Do people really spend £300 on their kids console

[Arren12]

Hi

My dd who is 8 has been asking for a console for ages and ages now. We have never owned anything like that. She's autistic and has never played with toys so we are limited to what we can get her for Xmas. I thought I'd look at getting a console of some sort but I'm gobsmacked at the price.

Most of her friends at school have had them for ages so obviously people must spend this but its seems so excessive.

We are by no means rich but we are not struggling for money. We are quite comfortable. Its just I feel its such a lot and think about what else that money could go on.

As I say my dd does not play in the traditional sense and spends all her time doing arts and crafts. We have every art and craft thing you can imagine so can't get her any more of that really. This seemed ideal but its way more than I'd normally like to spend on each child.

What do others do? Is it that people do spend £300 on Xmas gifts or is it purely seen as a one off big purchase.

The games are also so expensive.

Do most children have a console.

I feel a bit like I'm a bad mum because dd seems one of the only children in her class not to game. This was evident in a recent homework assignment.

Aibu to be shocked that parents are spending this and wondering how most afford it or feel comfortable with it.

My kids are 16 and 12 and have an Xbox each, which probably cost around £300 - I can’t really remember. But yes, I’d think that was fairly standard these days sadly, although 8 seems young to me.

A games console offers lots of opportunities for creative type games that your dd might like; she can play a game for months if it’s one she likes. Has she played on one before? Why are you uncomfortable with it if you can afford it?

Yes they’re expensive for the initial outlay but your child will be disadvantaged socially if they’re the only one not able to chat about the popular games

I think disadvantaged socially is a terrible, terrible thing to say.

DDs have a PS4 because it’s my PS4 that I let them use

I’ve not bothered trying to get a PS5.

I’ve never paid full price for a game, I wait a few months and get them second hand for a fraction of the price.

It's pretty standard.
We have an xbox, 2 Nintendo switches (one full one lite) and I've just bought an oculus for Christmas.
They all get used on a regular basis during screen time in the evening, so the cost isn't really an issue as they get a lot of enjoyment out of them

DDs have a PS4 because it’s my PS4 that I let them use grin

Same here @ToughTittyWhompus, happy that I won’t have to buy a console because we already have several and will continue to buy new ones 😀

I have three children, and they have a switch each, two Xbox one s consoles, a PS4, and various other retro stuff.

It hasn’t been bought in one go, and a few bits were second hand.

My kids are all autistic, and their comfort is usually found using pixellated blocks to build and destroy other things. That said, they don’t have unlimited access, and when I say it’s time to stop they stop.

Only you can decide whether it’s going to be worth a purchase for your child, but even I enjoy playing Mario and animal crossing on the switch :)

Nope, they spend more than that.
A PS5 is around £500-£700 depending on the model.

Yes. Most 8 year old in younger dc class have a switch or ipad. My older ds got PlayStation 4 when he was 11 (first console in house as they all had ipads from about 6) which was agreed would be his birthday and xmas and his grandparents got him online membership. So worth it as he online gamed through pandemic and came out with excellent mental health. Younger siblings got an xbox at the beginning of the pandemic as it was cheaper than another ps

Yup, I have 2 boys younger than 8 & have bought them a Nintendo switch each this Christmas.

Yes they do but it's usually the main present. My son got his years ago and it was worth the money

Ds 10 is begging an Xbox. £250 one but need another controller and will be paying for gaming pass each month. He is autistic too, he does not play with toys so I'm hoping it'll keep him entertained to a degree. He is already a pc gamer which he loves but Most of his friend have consoles.

We saved up and bought it early.

It's not a a new thing. Me and dp both had consoles growing up.

It's not just consoles either that's expensive. It's the phones, tablets, iPads, laptops, computers etc they need/want as they get older.

@Shoxfordian she has seen others play at friends homes i think but never played one herself. Her friends must talk about it that's why she asks.
We could afford it but im uncomfortable because we do have other things that money could be better spent on and itscway more than we usually spend at Xmas and birthdays. It just feels like such a lot for a game.

I am worried she will suffer the social aspects yes @Bessica1970

@Bagamoyo1 what age did yours get them. Most of her classmates seem to already.

@turnthebiglightoff

I think disadvantaged socially is a terrible, terrible thing to say.

Why? Its true for many kids. Its why oldest ds got a ps4 as everyone of his friends were playing fifa

My DS has had a console for a long time. His first one was a hand-me-down from a relative but when the X-box One came out I bought him one. It was a massive outlay for me to be honest - more than double what I'd normally spend on him but it has been a "one off" and I haven't replicated that level of spending since.

I think if you're sure it's something she will enjoy and it's affordable for you then get her one.

Yes that's how much they cost.
For me its a one off cost not that sort of spend every year.
We get an online games pass for DS that gets you loads of games.
But basically, yes that's how much they cost OP!

Mine have a games console but it is not the latest one. They have a ps4. I think games have cost between £20 and £50 but they might get one game as their main present at Christmas or for their birthdays. I think the PS4 came with two games and we bought it on Black Friday.

I don’t think the initial price is that bad considering it will last for years and be a heavily used item

They are expensive, and ongoing game costs can be expensive too.

I’ve always bought as a joint present between my dc, which makes it a more reasonable cost overall, as cost is ‘split’ between the 3 of them. Games etc are bought for individual children, but the expectation is that they are there to be generally shared. It’s not ever been a massive problem, except for minor squabbles over screen time, but that is quickly solved.

£300 is reasonable for a console. If the kids will use it, then it is money well spent.

Yes they do. Is it a switch she has asked for? You can get the handheld ones for £180ish, but then the games are expensive.

If she has ASD and receives DLA, and you get tax credits/universal credit, you could apply to the Family Fund for help towards one. They usually give you £250 towards one.

My two (6 & 3) are sharing an xbox x with their father as their main present this year. Although it's already plugged in because the big kid wanted to play Forza 5 straight away. As far as I'm aware most of the 6 year old's peers have switches/play stations or xboxes.

I feel the same and my kids don’t have them. I think the ‘everyone else is doing it’ argument is a terrible one. Decide for yourself if it’s a good idea and if you think it’s not, explain to your kids that we don’t always have to follow the crowd. They might not like it at the time but they will see that you stick to your values even when that’s tough.

My main objections are 1. Gaming is a bit of a waste of time 2. It teaches kids a bad lesson to be given hugely expensive kit. They learn to be consumers with no sense of the value of money. If my 15 year old wants to get a part-time job and buy himself an Xbox, that’s fine.

You can play lots of games for that age on basic enough tablet if you don’t want to buy a console.