses the computer.

my main issue is that he would go into his room and play on the ds and i wouldnt know what he was doing as i do in the communal rooms.

i know i am in charge and could (and would) control usage (i already control pc and wii usage), but i just dont want another electronic game to add to the mix.

[SofaQueen]

Isn't 5 too young full stop to be playing computer games? Only 1 boy in DS1's YR1 class has a DS and the rest of the parents are a bit about it (he has an older brother who has one and his parents thought it only fair to get them both one).

I'm holding out until at least 8. I'd like him to play things which are more personally interactive until then.

[littlemisschatalot]

by play on the pc.i mean on the c beebies website.

[Seona1973]

both my lo's have ds's - they are 3 and 6. DS (3) likes mario kart and mario party and can play some of it himself - he hands it to his sister or me or dh when it is too tricky for him.

[hellsbelles]

I have to admit we got one for DS when he was about 5. We had a long plane journey and it was our saviour (he gets very bored on planes!). I am just very strict about it and he only gets to use it when I say. And that's fine so it's real treat.

TBH he hasn't used it for ages now but it always comes out for holiday journeys.

There are lots of games that should be fine for a 5 year old. DS has never had any problems with the games pitched at his level.

[sparkle09]

im getting DS aged 5 a DS this christmas, its something he wants and has asked for. but he understands he not getting much else.

my DS doesnt really play with toys and if he does then he get bored very quickly,

at the school there are many kids that have had a DS for ages many of them had them when they were still in pre-school so my DS is one of the last to get one.

[mimsum]

I think 5 is too young really, especially as he's got Wii and can use the PC. DD got one for her 7th birthday a couple of weeks ago mainly because she's going to Australia with her dad for Christmas and it'll help with the flight. They are quite fiddly and require pretty good fine motor skills and I think she would have found it frustrating at 5.

[theagedparent]

My 5 year old dd plays on her big sisters old ds and loves it. There are some simple games like Peppa pig and smart boys/girls playhouse which is especially for the younger ds player.

[serenity]

DD got one for her 5th birthday (or I should say she used her birthday money to buy one) She has got two older brothers though, so had been pinching theirs or her Dad's to play for quite a while!

They can play interactively btw. DD often 'verses' her older brothers in games.

Dcs aren't allowed them in their bedrooms, unless they ask first. They live in a drawer in the front room, so there's no sneaky night-time playing.

[BrigitBigKnickers]

I think some five year old are able to play games on a DS but they are not especially robust. My nephew had a DS lite from 6 and one of his friends grabbed it roughly and snapped off the screen.

I also think kids this young should still be into imaginative play with friends rather than solitary pursuits.

There is plenty of opportunity for computer games when they are older.

[reikizen]

I'm in the too young camp. I think kids of 5 should be playing imaginative games like bbknickers said, preferably with other children! Also, involving movement of some kind, and even outside if they can! I'm trying to put off addiction to electronic goods for as long as possible, and as dd1 is only 5 I won't be getting her one this christmas. Plus, I'm very tight and they are very expensive. I think if your lo already has a wii they are already very lucky.

[BonjourIvresse]

We got DD one when I had my DS this year, she's 5. We wanted to give her something that we could get out when I was breastfeedin. We only get it out sometimes when it suits us. She has nitendogs and i can do it mum.

[ermintrude13]

I'd say 5 is too young, especially if your DS is already showing signs of screen obsession, which is more common in boys. My DS had a DS from his grandmother for his 6th birthday because she'd got one for his sister for her 10th birthday but I wish she hadn't. If yours has a Wii already the option of having a portable screen as well could lead to all sorts of fights and at this age it's really good to stave off any kind of dependence on electronic gadgets as his first choice for fun.

We now have to have v strict 'screen time' rules to limit telly, PC and DS play - putting timers on and everything - and while my 7 yr old understands and plays ball with that, it could be difficult for a 5 yr old to accept that kind of thing gracefully.

As for playing with it yourself - they're fun for about a week and then extremely boring!

[MadameCastafiore]

DS has had one from a young age and has far better fine motor skills than most of his peers - bloody hell it's not as though he is smoking pot air stealing cars.

And as for what ermintrude says - my DS knows he can have it for a certain amount of time and that is that - he is 5 in a couple of weeks and so his concnetration soon gives out and he is off to play with his lego or playmobil - the dreaded DS is not all consuming!

[ermintrude13]

It does depend on the child - if MadameC's DS can happily leave off playing with it and go to do something else that's great, but if your DS is already showing signs of obsession with Wii I'd be more wary. My DS isn't your classic geeky type - loves footie, rough and tumble in the park or garden with his mates, Lego, Meccano, drawing, card games, reading etc. but even so would play PC games all day if I let him . I don't think DSs are innately evil, but they are small enough to be sneaked into pockets and I don't like the element of policing I have to enforce...

[MedusaHead]

My DD has played my DS since she was 4, (she's 5 now). She has her own games that she plays on it. She knows to be gentle with the console and has never had any trouble with understanding the game play or using the stylus. I have no problem with her playing it. She also plays on the NickJr website on the laptop and we are getting a Wii for Christmas. I've got her some PC games for Christmas too.

Maybe I am lucky that she seems to self moderate her playing. I never have to limit her time on it.

[Oblomov]

Ds1(5.9) has one. My sil, who holds a very senior position in Norfolk county special needs/ school co-ordinator etc etc recommended it.
Apparently they support it thoroughly. For LIMITED time though. Computer work and ds's and wii are recommended by them as a council. Especially for Sn children. But for all children for concentration, co-ordination etc etc. They also recommend interactive play, outside play, riding your bike etc. But they believe that techy stuff is part of life now.
Dh and I were worried that he was too young for it. but he isn't. he loves it. we limit time on it, as we do tv or anything else.doesn't get upset, although very occasionally, he says 'oh i hate this part of the game. i can't do it mum', but nothing more than that.

I agree with my sil and think we did the right thing getting him one.

[GreenPenguin]

You can get an old second hand one to start with. He doesn't need a DS Lite or DSi. Less to lose if he throws it down the toilet. You can probably get one for £10-15 from ebay or less from a car boot sale. If he learns to respect it (and enjoys it) he can maybe have a new one when he's 8-10?

Mine has an old tatty one. He's a LOT younger than your DS. He is very proud of it, but plays only about 5-10 mins a day. I - obviously - don't subscribe to the recluse/psycopath/child-of-limited-imaginaton theories.

You'll need to choose appropriate games and help him a lot, so if you're not into it, then it won't really work. (imho)

Happy gaming!