Really undecided about Leappad...reviews not great...any thoughts guys?

[FoxyRevenger]

Was all ready to get a Leappad for 3.7 year old daughter but the reviews on Amazon all says it's pointless without a charge pack which costs another £25...plus there's the cost of the apps which pushes it up a LOT.

Is it worth bothering with or is 3 and a half just too young to get it?

Or maybe is there something along those lines you'd recommend?

Have you looked at the Innotab?

We have one of the first ones that was dd1's and 3.10yo dd2 spends ages on it when she's in the mood. It's battered now (scratched all over screen, back of the battery bit needs sticky taping on) but has been well worth the £90 we paid for it three years ago.

In fact, it gets used so much when she is in the mood that we're replacing with an Innotab 3S.

(about the batteries - Poundland, green one, sell rechargeables in packs of 2 AA or four AAA and the chargers, they're what we use for ours )

We bought one for my DD when DD2 was born... She played with it for about 2 seconds and hasn't touched it since. She's used to playing with our iPads and it was a poor comparison in that case...

Nothing beats a proper iPad! My youngest 2 fight over mine and the oldest one has her own one for school (trendy modern school!) the great thing with an iPad is they can be everything you want it to be. There are loads of great preschool apps, many of them free and my kids love watching i player through it!

Have been looking at an Innotab, seems better than a Leappad.

Bad no way is she getting an Ipad! If I can't afford one I'm not giving one to a 3 year old.

no we've considered them and are going for a Hudl instead. we can get a cheep Android tablet and install free apps whichare educational and some games to and you can also use kid apps so they block all internet use. it'll work out cheaper and we can use it for other stuff when the kids are in bed.

It works perfectly well with standard rechargable batteries.

You can buy the app gift cards on offer, quite often. That saves a few pennies.

My daughter was bought the Leappad last Christmas when she was nearly four, now still plays with it regularly and some really educational games on it. She plays on the iPad too but probably an equal amount. We are getting her 2 1/2 year old sister one this Christmas so we think it is worth it!

I think coming up 4 is the perfect age for it. Our DS is growing out of it at nearly 7, so we are going to get him a cheap tablet and put it away to give to DD when she turns 4.

I don't regret getting it for DS. We did buy the rechargeable battery pack after about a month of having it. There seem to be more gam,es/apps for Leappad than the INnotab but they seem much of a muchness. We thought the Leappad seemed slightly more robust build.

Hmm may have to hit Toysrus for a play with them both!

We have two Leappads. Our girls like them, probably from age 3 or 3.5 upwards. Very robust, the games are good. Bought one of them second-hand so it was bargainous.

I wouldn't bother with either. Games cost a fortune in comparison to apps. My daughter has a third hand apple iPod. She watches movies on it, plays music and games. She loves it. She is nearly 4 but has had it about 2 years.

My DD had a Leappad 2 last Xmas just before she was 6. She loves it. I think she would have enjoyed it from age 3 or 4 but wasn't very techno savvy at that age (unlike her little brother!) so had no interest. Games/apps are expensive but you can get "three for two" and other offers on the game cartridges if you shop around. Also there are cheaper apps on the Leapfrog site although you have to choose carefully as some of the very cheap ones are a bit crap. DD has enjoyed using the camera, video, "art studio" and cartoon maker that come with it just as much as the games. We bought a battery charger and two sets of rechargable batteries and that's been fine. Not sure what the charge pack is? Maybe that's for a newer version?

DD's friend had an Innotab at the same time and they occasionally swap but DD prefers the Leappad.

Re having an iPad instead, I took advice from a MNetter who said iPads aren't made to be dropped by a child. Literally within minutes of DD opening her Leappad it was dropped on a hard floor so I felt like I'd made the right decision! It's been dropped many times since and is very robust. HTH.

You can get tough shell cases which are drop resistant, as well as water and sand proof. The army use them.

My dd (5) and ds (4) absolutely love theirs, they are really educational as well as fun. The leappad two does come with a charger as well, apps start from about £3.50 so not too expensive although the branded ones are usually £20. I would definitely recommend them personally.

I bought my dd who will be three in January the leapad 2 complete with power charger for £56 from amazon. I would not recommend an innotab. For a child over the age of six I would get a real tablet eg nexus or hudl.

DD has loved her leappad since 4, kept her quiet for hours. Still played with at nearly 7, but she's growing out of it. She mostly loved the Petpals game looking after dogs, so this year we're getting her a 3DS XL with Nintendogs and Cats.

Leappad is a great, sturdy little thing.

We had the same problem deciding which to go for, in the end we went with the Kindle fire, same price, but decided long time term it would be better value as can download apps, books etc. Bought a special child proof case for it to protect from knocks

My kids love theirs and they're pretty sturdy.

However, both of them have damaged the card slot part where you'd insert the game cartridge. Anyone know where to send them to get them fixed?

Some great deals on amazon today:

Pink leappad 2 - £46.66
Blue innotab 3s (RRP £99.99) only £47.93