Amazon fire kids 8

[Pookythebear]

Looking to buy both our boys the above this year. One each to save the endless squabbles over our current ancient iPad.

Youtube kids is a favoured app in our house, but I'm finding it hard to tell from the reviews if that's going to be possible on this device. Some patchy research shows that it's possible we might be able to get YouTube but have to approve the videos (how might that work in practice, approval one by one?? ) and would that be as user friendly as the YouTube kids app?

The rest of the tablet looks grand and has some good reviews, so we are up for it but if anyone can clarify the YouTube saga we will be eternally grateful!!

Tia

My kids watch you tune and Netflix. I have set parental controls, so they can't watch anything deemed inappropriate, buy or download anything with me doing it from my Amazon account.

The kids (10) are not allowed to have them on their rooms so it works for the moment. I am thinking of upgrading to the 8 and it's 20.00 at the moment.

My kids have the fire 7 and have had for 2 years. I bought my younger one the kids edition as she was 5. It has been excellent value. My older one had the basic edition with no bumper case or 2 year warranty, but because his sister got the unlimited kids content, and it was all run through my own Amazon Profile, it was possible for him to also have a kids profile with all the content. After a year of free access, I now pay only few pounds a month. Younger child has had her kids version replaced 2-3 times, no quibble and very easy to do. Just had a new (refurb) replacement yesterday because it was not accepting charge. I only went on Amazon customer service chat very briefly and arranged this on the Saturday afternoon. I need to send back the broken one but it's very easy to do and free.
I would also like to know if YouTube is possible because I know it wasn't when we got them. DS (10) has just has his also break but no warranty (it expired as he only had the basic 1 year) so was seriously looking to replace it with the Amazon Fire 8. Will be following with interest!

I've had have the Fire 8 since January. I'm almost certain that I've watched youtube videos in the browser. Were you concerned about a separate Youtube app possibly not working?

Hi all - thanks for your thoughts.

MissConduct - yes, partly - it seemed really unclear from review sites if it was an option. We particularly wanted youtube kids as an app (which really doesn't look possible), but failing that plain old youtube - but the information wasn't particularly forthcoming!

This is quite tech heavy but might be of use?

www.google.com.au/amp/s/www.techjunkie.com/youtube-for-kids-kindle-fire/amp/

I thought I had read you could get the apps for kindle, now I’m a bit disappointed because I have a kids 7 arriving today and YouTube kids was one of the main ones I wanted to install.

Thanks prettypretty - yes, that is tech heavy! But do-able, it seems. I, like you, just hoped that it was now possible and the reviews I was coming across were a couple of years old! Please let me know how you go with your kids 7.

It’s a Christmas present so I don’t plan on setting it up immediately. Can let you know in about six weeks!

Needsomeadvice. My son broke his screen for the second time. It was just out of warranty when I did an on line chat I was trying to get them to replace it (again) but I did get a 15% discount attached to all kindles as I said I was waiting for Black Friday. Worth trying. Fire 8 is current 59.99 but I would get nearly 8.00 pounds off that price.

Ha, thanks - good point. I might be setting mine up about then too... Will keep digging and hopefully someone will come along who has done it with no problems whatsoever!

I’m wondering the same thing and currently torn between buying the fire or an older refurbished iPad. We’ve never had an iPad so I really don’t know which to use. My son is 5. Reviews for the fire are good but also many say, iPad is better. I’m sure it is, butnfor a 5 year old specifically, what do you think is best?

Pooky I'll try youtube on my Fire 8 when I get home tonight and give you an update. I'll also check the app store to see if it has youtube kids.

Thanks so much, missConduct!

Imustbemad, we currently use an iPad and my 5 year old can use it fine - with a ton of safe apps and downloads. But I'm hopeful that the benefits of the Amazon fire (cost, 2 year no-quibble guarantee etc) will serve him and us well. I was really just loathe to spend the money on 2 refurbished iPads (and they do seem to get dropped with alarming regularity, in our house anyway!) with such good reviews for the other... until the YouTube thing crossed my mind. Argh!

Reviews for the fire are good but also many say, iPad is better.

I have an iPad from work and the Fire 8 I bought myself. The iPad is definitely nicer, but it's triple the price. It's not 3 times as nice, it's more like 25% nicer. I do most of my websurfing (and MN'ing), and netflix watching on the Kindle and it's a very solid tablet.

I'm home now and am posting from my Fire 8.

YouTube videos play fine in Silk, the Amazon browser. YouTube senses that you're on a mobile device and gives you that interface, which is quite simple and works well.

The Amazon app store has a "Kids" app that plays child friendly videos from YouTube but doesn't seem to be an official Google app and got some poor reviews because it shows a lot of advertising and there's no way to turn it off. There's also a YouTube app that's the real thing from Google and got great reviews but provides access to everything. The app will be easier for a child to use than the browser.

I would also get a protective cover for it. Later I'll post a link to the one I got, which is great and about half the cost of the official Amazon cover.

HTH 😳

I’ve seen refurbished iPads on groupon fornunder £150, so not extortionate. But money aside, I’m wondering is the fire actually better for a young child with the parental controls, ease of use, and 2 year garuntee. I also think the fire for kids could be his, whereas the iPad would inevitably become family property and cause arguments

Here's the case. Caution - this link says it's for the 6th generation Fire 8, which is what I bought in January. They may have a new generation with slightly different dimensions for sale now.

Moko Fire Case

By the way, I remember the issue with Youtube videos on the earlier kindle tablets (the Fire 8 is my 4th Kindle). It had something to do with Youtube videos being in the Adobe Flash format, which Amazon couldn't or wouldn't support in the Silk browser. In any case, it's been resolved.

I agree that the Fire, with a good case, is probably better for a young child than an iPad. It really is a nice tablet, and if it gets trashed somehow you're not out a small fortune.

Let me know if there's anything else I can check for you.

Thanks also from me, MissConductUS :-).
Pookythebear DD got hers when she was 5 and it has been great. The sheer amount of content on the kids profile means she is rarely bored. They have improved the onboard storage but I would still get at least a 60GB SD card (not expensive), because your child will click on everything because it is no extra cost and they run out of space very easily that way (I think we got to 27th December before the 8G onboard one ran out :-))

Thank you all - that is the best info. Really looking forward to ordering these.
Really, a huge thanks! :-))