ipod spin-off

After reading in the ipod touch thread for 8 year olds, I was wondering who had what electronics for their kids.

 

My girls (5) have access to our iPhone/iPod Touch (DH/Me), our iPads, and our home computers, but they don't have their own yet (so I didn't vote). I don't see a need for them to have open-access to them right now. I'm not sure at what age they'll have their own, but its probably coming sooner than a I think

 

Our girls have a desk top computer which they share. It is located in the livingroom. It runs Edubuntu a linux opperating system developed for children. IT is occasionally connected to the internet, but our satilite internet is only for one computer so most of the time the other desk top that DH and I use is the one connected to the internet.

 

My 10 yr old son has a generic mp3 player (got it this Christmas), and a DS he's had for about 5 yrs. He had a leapster before the DS.

My 5 yr old has a generic mp3 player (christmas time as well), and a leappad. She uses her big bro's old leapster sometimes, and uses his DS sometimes.

The family shares a Wii, and we have 2 laptops that the kids have very limited access too.

I just don't feel like my kids need their own electronic equipment yet I know the time is coming eventually where we won't have a choice about it, but for now, I prefer they play with non electronic toys as much as possible

 

My two five year olds have their own iPod Touches... but they don't have free access. They get to use them on plane rides to watch movies, and lately we've used them a few other times - dentist office waiting room, long car ride, etc. The iPods were gifts and have really made plane rides easier, but I wouldn't have bought them yet if it was my own money. My girls also have access to our iPads (with supervision) if they want to look something up or find pictures.

We're a pretty electronically focused family, but I don't see the need for five year olds to have a lot of screen time.

 

Each of my 6 year olds have Kindle Fires, which they received this past Christmas. They also each have a Leapster that we got when they were 4 (for a long car trip). They don't use those very often at all anymore, and I'm going to pass them down to my nieces when they are old enough. We also have one Nintendo DS with 2 games, which my niece passed down to my girls a while back.

We do a lot of passing down in our family.

ETA: Oh, they also share a laptop (DH and I each have our own) and we have a family Wii.

 

My almost 10 year olds have a DS lite, and DSi (wouldn't give up the lites so they can still play their gameboy games), MP3 players, and Nook simple touch that only lets them read.

 

I'm wondering what a DS is?

 

It's a handheld gaming thingie made by Nintendo. The updated updated version of a Game Boy!

My two got a DS each for their 5th birthday. They do play my Kindle every once in awhile, or games on my phone. I wouldn't be opposed to getting them their own ipod touch's if they weren't so darn expensive.

 

My oldest 3 (14, 12 & 9) each have a generic MP3 player. That's it. But we do have 2 iPads, one of which they all (even Spencer) use/play with quite a lot. But they do need to ask first. We also have a desktop computer that the older three use some, mostly my oldest... although she also has a laptop (it was a used hand-me-down) from her much older cousin. And we have a first generation Nook that I have some of the kids' homeschooling books on. But I didn't add these family items to the poll.

 

It's a Nintendo handheld game system. There are varying degrees of options on them. Timothy saved up and bought a plain DS in ebay for about $35. It plays regular DS games and gameboy games. Timothy likes Super Mario 64 and tends to play in the car on car rides mostly. My understanding is a DS lite is the same thing but a bit smaller. The DSi can get online and play games over the internet with friends. I don't know what the difference between those and a DSxl. The new one is a 3DS with 3d games.

Marissa

 

Like I said in the other thread, I notice that my kids' behaviour goes downhill fast with screentime.

We're buying the kids generic MP3 players for their rooms because their cd players are both acting up. Walmart online had some nice looking ones with good reviews for $15 each so I've got those shipping to store currently. (And if anyone has a recommendation for a decent speaker/dock thing where they don't have to use earbuds all the time I'm listening.)

Timothy saved up his own money and bought himself a DS. He uses it on car rides. And also when we go to Sarah's horse riding lessons he'll sometimes read or sometimes bring his DS.

Past that, we have a wii. Timothy plays more than Sarah, but he tends to like the more physical stuff like basketball and bowling. My parents gave me a Kindle. The kids don't like reading on that as much. Sarah used it some when she was having surgery and we were doing a lot of waiting in hospitals. We're just not techy people (even though dh is a software engineer). Dh would rather spend Saturday at the lake playing or in the garage playing with his metal lathe. Sarah's currently learning to hand sew and Timothy is patiently waiting for the bowling alley to open.


Marissa

 

Ditto this except DH is an IT Citrix Administrator! LOL.

