Nintendo DS for my 5-year-old son - Yes or No??

[MummyDragon]

I am not at all convinced that my DS is old enough to have a Nintendo DSi or whatever they're called for his 5th birthday. He already has a VTech handheld/console game which he likes a lot anyway, and at least I can pretend that it is eductional! (well, it is, actually!). But all - and I mean all - the mums at school are raving about their 5-year-olds having the DS and how wonderful it is. Never having been much of a one for computer games (the only game I ever played was Donkey Kong) I am very unsure about this. 5 just seems SO YOUNG to be constantly plugged into a computer game, and my friend's son is horribly aggressive for hours after he finishes playing it. All comments welome. Thank you!

(btw, my son loves learning on computers at school and is a "typical boy" in that his absolute favourite activity is getting wet and muddy. For hours and hours).

My DS is 5 and he doesn't have a nintendo ds. He does play some games on the computer but I don't want him to have a computer type thing of his own yet.

Some children in his class at school have them, some don't.

Has he asked for one, or do you feel he ought to have one?

Hello, personally I wouldn't at that age. There are years and years and years ahead for kids to have that stuff anyway. Get him something to get more and more muddy with - bike, scooter, buckets, etc etc (and a new washing machine!)

IMO I think 5 is too young but I know lots of people would disagree.

DD has just got a DSi and she is 9. Other than a Gameboy which I won a few years ago its the first computer games type thing we have.

If your DS wants to play computer games occasionally he can play the ones on the CBBC website and similar. Its easier to limit how long he plays for that way too.

I meant to add that I also have a DS who is nearly 5 -he hasn't shown that much interest in his sisters DSi TBH. He will occasionally play on the Gameboy but doesn't really know what hes doing

I would say no, had to wait until they were 7 in this house!

Hi everyone, thanks for your comments, v.useful.

Lovely - he hasn't asked for one, in fact when I gave him the VTech (educational!!!!!!! ha ha) game at Xmas I told him it was a DS (nintendo, not son) and he still calls it a DS! I think I was more shocked that the parents at school were asking what games he would like for his DS as a birthday present, and I said he doesn't have one - and they were all soooo surprised!! I think we'll stick with the VTech for now as it has the stylus too, and review it in a couple of years' time .. or until my son realises that everyone else has the real nintendo ...!

Clayhead - when he originally asked for one last year, I told him he had to be 7 too. Great minds think alike huh.

I was going to hold off till 7. DD begged for one for her 6th birthday. Decided it would be OK. Played with it for about a day. Now collecting dust.

I'd say try and hold off till 7 - or until you can get a really good deal . But why not if they really, really want one?

He doesn't really, really want one. If he did I would probably just go out and get it for him as I'm a bit of a soft touch sometimes! (despite my name). DH and I just can't figure out anything else to get him that we think he'll use lots and won't break/ignore after a week. However, I guess life is too short to worry unnecessarily about such things, and he will be happy with a new game for the VTech, a load of colouring books/pencils and some balls etc for the garden!

I'm going to go against the grain here! My ds is 3 and he has a 2nd hand nintendo ds which he loves!

We brought it because he was forever grabbing my dd's ds (she is 8) and I was worried he would break it. We also recently ent to america on holiday so we brought it to keep him quiet on the plane.

There are lots of games aimed at children of this age and he actually does manage to effectivly play thinks on it - not just constantly tap the screen!

I would suggest if he really wants one to go on Ebay and get a 2nd hand one - there will be lots of cheap ones on there now that the DSi is on the market.

No! Please don't! REALLY sad to see little kids plugged inot them. We eventually gave in whe DS1 was 9 and reading lots.

My son is 3 and he borrows mine. He has his own peppa pig game and I did it mum which is all about counting and numbers etc so it can be a good thing!! I do limit his time on it though to half an hour a couple of times a week if that.

Personally I think if they play on the home computer a DS is no different what so ever,they are both screens.

I also think a DS is far easier to control. When the half hour is up it can go on a high shelf. With a pc if somebody else is having their turn they hang around watching so are actually getting double the screen time.

My ds will be 6 next Sep and is badgering for one,initially I said no. Then on thinking about it I thought I'd rather he had something like that with specific games I can have some say in rather than endless surfing the net playing the most rubbishy games he can find.

Now my ds is a fluent reader he can pretty much go anywhere he wants on the Mac. The CBeebies site just doesn't cut it anymore. He was on the Hana Montana site Friday-total utter trash. He knows how to put it on mute so in theory even if I banned crappy sites he could still access them.

I'm going to continue to limit computer time to 1/2 an hour and he'll be able to choose DS or the Mac. My son loves playing with his siblings and we love the outdoors so he leads a very full life.

I think there is a lot of hysteria over kids owning a DS(of which I was guilty) but I'm starting to realise they can be handled with the same common sense you'd use with any other screen and may actually have some benefits.

MilaMae - exactly, it is a question of getting the balance right, isn't it? Thank you. I'm dithering again now! I certainly wouldn't allow my DS unlimited access to the computer or to a hand-held console ... will have to have a chat with DH about it. It is such a lot of money for a 5-year-old, but I guess it will last for years ...