What age is the Amazon Fire 7 Kids for?
According to Amazon, the Fire 7 Kids is aimed at children aged 3 - 7, however you can use the parental controls to set the content for children as old as 12 (our nine-year-old still enjoys hers on occasion). You may find that its lower storage capabilities, lack of HD and shorter battery life span make it a better fit for younger children.
Can you get Netflix on Amazon Fire 7 or Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids?
Yes, but you will need to add Netflix via the parent dashboard. It's worth noting that some older Fire 7 Kids tablets only allow Netflix streaming rather than download, which can be a pain if you're looking to download video content to watch offline. The Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids does allow downloading of Netflix content, however.
Amazon Prime members also should have access to all Amazon Prime video content on their kids' tablets, which should be downloadable to view offline as well as online.
Is there a difference between Amazon Fire and Amazon Fire Kids?
In terms of hardware, there isn't a difference between the Amazon Fire tablets and their counterpart Fire Kids tablets. The difference in price (with the kid's tablet often coming in around £50 more expensive) is due to the 'Kid-Proof' case (which, trust me, is a must) and the subscription to Amazon Kids+ as well as the warranty, which is two years for a kids' tablet and one year for the standard fire tablet.
How do I set up my Amazon Fire kids' tablet?
When you set up your kids' tablet, you'll have the option to add a child's profile or import any existing child profiles from a previous tablet. You can set up a pin or password at this stage to stop your child changing their settings. If you haven't already, you'll also have the option to set up your Amazon Kid+ account (both the Amazon Fire 7 Kids and the Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids come with a year's free subscription to this).
You can then access your child's profile to customise content for their age group and interests.
Is Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids worth it?
It really depends on what you're looking for from a kids' tablet. If you're looking for a first tablet for a younger child, the Amazon Fire 7 Kids is a great option. If you're shopping for a slightly older child or simply want a bit more battery life, a higher definition screen and more storage space for movies and games, the Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids is a good investment.
The price of both tablets can vary according to Amazon deals, but usually it's around a £50 difference.
Final Verdict: Which Amazon Fire Kids' Tablet is Best?
In terms of performance, the Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids is better than the Amazon Fire 7 Kids. Its tech specs are all an upgrade to the 7, the playback quality is better, the storage will hold more and the battery life lasts longer. However, I think the decision on which Amazon Fire Kids' Tablet is best for you really comes down to the kid rather than the tablet.
If you're buying for an older child who will appreciate high-definition playback, decent dual speakers and a large capacity for storing games and apps, go for the Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids. It's an upgrade to the Amazon Fire 7 Kids in almost every way and will always out-perform it in terms of tech specs.
However, if the thought of handing over a brand new, £150 piece of tech to your child gives you butterflies in your stomach, perhaps you'd be better off with the Amazon Fire 7 Kids. It may cost less and store less and run out of battery sooner, but it's still one of the best kids' tablets currently available (and definitely one of the cheapest!) It holds its own in terms of playback quality and speed, it is easy to navigate for toddlers as young as eighteen months, and, as our family can attest, the tablet itself lasts a long time. Amazon doesn't even make the oldest version we own anymore but it's still going strong in our household. And, thanks mostly to the rubber 'Kid-proof' case, I'm more than happy to hand it over to my youngest and clumsiest when needs must.
Having said that, and particularly since trying out the Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids, I will certainly be keeping an eye out for deals on the newer version - particularly with Prime Day just around the corner and Black Friday on the horizon.
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About the author
Mum-of-three Jenny Wonnacott is a Content Editor for Mumsnet, specialising in writing, editing and optimising pregnancy care and child play content pages.
Before joining the content team at Mumsnet, Jenny worked as a journalist for newspapers, radio, TV and b2b trades magazines for over a decade. She is also a bestselling sci-fi author (writing as J M Briscoe) and parenting blogger.
As a parent of three primary school-aged children, Jenny is passionate about making Mumsetters' lives easier through rigorous research of all items recommended in buyers' guides and reviews such as this one, as well as sourcing expert advice on all things pregnancy and child play related.