Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Christmas

From present ideas to party food, find all your Christmas inspiration here.

Original poster

Amazon fire kids tablet or leap pad/innotab for 3 year old?

32 replies

yeeyeelovesraaraa · 04/11/2017 20:11

would you bother with a leap pad or innotab for a 3 year old or just go straight for something like amazon fire kids tablet?

PIL want to get DD some sort of a tablet/handheld games console for Christmas but I don't know much about any of them. I know you get kids content included for the fire & have to buy games for the other 2 but is there much difference in the types of games & what you can do with them?

OP posts:
KC225 · 04/11/2017 20:52

A tablet at 3. Really?

Original poster
yeeyeelovesraaraa · 04/11/2017 22:48

well thats helpful

OP posts:
Cakescakescakes · 04/11/2017 22:49

There are lots of great apps for young kids - check out Sago Mini, Lego Duplo games, CBeebies Playtime Island and CBeebies Storytime.

HotelEuphoria · 04/11/2017 22:49

I agree with KC. Pretty shocked actually.

Original poster
yeeyeelovesraaraa · 04/11/2017 22:52

she has an older brother who has a nintendo ds. we never allowed him to have any technology stuff until this year (he is 7) but she is desperate to play on it & PIL thought getting her a leap pad type thing of her own might be an idea. its not that unusual is it?!

OP posts:
Themummy76 · 04/11/2017 22:52

Oh op - I’m with you - I clicked on this as I was considering a tablet for my ds’s 4th birthday! I think it’s fine as long as used appropriately- important even - it’s how they will learn in school nowadays. If it’s any help I was going to get a kindle fire but I don’t know anything about how the others compare!

Carrie76 · 04/11/2017 22:56

Shocked here too Shock

divafever99 · 04/11/2017 22:56

I would go with a kindle fire. Leap pad games are expensive and won't be used for as long. You can download many free games on the fire, like a pp has said cbeebies is very good, it has phonics games on it. There are also lots of other suitable games you can download for a £ or 2. When my dd started school we were encouraged to go online with them and go on some websites they suggested/watch you tube videos which helped with simple numeracy and phonics. All of which she has done on her fire. We have also found it useful now that she is getting older and needs to research certain topics for her homework. Schools have tablets in schools that pupils use, so I don't think it's inappropriate, I think using a mobile device is a good skill to have.

HeadDreamer · 04/11/2017 22:58

We got the fire kids tablet for DC2 who is 3. It is really good as you don’t pay for games separately. It includes the amazon kids subscription for a year and there are a lot of apps on it. DC1 had the hudl2 and the fire is much better. We used to pay for games but the variety on the fire is worth the subscription once the first free year is over. Also if you break it the fire is covered with a guarantee. There are lots of tv and movies on it too but I’m not sure if it’s because we got prime?

divafever99 · 04/11/2017 23:01

Yes HeadDreamer, you only get access to amazon video if you have amazon prime.

HeadDreamer · 04/11/2017 23:01

If your child is watching tv at 3 then a tablet is no different.

welshweasel · 04/11/2017 23:02

We got the kids fire for my then one year old. It's great. Currently he only uses it to watch peppa/thomas for a few minutes in the morning and was a godsend when we went on holiday to keep him entertained whilst travelling. There is so much stuff to download through. Educational apps, games, books, videos. Deffo worth the money.

HeadDreamer · 04/11/2017 23:04

Also when we went on holiday this summer, we managed to find some biff chip and kipper on the fire and DC1 did her reading on it.

AvoidingDM · 04/11/2017 23:07

I'd consider the Leapfrog Epic. But I wouldn't think it's that unusual to have a tablet of some description at that age.

Original poster
yeeyeelovesraaraa · 04/11/2017 23:08

thankyou themummy this was PIL's argument - that its how they will learn in school & what they need to learn for the modern world.

And tbh I'd be very surprised if the pp's who are 'shocked' have never let their kids play games or watch vids on their own phones/devices?! Hmm

I suppose I just wondered about the longevity of the leap pad or innotab vs the kids fire tablet - i dont necessarily think the fire is appropriate for her yet but will she outgrow the others sooner?

OP posts:
AtSea1979 · 04/11/2017 23:11

Neither, they are 3. Get them a paw patrol jigsaw and a balance bike.

Though my DS (12) is getting a kindle fire for Xmas this year.

rachrach2 · 04/11/2017 23:12

Both my children have had a kindle fire for kids since they were almost two and love it. Easy to use, good content, excellent 2 year guarantee and I can trust the content is suitable. They love the apps and programmes. They are allowed it in the morning before I drag myself out of bed and on long journeys - I see no problem in it in moderation and would prefer them watching that than our iPad!

divafever99 · 04/11/2017 23:17

You can create a separate profile op on the fire so you can control the content. My dd only has access to the games/apps that are age appropriate and it doesn't allow her to go on the net. If she needs to google something for homework I enter the password to allow to exit her profile and I sit with her.

divafever99 · 04/11/2017 23:19

Oh and if you decide to go with the fire wait til black Friday, they are always on offer.

MajesticWhine · 04/11/2017 23:28

DD is 7 - she has had an innotab and a kindle fire. The fire was and still is a big hit. And easy to control screen time, bed time etc.

OdeToAutumn · 04/11/2017 23:36

My son got a fire for Christmas as a gift when he was 4 and he loves it. I was a bit worried because I didn't want him (or me!) to rely on it for entertainment. I have set restrictions on it so he can only use it for a certain amount of time.

There are lots of apps, including many educational ones. It stopped charging properly about 6 months after he was bought it, but as promised in the guarantee, they replaced it without any problems.

I have no experience or the other products you have mentioned.

Original poster
yeeyeelovesraaraa · 04/11/2017 23:37

thankyou folks for the more constructive replies. Sounds like the kids fire may be the better option but I will have to give it some more thought. I didnt expect to come on here & end up feeling ashamed for even considering it. Blush

OP posts:
DaisyRaine90 · 04/11/2017 23:38

My daughters innotab has barely been used

Is get the kindle 😊

Longwalkoffashortpier · 04/11/2017 23:39

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

NameChangeFamousFolk · 05/11/2017 00:00

My 3 year old wouldn't want one, but she's into very different things!

The bits of research I've glimpsed into how new(ish) technology affects/helps/changes development in several areas is too nascent for me to feel comfortable with too much exposure at a very early age, but that's just me, and obviously many parents limit screen time etc.

It's pretty unusual in the group of parents that we're close with to have screens/hand held devices at that age as a 'toy', but one friend has the Leapfrog Epic for her DS and it seems to go down pretty well!

Swipe left for the next trending thread