Really with two girls- they play together a lot and actually fight very little. They also both love to read, imaginitive play, and draw so they spend free time usually doing things like that (books, artsy crafts, acting out things, etc).

There is no time for screen time to be honest......they watch less than an hour of TV a week (if that during the school year). DD2 does not like movies and we do not have cable.

The girls use the computer occasionally to type or play school-approved websites, but they actually have less screen time than they did at 4ish and were in preschool part-time.


They do have leapsters that they have had since age 3.5 we use them for cars and/or Dr visits.


The girls school does a lot with Smartboards and computers, so I feel little need to add to that at this time. They get squirrelly and quarrel more when screentime is higher or frequent. When they are sick we do more TV, but at this age- it is really not a big deal.

I am sure as they get older, we will collect more electronic gadgets. But for now it is pretty low key around here.

 

My 4 year old has a DSi.

My 6 year old has a DSi and a Kindle Fire.

My 11 year olds *sigh* EACH have a DSi (oh wait, they gave them to a family DH knows who didn't have money to buy their children birthday gifts), 3DS, Nook (reader only), MP3, iPods, iPod touches, iPad2 (paid for themselves from money they each saved from holiday/birthday gifts), and small laptops.

 

All 3 of my girls have their own iPod touches. They were gifts from Santa (girls were 6, 6 and 5). They have access to our computers and use grandpa's Ipad often. Mine are not hooked on using the devices and are limited to the time on them.

 

My 5 year olds do not have any electronics of their own. My 10 year old used to have an ipod, but it was stolen, and we haven't replaced it. (He would rather have a DSi, but DH isn't allowing it yet.) My 12 almost 13 year old has an ipod, a DSi, and a laptop. The laptop and DSi she shares with the rest, but officially they are hers. We have a wii, a PS2 and a PS3 that all kids share. My laptop the younger 3 can use if they ask first. We also have an ipad and a Kindle Fire, but those they kids have to ask first before they use them. We are a pretty techy family, but I am starting to limit the kids use of electronics. I would rather they have more physical activity or more use their imaginations more with play.

 

My 7 year old has an ipod, DS and my old iphone. He also has access to my kindle and computer. His screen time is limited to 1/2 an hour each day and mostly he uses it on rainy days. Of all of them, the DS gets used the least and I am wondering if I should sell it. He uses his ipod for music and my old iphone to play APP games. The computer is used for school work and to play some of the games we bought for him. He uses the internet for school.

 

My kids are 5 and they each have a Leapster Explorer. DS has started asking for a DS, but I don't intend to buy one for awhile yet.

 

My girls are six (just turned) and have Leapster Explorers and that's it. They have access to our kindle fires, my laptop, and a wii. They don't play any of them that often.

 

mine each have a Leapster (which they are sort of outgrowing), a Leapster Explorer (that stays at my MIL's), an iPod touch that they share, a laptop they share, and my IL's got them each a Kindle Fire for their birthday...

 

My boys have no electronics or game systems. I have an iPad that my oldest DS will occasionally play in place of a 30 minute TV show before bed. I am just not in a hurry to get them "hooked" on games and electronic learning.

 

My girls have Leapsters...but they haven't played them in more than a year - they only had learning games so they were never very interested (though they did learn alot of wild animals from one game). I bought them each an iPod touch for their 8th birthday...but they haven't gotten it yet.

Now for DS - I HATE those things. The girls' dad lives 1500 miles away & sees the girls very infrequently. He got the girls involved in Pokemon stuff....I'm not a fan but Pokemon is their "thing" with their dad so I accept that. The girls get along very, very well - very little bickering & no sibling rivalry at all. But get those little pink DSs out & all of a sudden it is WWIII over the games - they have a dozen games....but the one most desired is ALWAYS the one the sister has. I always limited their time - once a week for 30-60 minutes....but now they are for travel only. I've told my girls..."If some electronic device can get you that riled up & lead to this many tears, it has no place in your life." Ours are for travel only.

I have an iPad - my girls use it for IXL - a math program purchased through their school.

I have no desire to get my girls "wired" either - they won't be allowed online for a long, long time.

 

My girls have an old iPhone a piece(no sim so same as touch), a leappad each, a wii (hardly play in fact it's at my parents and my sister has been using it. I refused to buy a ds till they both could read (main issue with the wii) so maybe for Christmas as they are doing really well

 

I would make sure they both want the ds before you spend the money. My girls very rarely use their DS. They would rather play a game on the itouch or the computer. Every so often Sydney will go through a DS game playing spirt. Usually last a day or two. Then the DH is not touched for weeks.