Not to by a DS for my 4 year old daughter

[merryandmad]

My dd1 will be four in a couple of weeks. Recently 3 of her little friends have all had DS's for their birthday's. One mum has even commented how hard it is to get games that don't come with text (they can't read yet).
My dd is a September baby, so only just starting nursery- I do not want a DS yet- but at a birthday party today (4 year old boy) his mum was saying proudly that he'd had a DS and had been playing on it all morning).
I could see my DP's mind whizzing - he is a bit techy and brought his 60 year old mum a computer- I don't want him to buy her a DS yet, or a tv/dvd combi yet. What would you say?

Thanks, that's a great price.

Now I just have to convince DD she either wants a DS or wants something different, or find a Wii for a similar price!

Hmm, would it be too cheeky to ask for a Wii on Freecycle?

my dd asked for a DS she is only 3!! I was baffled, she even pointed to a man on the train who had one and said she wanted one like his .. I remain quite bemused and baffled. I'm not going to get one though.

I was lookin last month when my dd whos 4 in a month asked and fell looky on ebay, £50 someone had it bought as a present and had played on it once and wasnt keen. Came fully boxed (cant even tell its been out of box!!). my bro also bought her three games for her bday off ebay £25 posted( nintendogs, pippa funnell and cooking mama) I know at least if it gets shoved in corner after a month and not played with could probably get money back when sell, think this was the deciding factor in getting it.But if she likes it was also guna get R4 card theyre so much cheaper.

merryandmad, I personally would not buy any type of computer game for a 4 year old child.

I just feel there are about a million things I would rather my dc's were doing than sat staring at a computer screen.

I will always discourage the use of computer games.

Why have a virtual game of tennis when you could actually go outside and play tennis? It is a mystery to me!

Thanks goodomen. My dd's are really active and I like to think they are stimulated in real life rather than virtually. We have had two weeks of half an hour of tv a day max- they are worn out by the end of the day, but I love seeing their personalities flourish from other things. DD1's behaviour in particular seems to have improved. I just don't want DP to ruin my hard work of entertaining them all day, by buying a gadget for her

If you have a ds at 4 - what will you want at 5, at 8, at 12?

Thank goodness I have a ds who says things like "it's more sensible to get me that electric toothbrush because you can change the batteries and heads, the Shrek one has to be thrown away which is a waste." and "I don't want to go on the computers at school at lunchtime because there is a big field to run around." I am aware that at some point he will morph into a normal child - but I am enjoying this current moral stance.

In total agreement with cat64. I don't actually know ANY children under 10 - and I know quite a lot of children - with their own electronic gaming stuff - although do sometimes look at cbeebies website with my 4 year old on our home computer. Some fathers - and it is the blokes I know - have games - especially my brother and a mate who is rebuilding ancient Rome in some virtual world - but luckily my husband isn't one of them so we can do old fashioned stuff like have conversations.

My DD (4.5) occasionally plays on DHs DS. She likes Nintendogs and looks after her puppy. I wouldnt buy her her own DS though and she wouldnt have access to this if DH didnt have it already.

To be honest she only plays on one game. It can entertain her for about 20 minutes max and then she wants to go and play dress up, or go in the garden. She actually seems able to self-regulate over it which is good. If we banned her from having one then I'm sure the level of interest would have increased three-fold.

So, what I'm saying is that dont let a 4 year old have their own but expose them to them if you can and let them see that 'yes, they're fun but not 'all that'.

As I said before they don't play with these very often. DD has taken hers on sleepovers with her best friend so once they've finished being all girly and playing around they can send each other secret messages or play games together. They are great on long car journeys, we had a holiday in the Lot in the summer and the DSs really did help fill the gap in between all the looking out the window spotting things, sleeping, singing and arguing!

DS1 started school just a few weeks after he turned 4 last year and has struggled with it. Sometimes after a mentally and physically exhausting day at school he wants to come home and just veg in front of the tv or play computer games for a while whilst I'm cooking tea and I really don't see why he shouldn't. After tea he seems to have a bit more energy again and will play outside or play around with dd and ds2. He does the imaginitive play and the active play and the educational play as well as the computer play.

Oh no, there's so much more in the world than Games consoles. Dull, dull dull. I hate this stuff. Don't do it.

LOl at some comments on this thread - again!

Why does owning a games console mean that all other forms of playing and interaction suddenly stops and goes out of the window?

Are your children incapable of being able to swap between activities and to spend their days doing a variety of activities, sometimes playing alone and sometimes with others?

Because my DD can and does. Yes, she has a DS which she plays on and off. But she also plays in lots of other ways too - reading, writing, drawing, trampoline, playing outside, playing with Barbie and Polly Pocket, dancing, singing, dress up, plyign imagintive androle play games, talking with mummy and daddy or others, playing with friends, doing sport.....all manner of things.

I suppose if you have the kind of child who would become fixated on a games console, and do nothing else that play on it, then es - not a good idea and something to avoid. But for the average child - not a problem, although I would wait till school age.

HULABABY wow totally agree with this i have posted on here about the fact ive just bought one for dd's birthday (shes 4) and i cant understand what the fuss is about too. My dd never stops she lives outside, has a very imaginative brain, LOVES dress up and insists babies sit and eat with us and all the other stuff you put above. She also has a learning laptop which she thinks is fun but once shes bin on for about 15-20 mins thats it!! whats next!!?? Everything in moderation right?