Leap Pad / Innotab or real Tablet

deanos

Ok folks be and the wife are arguing over this most days

Our daughter is 6, the wife wants to buy an Innotab/Leappad for xmas

I want go get a cheap tablet

The Innotab/Leapad games are expensive and you need to buy a charger, but its easy to use and child friendly, big and bulky

A tablet includes a charger, easy to use (once you ge the hang of it !) and apps are free , small and light plus its something she wont grow out of

Which you you choose and why ,

smithers1981

i have a 3 year old daughter and we have just bought an innotab 2 purely because at her age she not quite ready for a proper tablet, as they are more fragile and difficult to use.

For a 6 year old i would go for a proper tablet because like you say apps are free and thousands more apps are availabe, comes with charger, can watch videos, photos etc.

What is your budget? Nexus 7 would be my choice, also have you considered a nintendo DS?

Lifeforms

You need to ask yourselves what the state of play is with tablets and your 6 year old.
If your 6 year old has already played around with a tablet that one of you have and is well behaved and careful with it, then it'll be fine to get a cheaper tablet, as long as you understand they wont take lots of knocks etc.
If your 6 year old likes to throw things around, then something like the innotab would be hardier, but then doubtful to expect a long term present with it, as very soon they'd want to be on something like a proper one. They look quite babyish, and this may put children off as they get older.

If your 6 year old is careful, have you considered something like an itouch? You can get them second hand fairly cheap so if they end up being knocked you could be fine with it, with a survivor case, or similar, it's small to fit into hands, and you can monitor what is put on it, and there are loads of small kid games on app store now, free, or very cheap.

deanos

I have already bought a tablet last week for £55 , this is the one i bought, its brand new catalogue return , which i think will be suitable, but wife is still banging on about the Leappad/Innotab so might sell it on

http://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/yarvik-tab275euk-gotab-ion-7-tablet-8-gb-17853514-pdt.html

She already has a DSi, well she uses the wifes and calls it her own

smithers1981

At 6 years old Leappad/Innotab will be quickly grown out of, a tablet is something that will be grown into for many years.

mrsg26

I posted on another thread re the purchase of a tablet versus innotab etc. my 5 year old daughter will be getting a tablet for Christmas this year as last year we spent around £130 purchasing a leapPad and some games and it was the worst £130 I ever spent. My daughter played with it for no more than a day as I got an ipad2 for Xmas and she preferred to use that for educational games, apps and watching movies etc. IMO an innotab/leapPad is considered too babyish for a 6 year old but again I don't know what your daughter is like, I can only speak from experience with my own child. I am hoping to sell her LeapPad to recoup some of the costs to put towards a tablet for this Christmas, as they are invariably more expensive than the leapPad option, however I believe she will have much more use of it so happy to pay more. I hope your can persuade your wife to keep the tablet.

CoolHotCold

Get her a cheap tablet from somewhere such a PcWorld or Currys.

You can get a Android ICS (Ice Cream Sandwhich) tablet for under £100 and also the Instant replacement is also a decent buy at £20 which covers it for 3 years for unlimited replacements if it breaks down due to either manufactureing fault or accidental damage. The other great thing about the Instant Replacement is it's all done in any PcWorld/Currys store (you're never far away) and if you want to get a upgraded tablet after it breaks you can always pay the diffrence between what you paid when you brought it and what the upgraded cost of a new one.

deanos

CoolHotCold wrote: »

Get her a cheap tablet from somewhere such a PcWorld or Currys.

You can get a Android ICS (Ice Cream Sandwhich) tablet for under £100 and also the Instant replacement is also a decent buy at £20 which covers it for 3 years for unlimited replacements if it breaks down due to either manufactureing fault or accidental damage. The other great thing about the Instant Replacement is it's all done in any PcWorld/Currys store (you're never far away) and if you want to get a upgraded tablet after it breaks you can always pay the diffrence between what you paid when you brought it and what the upgraded cost of a new one.

Already got a tablet see above

Al1x

Last christmas we decided against getting our daughter a Leappad/Innotab (she is almost 6 now) I think she would have grow out of it too quick. We got her her own DSi (she had been using mine before then) and she loves it and will do for many years. I also think 6 is a bit too young for a tablet.. I would save that idea for when she's a teenager!

Mrs_Tumble

Interesting reading here - giving me lots to ponder as I hadn't considered the tablet option. I'm thinking probably the leappad2 and upgrade in a couple of years but not realy sure. I've been trying to find some websites that explain the difference between leappad2 and innotab2 - but still can't decide!

Marty999

Our 7 year old son has a Leap PAd but he has outgrown it, we don't have a tablet but he much prefers playing games on his DS or our PC. I think a cheap tablet would suit you better than a Leap Pad.