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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To get my 4 yr old a ipad or DS?

153 replies

lisaleelu · 16/10/2011 08:37

My 4 year old loves going on the cbeebies gameson my lap top. But he does struggle a bit with the mouse. I was thinking of getting him and ipad or Nintendo Ds for Christmas.

I dont want any lectures on kids using computers. I have weighed that one up myself. His use will be monitored and limited.

We are going to visit family in Australia at Christmas and I thought an ipad might be worth investing in (obviously the whole family would use it) as I think you can watch DVD on it - so good for the long flight as would games to play.

I am quite an old mum - 44 so out of touch with computer games and stuff - but I have heard people talkign about DS's get the impression they are small hand held games things. Realise much cheaper than ipad but not as only for games- are the games educational - can you get the cbeebies games - dont want him to play games that invovle shooting people if you get what i mean.

Will a 4 year old likely break an ipad - do they break easy? He is not the gentelest of kids.

Any other ideas - the journey to oz and keeping him occupied is a big part of the decision.

My dh think £400ish to spend on a 4 yr old is obscene but I am think we would all use it i think.

What do you think?

OP posts:
margerykemp · 16/10/2011 11:00

If you hadnt said it, i would have guessed you were an older mother. Spoilt child stereotype all over your op .

Why dont you donate a couple of hundred pounds to your local kids hospital and introduce your ds to coloured pencils and paper?

MamaMaiasaura · 16/10/2011 11:01

My ds will be 4 at christmas and loves apps on the iPhone. His favourite being abc phonics. We were considering iPad or similar tablet for family as have 11 year old ds too. We are actually veering towards leap pad tablet as robust and more for ds2

hauntmenow · 16/10/2011 11:07

I dont want any lectures on kids using computers. I have weighed that one up myself. His use will be monitored and limited.

Sits on hands.

tryingtoleave · 16/10/2011 11:18

I have an iPad - they are amazing. Dh is not allowed to touch it, because of his rude comments about apple. The dcs (2and5) are only allowed to play under supervision. I often have to take it away because they are getting carried away with beating up Robbie the robot.

Unless you really don't care about losing your money, it would be unfair to expect a 4 year old to be responsible for something he can't possibly value or appreciate.

Also, fwiw, we took the iPad on a four hour flight recently as entertainment for dcs. Ds was more interested in the (really lame) games on the inflight entertainment thing. Dd was more interested in fussing and making the flight as miserable as possible.

GuillotinedMaryLacey · 16/10/2011 11:19

If you hadnt said it, i would have guessed you were an older mother. Spoilt child stereotype all over your op .

Why dont you donate a couple of hundred pounds to your local kids hospital and introduce your ds to coloured pencils and paper?

Fucksake. Maybe she's doing both? Ha!

catsareevil · 16/10/2011 11:20

I agree with the coments on the fragility of ipads, I would only let a 4 yo use one under constant supervision (I have to be very careful when I'm using one as they feel so flimsy Grin). Ipads are great, though DS are cheaper and more sturdy.
My 4 yo DD enjoys playing with apps on my (android) phone, and taking pictures with the camera.

zdcgbjm · 16/10/2011 11:38

DD's DS is barely used. As a family we have 2 iPod touches and an iPad. The touches get used by the kids all the time for hanging around at sibling's activities and on long journeys. DS who is now 4 has been using it since before he was 2 and they're still going strong. The major advantage over the Ds is the price of games. Plus they have movies on there. Plus the games are all on there and don't need carrying separately. We've got a great phonics app.

RubberDuck · 16/10/2011 11:43

iPad or iPod definitely - if only for the cost of games.

A load of free games available on iOS, and those that aren't are easily pocket money range, ranging from 69p to about £5-6 for the most expensive. Compared to DS games where the cheap ones start at around £20.

If you have more than one child, iPad and iPod really come into their own because they can share an iTunes account, only pay once for a game and still have separate saves on separate devices. Compared with the one time we tried to get them to share a DS game and the youngest managed to wipe eldest's saved game because it stores on the cartridge not the device. Argh! Buckets of tears and upset. So from then on we had to buy two versions of every game!

DinosaursHateUnderpants · 16/10/2011 11:47

Apparently you can get this - an Andy Pad specially designed for kids and much cheaper than an iPad so DH has just told me.

MamaMaiasaura · 16/10/2011 12:07

Dinsoaurshateunderpants - the andy pad looks good. Dh looking at reviews but actually looks likes serious contender and also more for family as well. Oralist tablet while cheaper the games are more expensive and runs on batteries. Thanks very much for link Smile

FranticBanana · 16/10/2011 13:56

Ipad, definitely.

Last summer to go on holiday we took books, games, DVDs & player, maps, satnav, colouring stuff, internet phone to mumsnet allow stroppy teen to update Facebook, list of useful addresses, DS & games & charger, photo backup / viewing gadget...

This year we took the (family) ipad.

