OT Leapfrog ? for those w/ kids

Avatar for momtojoeybear
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Registered: 03-26-2003
OT Leapfrog ? for those w/ kids
16
Thu, 11-30-2006 - 10:15pm

I'm considering getting Joey (5 and in pre-K) a Leappad or Leapster or L-Max for Christmas. He had one of those my first Leappads when he was really little and didn't get a thing out of it--we may have used it twice... but a friend of his, just a couple of weeks older, got a Leappad plus Writing and he seemed to enjoy working through the books...

Do any of your children have Leappads? Leapsters? L-Max?

What do you think? Love them? Hate them? Somewhere in between?

What books/software are good? Which ones could they do without?

Thanks!

Julie

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Registered: 03-19-2003
Fri, 12-01-2006 - 9:25am

That was one of those things that was put on "the list" for EX's family for Brooke.


Karen ~ wildlucky4me ~

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Registered: 01-29-2005
Fri, 12-01-2006 - 10:13am

My 11 year old son got a LeapPad years ago and we still have it, but I can't remember the last time he played with it.

My almost 6 year old daughter has "My First LeapPad" and the Leapster thing that looks like a REALLY chunky GameBoy. She played with it for a while and perhaps if we kept buying her new cartridges she would pick it up again, but for now that expensive $80+ toy is floating around the house being ignored. The "My First LeapPad" she did play with a bit when she was much younger, but it has now been passed down to a friend with a 1 year old daughter.

Personally I like the LeapPad toys, but these darn kids aren't using them!

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-27-2003
Fri, 12-01-2006 - 1:01pm

Hi Julie,

I bought my daughter and my boyfriend's daughter (4 and 3.5) the Leapsters for Christmas, so we haven't used them yet... but with an older sister, I think the "gameboy" style is going to fly. They both do pull out the Leap Pad every now and then, but it's not very portable, and they can't do it on their lap.

I got the regular Leapster, not L-Max... ours won't connect to the TV. I want to use it for "on the go"... not home sitting in front of the tv.

There seems to be a great variety of games... in fact, I've heard great reviews right here on the IV boards... about the "backyardigans" game... we got that one for bf's daughter.

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-11-2004
Fri, 12-01-2006 - 1:30pm
Hey Julie, My boys had something called a Vtech Alphabet Desk. They played with it all the time. I don't even know if they still make such a thing, but i thought it was great.
Hugs, Brenda

Hugs, Brenda 

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-30-2003
Fri, 12-01-2006 - 9:17pm
Both of my boys (2.5 & 4)play with the leap pads we have fairly regularly. I don't regret buying them. We have the "My First" and the "Leapster" but not the one with writing. My beef is always the price of the books/cartridges, but I got really lucky in the fall and found a bunch on clearance for $2.50 a piece so I bought one of each type they had. All in all, as far as electronic educational toys go, these have been the most successful ones in our house.
Avatar for momtojoeybear
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Registered: 03-26-2003
Sat, 12-02-2006 - 9:18am

Thanks to everyone for your comments...

First off, Karen, you need to email me your address so I can send you a Christmas card, OK? I had to get that out before I forgot... because I've been meaning to email you since we got back from NY to ask for it :)

I'm thinking less and less about the Leap Pad and more towards the Leapster/L-Max at this point. Joey has one educational video game system--V-Smile, which he enjoys, but it is plugged into my TV in my room, therefore his use of it is limited--he'd play it more if I'd let him. They have a pocket V-Smile, but I guess I'm shying away from that in the, if we wanted that to be portable, we should have bought that last year kind of way--and this would open the door to more games.

The L-Max is a handheld that can be plugged into a TV set, whereas the Leapster is handheld only--L-Max can play both Leapster and L-Max games. L-Max of course costs a bit more, between $20 and $30, depending on where you get it. The L-Max games are also a touch more expensive, about $30 each, as opposed to $20 to $25, but you can play Leapster games on the L-Max...

I am thinking that Joey might enjoy something like this on long car trips--like our trip back from NY after Christmas--16 hours is a long way in the car and I refuse to get a DVD player for the car--I made it through long trips w/o being able to watch movies...

That being said, I completely understand what you mean about the toys at a friends house appearing more appealling... but I do think that he would enjoy this--just am torn with which direction to go--L-Max or Leapster at this point--I've pretty much ruled out the Leap Pad... but I would hate to buy one and then wish I had purchased the other...

Julie

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
Sun, 12-03-2006 - 8:02pm
In that case, I'd go for the L-Max

Karen ~ wildlucky4me ~

Avatar for momtojoeybear
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Sun, 12-03-2006 - 9:07pm

Thanks Karen... decision made--I purchased the LMax from Amazon tonight... the funny thing was the pink "girl" version was $10 more than the blue "boy" version... thinking good thing Joey's a boy or else, well, she would have still gotten the blue one!

*hugs*

Julie

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
Sun, 12-03-2006 - 10:41pm

Now that's just wrong!... whoever's idea that was just validates that "girls do cost more".


Bah Humbug!.... go BLUE!

Karen ~ wildlucky4me

Karen ~ wildlucky4me ~

Avatar for momtojoeybear
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Mon, 12-04-2006 - 9:05pm

Well, I was thinking it was a good thing Joey wasn't a girl, because... and then I said, no, SHE would still get the blue one... crazy!

Julie

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