Android Tablet/iPad for 4 yr old

pearl123

pollyanna24 wrote: »

When I asked her today what she'd like, she said "Rings... Bracelets... lots of bracelets.... Necklaces... lots of necklaces and lots of dresses!! QUOTE]

It seems she wants girlie things not technology.
I agree with everyone else it would be madness to give someone so young a ipad or tablet.

*Louise*

My DD got a leappad for her 5th birthday - I would never have considered buying her a proper tablet tbh.

The leappad is quite good actually, there are a number of games at £5/£7 that you can download onto the machine - it's mainly the branded games which are £20. They are very sturdy as well - young children have a habit of dropping things sometimes

EmmaHerts

My 10 month old baby loves playing the piano on my iPad, there are lots of great apps for children and you can even get protective cases for them from Fisher Price. I wouldn't buy him one though, he can use mine!

duchy

I think a gift should be age appropriate and with technology that means not only does the gift do things they want to do but also that they are old enough to take reasonable care of. I don't think a four year old has a level of responsibility or even manual dexterity to take care of a £400 i-pad (assuming you are looking at the basic I-pad and don't feel a 3 G is an essential .

I wouldn't have spent £400 on a gift for my child at four -and it doesn't sound like this little girl even wants one ! Buy her what she is asking for not what you want ! If you want to make it more special then maybe a nice jewelry box to keep it all in too-Plenty of time for high tech gifts when she is old enough to ask for them !

Tropez

I would get her what she wants but I wouldn't dismiss the idea of getting her a child-oriented gadget such as a kid-friendly version of a tablet or laptop at some point in the future to see if it can motivate an interest in it.

I was using an Amstrad 464 back when I was 3/4 which was still a relatively advanced piece of technology back then. It certainly helped spark an interest in technology that has persevered throughout my life and if nothing else waiting twenty minutes for a program to load via cassette taught me some patience

Obviously, an iPad, Android tablet or other such device, or even a laptop, is wholly unsuitable for a young child as the chances of damaging it are high and they won't really understand anything about it. The child-oriented devices can give young children a basic understanding of how something works, play up to their inquisitive nature and in some cases ignite that spark of interest that will serve them well as they grow up.

But obviously, she is still a kid and will want things that kids want so you don't want to go overboard with the educational tools but it wouldn't hurt to keep them in mind for the future, particularly if she shows an interest in them.

Rebecca01

My MIL bought my 4 year old a leap pad for Christmas,as she likes apps on my phone. She loves it , as someone said its sturdy as kids often drop things. We dont use it all of the time, infact I put it out of the way. So she forgets. We mainly use it for long car journeys etc, as the thing with the leap pad is it eats batteries quite rapidly , and can end up costing a fortune. It is possible to buy a charger , so sometimes I plug it in for her to have quiet time, as she has to sit still when its plugged in.
She still enjoys playing with her toys though , reading books and doing puzzles.

peachyprice

Bitsy_Beans wrote: »

Is the OP suggesting an actual ipad or a kiddie Leap pad version. I suspect it's the latter

As the thread is titled "Android Tablet/iPad for 4 yr old" it seems she's suggesting the real deal, adult version.

OP, she's told you want she wants, girlie things. Get her what she want and save yourself a fortune.

balletshoes

pollyanna24 wrote: »

I'm trying to think what to get my 4yr old for her bday. I was thinking some kind of tablet that she might like. She is obsessed with my iPhone (I have toddler games and things downloaded on it) and my brother's iPad (again, he has stuff downloaded for her), but I know there are other things out there like LeapPad (spent a bit of time in Toys R Us yesterday).

When I asked her today what she'd like, she said "Rings... Bracelets... lots of bracelets.... Necklaces... lots of necklaces and lots of dresses!!

So now I'm thinking that she's not old enough for her own tablet, but when she's allowed to play with mine or my brother's, then it's enough for her. That if she has her own, the novelty will wear off.

What do other people think?

I think your daughter has clearly told you what she wants - and its not a tablet! Get yourself off to Matalan, Asda or even the Disney Store if you want to push the boat out, and get her a pile of pink glittery jewellery, all wrapped up individually in a nice birthday bag. Same with dresses, get her 2 or 3 lovely dresses, one for parties maybe, and a couple of dress-up outfits - she's screaming out to play dress-up in my opinion .

Pink, fluffy, glittery is a winner for a lot of 4-year old girls.

Sambucus_Nigra

Why even consider it, when she has told you what she wants?

*Beki*

There seem to be a lot of these type threads at the moment- it's quite sad really, the constant societal pressure to provide children with the latest must-have gadget if only to show off to friends and family! (sorry OP if this is not you)

At 4 she is far too young and only people with more money than sense would even consider it! Most 4 year olds would probably have more fun playing with the box their toys came at Christmas!