I wasn't bothered about having an ipad2 so got a second hand ipad off ebay. It's in constant use with some fab apps for small people, and for big people as well! Small Person (nearly 3) knows not to drop or stand on it but otherwise is not entirely gentle, and it has survived quite happily. The battery lasts well - it easily managed a 5 hour car journey with a mix of video, games apps and interactive books. The DS doesn't come close - and DS games cost a fortune! (and those horrid little cartridges are always getting lost...)

zdcgbjm · 16/10/2011 14:09

The review on here www.amazon.co.uk/Android-Gingerbread-Multi-Screen-Tablet/dp/B005KK9GPK/ref=pd_sim_sbs_ce1 of the andy pad is not good.

trixymalixy · 16/10/2011 16:26

I agree with others who have said that ipads are great for the whole family rather than specifically being for a child. I also think that spending £400 on a 4 year old is obscene.

We have a family iPad and will be getting DS a DS he will be 5. He wanted one last year and I thought he was a bit young, but let him try it out. I thought it was too hard for him so got him a leapster instead.

OneNerveAndYouAreOnIt · 16/10/2011 16:42

I also think that spending £400 on a 4 year old is obscene.

tuts, thats what benefits is for innit!

altinkum · 16/10/2011 16:49

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

MitrochondrialEve · 16/10/2011 17:07

OP if you decide in favour of the iPad, please remember, there is no in-built dvd player, and no usb socket. You have to rip your DVDs, upload them to iTunes (you need to set up an iTunes account), and then download them onto the iPad before your journey.

PurpleCrazyHorse · 16/10/2011 17:25

DD (2yo) uses DH's iPad with supervision and we have all sorts of children's apps on it. Very useful for keeping her occupied but I don't let her use it without one of us being with her as she just doesn't understand its value. Plus it's only really educational for her at this age if we interact with her while she's using it.

I agree with others that you can't just insert a DVD disc into an iPad so think carefully if you plan to use it mostly for this.

I'm actually looking at a LeapPad handheld or tablet for DD so she can use it more unsupervised (although not with unlimited access).

ReadySteadyDrink · 16/10/2011 17:32

Get the ipad for the family (or ask Santa to get one for you!), and get the DS for the child. Then the child can use the ipad. I got an Ipad for Christmas, and we have tiles throughout the whole house. My DS (2.5) uses it often and has never dropped it (But he has to sit down to use it).

We travel a lot (Europe though), and the Ipad is great on planes (movies, games, music). You can download (sometimes free, sometimes you pay) all sorts of Apps for the Ipad, from educational games, to silly stuff, to colouring games. It really keeps DS amused, and he knows how it works better than I do. But he knows it is mine. It also has apps for me (period monitoring, newspaper, magazines). I have tried to rip DVDs, but haven't had any luck so I purchased 2 movies for DS (and some Tv programmes) and just paid for them. But he watches them all the time, so it was well worth the dosh.

HTH.

RosemaryandThyme · 16/10/2011 17:44

"does it matter if the talking comes from a machine or a person"

Silverfrog - you can't seriously think that children don't know the difference ?

Pagwatch · 16/10/2011 18:09

Rosemaryandthyme

You have taken silver frogs comments out of context.

Andrewfogg was observing that he finds gizmo voices irritating. Silverfrog wondered whether gizmo generated voices are more annoying than a mothers voice to other people.
She was not suggesting that her child wouldnt care.

So you slightly horrified tone was not desperately appropriate.

hayleysd · 16/10/2011 18:51

I disagree that ds' are more robust, my youngest has snapped 2 ds' (they only cost me a few £ as bought from car boots but not the point) but all our Iphones, ipods etc are still intact.

I buy triple play DVDs then you get a blu ray disc, normal DVD disc and the digital copy but not all DVDs come in this format.

SeveredHeadsDragonTheFloor · 16/10/2011 19:27

"I disagree that ds' are more robust"

Well, DS2 dropped his DS down the stairs and wih a spot of superglue it was fine. I wouldn't like to try that with an iPod or iPad.

quirrelquarrel · 16/10/2011 20:22

Well, you did ask, and I think for a four year old you're a bit mad and definitely BU. For any child, he is a child.
But if you've weighed everything up...why are you asking exactly?

leelo · 16/10/2011 21:04

i bought my ds age 2 a blue dsi last xmas. he kept nicking his sisters and he loves it and plays with it loads. he is not a gentle kid but i bought a cover for it which protects it from drops. also i got it from a supermarket which came with a 1yr free warranty and it gave me some reassurance that if he broke it i could take it in for a repair. dsi are good any easy to use i think at 4 ds would be a good investment and you can use it too.

BOOareHaunting · 16/10/2011 21:08

What about one of the cheaper android tablets? Think they are slightly smaller too so maybe easier for a 4yo to hold?

DS' are great for children this age IMO but agree with the poster upthread who said about the cost of games. Much easier to get cheap/free apps.