dd1 (5) really wants an nintendo ds

[nailpolish]

i am v tempted even though its a bit over budget

shuold i get the ds lite? is it better/worse? will she really use it? shed like the nintendogs game definitely - what other games are there? i saw one where you could record your own praises!

and can you buy replacement stylus'? i just know she will lose it

thanks

Can you find one ?

I've just bought a pink DS Lite for 7 year old DD. There's a Dolphin game which looks fun and Animal Crossing which also looks suitable. All these lucky children

ah thanks ruby. i shall look for the lite then.

do you know the game where you can record praises?

like "well done" etc

they're not very sturdy you know - mine have broken two over the years by dropping them accidentally.

I really wouldn't buy one for a 5 year old.

Lucky children! I want one but DH doesn't want to buy me one

My dd has nintendo ds - she has the dogs game and you can praise on this....well done, good boy etc.....all I can hear is this kind of thing all day....prepare to be driven crazy....and if she repeats that dogs name once more I am going to throw myself out the window!!

off to search for games

I think 5 is a bit young for most users. The majority of the good games, require more hand/eye co-ordination and there is reading involved (say in Animal Crossing for instance which is very popular with girls and boys).
My DD wants one too, as her big brother has one - but actually on the rare occasions that she is allowed to even touch it - most of the games are beyond her, even nintendogs/monkey ball type.
My local Game shop, suggested we get her a pre-owned Gameboy Advance (about £20-£25) and some pre-owned games. They had loads of Disney, Barbie, Hello Kitty type games, which seem to be very basic and would get her started. The pre-owned games cost about £7-£9.00.
All these games will also work in the DS, if she eventually upgrades, or if big brother allows her to use his. He got his first one when he was 6, and I thought it was just about right, as he could easily work all the games, and didn't get frustrated. 2 years later, it is still his most played with toy.

What have I done?????? I've bought the labrador nintendogs game. Am I going to be driven crazy? Can it be any worse than endless renditions of "Barbie Girl" in a strange and bizarre Brooklyn accent?

I bought one for DD last Christmas when she was 5 and I can honestly say we have had value for money already. She has lots of games but particular faves are nintendogs, The Little Mermaid, Charlotte's Web and Drawn to Life.
We tend to travel a fair bit and the DS is easy to take and has saved many a long car journey or ferry trip. She has lost only one stylus in a year (it comes with 2)
but they only cost £1.99 for 2 replacements.

I bought one for DD last Christmas when she was 5 and I can honestly say we have had value for money already. She has lots of games but particular faves are nintendogs, The Little Mermaid, Charlotte's Web and Drawn to Life.
We tend to travel a fair bit and the DS is easy to take and has saved many a long car journey or ferry trip. She has lost only one stylus in a year (it comes with 2)
but they only cost £1.99 for 2 replacements.

Oh bugger I keep doing that - sorry.

My ds is 4 and is forever playing on my nin ds. He has a gameboy advance of his own but compared to the ds, the screen is crap and dark. He can play his gba games on the ds and thinks it great. He also likes the 42 Classic Card games on ds as they are not just card games - there is darts and ten pin bowling.
If you're interested, I have got Madagascar ds game for sale. This came with my ds and is not my cup of tea. It says from ages upwards and my ds has had a go but he's not into this type of game. Looking for £12 posted for it. (too many ds!!!)

am in two minds about this too - we're going to florida on holiday next year so thought that a ds would be ideal to break up the 9 hour flight but figured better for a christmas present rather than just a random purchase iykwim.

but still not sure - where would one get a pre-owned gameboy - would game or somewhere have them?

sorry that should read 'ages 3 upwards' for the Madagascar game!

Sorry I should have clarified that DD has a Nintendo DS lite - I'm not sure what the difference is between a ds and a lite.

We have ds lites as well - they are lighter than the ds.

the ds lite is smaller and lighter (and cheaper!)

oh GOD i cant decide what to do

WHAT IS that game you can record praise? ie "well done dd!" when she complets a puzzle or wotnot

argh

does nintendogs have lots of words they need to read?

I FOUND IT!

Hi naily I am sure she could manage Nintendogs with a bit of help, there's not that much to read. I also think the DS is much easier to use than a Gameboy, personally, because of the stylus, and if you get a second hand Gameboy you will have to keep getting second hand games, which are being phased out. It's easy to get more styluses (styli?). Cooking Mama might be worth looking at too, though I don't know how much you need to read with that.

Although DD is a good reader for her age I think the DS lite games have helped. She often asks does this say XXXX? And usually it does.

The Nintendogs game does have some written instructions on setting up and you will be sick of hearing her call the dogs name by boxing day but after that its pretty straightforward.