To not buy my 6 year old an ipad or even a tablet?

[ClawHandsIfYouBelieveInFreaks]

She's nagging for me to allow her to put one of these on her Christmas list...I've said no as I feel she's too young and also too obsessive over her older sister's tablet....always nagging to have a go etc and then refusing to get off it.

She's listing her friends and how "X has a tablet, Y has an ipad!" on and on and on!! AIBU?

YANBU. Father Christmas brings toys made by elves, not gadgets made by Apple.

Just because they have an iPad doesn't mean they don't run around and play!

I hate this assumption that if a child has an iPad that's it for life, and they'll play with nothing else. It's simply not true.

Running around and iPads aren't mutually exclusive.

i did not buy ds his kindle i would not buy him something that expensive

i find it ridiculous that anyone spends so much on 4/5 year olds

children should be using their imagination to play games, they become so involved with their screens what is going on around them does not matter

when some of ds friends come around straight away they ask to play on the ipad, what was the point on them coming round to play i hide it away

its only on mn that parents seem to be able to take away the ipad/kindle without an issue strange everyone i know in rl its an issue

screen games children do not use their imagination, this type of play is good for them and is something they grow out of very quickly

i have said ds plays on his kindle (that i did not buy) and my ipad but i really limit the time now. it is only at weekends and he asks for it less and less. he plays with his lego, runs around with his lightsabers, pretends he is a superhere this is far better than sitting staring at a screen

Why would taking it away be an issue? It's like finishing with one game and starting another...

We've finished this puzzle, you can play the iPad for 10 minutes while I sort dinner?

Then there's always an end in sight... They're expecting it.

That's not to say I haven't let her play mine for much longer. When I had pneumonia and was alone with DD (3 at the time) and passed out for hours until my DH couldn't get hold of me and sent my mum round... DD was sitting next to me drawing on the iPad, and not distressed at all. (I appreciate this isn't a regular occurance! )

I wonder if there was this much fuss made about Etch-A-Sketch?

Santa is bringing my almost 6 year old a tablet. A hudl2 no less.

She is a very active and imaginative child, but she doesn't play with toys. Never has. She wanted a nintendo ds and I hate them, so I thought a tablet would be better all round.

I still think its ridiculous and I don't agree with children having tablets, but here we are. She doesn't get a lot and theres probably some of my guilt in there too.

Dixie

We have had an issue taking it away a few times, but we have a rule where if they have a strop about giving it back, they don't get any time the next day. They are then reminded the next day "and WHY aren't you getting any iPad time today? " :o. This has worked pretty well.

I also find it is easier for them to come off if they've not been on it so long - when we were first given it (it's a hand me down) I didn't limit the time and DD especially got more angry when she was on it longer.

DS's (child free) godfather gave him an iPad for his 3rd birthday. It quickly became the family iPad!

DS is now 6 and can go weeks without asking for it - it's only if he sees it is he reminded. And he's very good about stopping when asked etc so we haven't had to limit it really.

DD is another matter - she's not even 3 but we keep it hidden because once she gets on it, it's very difficult to get her off without much tears and tantrums - though I appreciate that's probably mainly to do with her being a toddler than her personality.

We won't be getting them their own because at the moment there's no need and there's no wish (neither have expressed wanting another) but we are TERRIBLE at leading by example - I have to make a concerted effort to leave my phone in other rooms so I can't check very important emails MN when bored mid boring toddler game and DH is totally addicted to tech.

YANBU, I do think it's a good thing for them to have access to as there's so many educational and interactive apps, and I want them to be technologically fluent, but having an iPad doesn't then mean a child won't also run around and play. But as we have just one for the family they're also having to share, which is no bad thing in my book.

Yanbu to not get one although my almost 7 yo had one last Christmas, when she was 6 . She has looked after it well and largely uses it for Mathletics and for the reading apps. She occasionally uses it for Netflix when she wants to watch a cartoon and we are using the family TV.

I agree with the poster who said that having an iPad doesn't mean that they won't do anything else ! My six year old DS will be getting an iPad mini for xmas. Not the latest one with retina display etc but the older version. At the moment he uses an old one we got when they first came out. He also does lots of clubs, sports, reads, colours etc the iPad is just another thing he plays with. I don't limit it his time on it because I've never needed to. The same with DD 12 who also has one. It's one thing if you can't afford it or your DC don't look after their belonging but my god what a 'worthy' lot a lot of the posters are excluding your kids from tablets as if they are the work of satan ! In RL it seems quite normal for young children to have iPads etc - to exclude your 9 year old when all her friends have them just seems a bit mean - but if it makes you feel saintly ......

My dd had a tablet last year at 6. I did get her a Hudl which I got cheap with tesco vouchers though. It's actually resulted in her spending less time on it than when she used to borrow ours as she is responsible for putting it on charge so it is always dead

She loves sending emails to her nan and grandad on it.

we have a rule where if they have a strop about giving it back, they don't get any time the next day

This^^ My DCs (3 and 5) share my old tablet. I limit their time on it and they know if they make a fuss when it's time to finish, then they won't have it at all the next day. Works well for us.

They still do plenty of running around and imaginative play but they like the tablet too.

If it was me I would get it. It sounds as though it's something she would really love and get a lot of use out of. When my son was that age, I would spend a lot so that he had piles of stuff but he got bored of it fairly quickly. Surely it's best to spend the same amount you would have spent on lots of small things on the tablet that you know she will use for ages.

My DS (3) is getting an iPad mini for Christmas.

He's very careful with mine and I've bought a protective vulcanised rubber case for it so I'm not too worried about the screen getting broken.
Even though it will be 'his', I'll have complete control over it and control over when he goes on it.
He's also getting actual toys like a pirate ship and doctor set for christmas and I'm certain that it won't impact on the amount of time he runs around and plays other things. All it will mean is that I can go on my iPad!