If I buy a DS for the older dc what can I get for a 3yo that is similar?

[Themasterandmargaritas]

I was thinking about a Leapster but it doesn't seem to get very good review. Any suggestions?

A leappad?

My 2 and 4yo are very much enjoying playing with this at the moment. Lots to do on it. A bit like a DS. Ish.

I would get a Nintendo Gameboy Advance, which is exactly what I got for my 4 year old (he's too clumsy for a DS) and I picked it up for £20 off the market. Games are about £5 each and you can get MarioKart, Rugrats, Scoobydoo etc.

The good thing about them is that they just look, to a small child, like a smaller version of what their sibling has.

Wouldn't a three-year old be happy with a pretend one? (or is my son a thickie?)

DSs 5 & 3 were delighted with a freebie water game off Cbeebies magazine, you know, you press the buttons to push hoops up through the water?

I got ds a Vsmile pocket when dd1 got a DS BUT the following year he got a DS so it seems a waste(as the games are £17)
Now dd2 picks it up but she is far more interested in playing a DS, thankfully dd1 has passed down her DSlite(needs a broken hinge fixed)to a DSi (through lots of negotiations)

Oh and as colditz said dhs cousin actually passed on a gameboy advanced to ds so the Vsmile pocket really was abandoned!

We have had leappads and they are still around, but don't seem to work anymore sadly, as he likes playing with them, but I am after something more like theirs otherwise he will just keep trying to get to theirs I think!

A Gameboy is a good idea.

Sorry Yuno but as a third child he wouldn't be interested in that, he would definitely think he is being given the rough end of the deal.

ds2 wouldn't have settled for a fake when he was three, he'd have exploded.

We bought our DD (also 3) a cheap second hand DS from game and just got the insurance. If it breaks, then we can return it. Although thankfully, we have not needed to do that yet.

DD did have a V smile, but we found that it wasn't as easy for a 3 year old to use, as the DS is. Many of the games were too hard and the pocket was just not as user friendly, and the graphics were awful. the games are also exceptionally expensive considering how little the shelf life of the V smile is.

The DS games are more easily accessible, can be picked up second hand quite cheaply and they are a lot easier for a child to play with. The child just needs to learn to respect the toy and play with it carefully. Our DD has had no problems learning that, and so she plays quite happily with it.

i got a leapster for ds last year, he was 3, he was happy with it but games are more expensive than ds games and in the end, i gave up with it and got him the old style ds for £30 from game. he shares games with dd.

i have had exactly the same thoughts over what to get my 3.5yr old. He already has the clickstart computer. I was going to get a leapster but my hubby said (as have others on here) a second hand ds is cheaper and we have games already

right so a second hand DS for him then, seems the way forward. Should I then just get second hand ones for all three of them?

I probably would. How old are they all? They are releasing a 3D DS so the second-hand ones may come down even further in price

DD had a ds at 3yrs & she loved it . There's lots of ds games you can get for 3yr olds .