NSBR-Leapster explorer vs DSI

[livyryan]

I am trying to decide what to get my almost 5 year old girl for christmas. She has a leapster which I am thinking of giving to my younger daughter but I was wondering if anyone has gotten the leapster explorer or would a DSI be better and she can still play the regular leapster 2 that we have. Any help would be great.

livy

[nun69]

no idea in your actual decision, but I know my almost 5 y/o is too young to have a DSi...especially for that kind of money...my son didn't get a DSI or anything like that until he was around 7....just depends on how responsible you think she is and if she will keep up with it and the games....Abby loves her leapster and I am thinking of getting her some more games for xmas....Plus for us, we have a 3 y/o running around that gets ahold of EVERYTHING and is always in his sister's room messign with stuff!

[aggiefamily]

I don't know what the Leapster Explorer is but I know that my 5 year old outgrew his Leapster quickly. The few games that are available for 5 and up were not challenging or fun for him.

He got a DSi last year and had not have any problems with him being able to play it. We got them (both boys got one last year) the Nerf cases which offer lots of protection and a game bag where they can fit both Dsi, cords and games in it.

[Traci Reed]

My 4 YO has a DS (and my 6 YO) they'll last much longer than the leapsters (which we had and didn't make it past 4, everything was just too young for them with the leapsters.

[emmasmommy]

i'm with traci (and amanda). emma had a leapster at 3 and by the following christmas she hated it. she said it was too 'babyish.' she got a dsi for her bday this year and while she can't play a ton of games bc she can't read yet, she absolutely loves the games she does have and the fact that she can play with the voice manipulator and the camera thing.

[Milmomma]

Well I have a 3 and 5 year old and they each have a Leapster 2 with a few games. I'm gonna make them stick with them as long as possible to get as much use out of them as possible! I paid too much for them, and refuse to pay that much for a new thing. My son plays with his older friends DS's and enjoys them. I do not think he is mature enough to really appreciate it though. I think it would be a case by case thing if your daughter is ready for it, and your ready for it.

[cindys732003]

Hijacking this thread LOL........for those of you who have DSs for your younger kids, what games do they love that are not too difficult? We are thinking of getting Curtis one for Christmas (just turned 5) but he is just learning to read and gets frustrated easily.......

He also has a Leapster, but doesn't play it much anymore. Ashley outgrew her Leapster at around 5-5 1/2

TIA!

[livyryan]

Thanks that is what I was thinking. My daughter is very responsible and I can trust she will take good care of it. She still likes the leapster but I have a feeling it is almost too young for her now. What games can you recommend that doesn't take much reading and can be fun for her to play now. I know there a so many different games out there for the DSI. Thanks for all the help.

livy

[aggiefamily]

Cindy we have some of the Lego games. They play them on the Wii so it was easy for them to also play them on their DSi.

We also have Cooking Mama, Race O Rama, World of Zoo, etc. There are many that are appropriate for that age. You can sort by ratings here: http://www.nintendo.com/games/guide#qhardware=DS

[nikkiARNGwife]

Avery got a Leapster2 when he was 3 and we got a good bit of use out of it..he played it a lot..I'd say til just after he turned 4...but now at 5 1/2 he's not into it. We are getting him a DSiXL for Christmas this year. He's reading already and since I know it will last longer and kind of grow with him it seems like the smarter purchase to me. Plus he's OBSESSED with Mario lol

[kayce]

So funny that everyone is doing the same things for Christmas. Our leapsters bit the dust after a year (they got wet) so we are doing DS's this year for our girls ages 6 and 8. They also love Mario on the Wii so I think I will start there game wise. I am actually running to a birthday party today after work and need to snag a leapster game from Walmart for a niece who is turning 4 today.

[rach3975]

My 4.5 and 7 year olds both have Leapsters. My 7 year old isn't that much of a video game kid, so the Leapster still works for him. I'm sure he'd like a DS, but he'd rather have a big Lego set than any video game system for his birthday. My 4.5 year old still loves his Leapster, and I'm debating whether to get him a Leapster Explorer for his 5th birthday. He is nowhere near responsible enough for a DS-he has pitched the Leapster down the stairs more than once. I have no idea when he'll be mature enough for a 'big kid' system, but I think we've still got a couple of years.

[cindys732003]

Originally Posted by aggiefamily

Cindy we have some of the Lego games. They play them on the Wii so it was easy for them to also play them on their DSi.

We also have Cooking Mama, Race O Rama, World of Zoo, etc. There are many that are appropriate for that age. You can sort by ratings here: http://www.nintendo.com/games/guide#qhardware=DS

Thanks Amanda!!

[rachaelsscraps]

Originally Posted by nikkiARNGwife

Avery got a Leapster2 when he was 3 and we got a good bit of use out of it..he played it a lot..I'd say til just after he turned 4...but now at 5 1/2 he's not into it. We are getting him a DSiXL for Christmas this year. He's reading already and since I know it will last longer and kind of grow with him it seems like the smarter purchase to me. Plus he's OBSESSED with Mario lol

I was debating on what kind of system to get for my 5 year old, I think you've persuaded me- (my son also LOVES Mario)...

[emmasmommy]

emma's got a waldo game that she LOVES. i do have to help her a little bit in between levels but it's one that she plays over and over again.

[Tracyfish]

Originally Posted by rach3975

My 4.5 and 7 year olds both have Leapsters. My 7 year old isn't that much of a video game kid, so the Leapster still works for him. I'm sure he'd like a DS, but he'd rather have a big Lego set than any video game system for his birthday. My 4.5 year old still loves his Leapster, and I'm debating whether to get him a Leapster Explorer for his 5th birthday. He is nowhere near responsible enough for a DS-he has pitched the Leapster down the stairs more than once. I have no idea when he'll be mature enough for a 'big kid' system, but I think we've still got a couple of years.

This is my 5 yr old...not much into video games and still loves his Leapster so we're not going to do the DS until maybe next year.

[knlchevys]

I'm really having a hard time with this. I think my boys play enough on the wii and the computer and wonder if that's ALL they would do. We are limiting everything else. They want one so bad though. Do your kids share the games good? Anyone?

[g8rbeckie]

Both my kids have DSs. I bought them used at our local Game Stop, saved about 20-30 per DS that way plus they still came with a warranty (they will replace with another used DS). The kids LOVE them. Even my 3 yr old plays his (we take LOTS of long car trips and he was always trying to play his sister's so we got him one!).

Games they love:

my son (almost 4)
Smart Boys (there's a whole series)
Backyardigans
Diego
Crayola Treasure Adventures

my daughter (just turned 6)
Lovely Lisa (Seriously. she LOVES this game!)
Pinkie Pie's Party (she could play all by herself before she could read)
Smart Girls (again there's a whole series of them)

You konw their favorite part? they LOVE sendign messages to each other through the DSs! that's what they spend quite a bit of time doing even though they have all these games, ha ha. The DSi has a cool rainbow colored pen option that isn't on the DS, so they always beg me to play with my DSI

[davec777]

We bought a leapster for my son's 4th bday with some games. He played it some, but didn't play it all by the time he turned 5. He was much more interested in his siblings' DS. We bought him a DS lite off of craigslist for about $70. It came with 2 good covers and was adult owned. He loves to play old Gameboy advance games - very cheap to pick up and can be used with the DS & DS lite, and we also bought him Lego Star Wars (which he already knew how to play on PS2). He also likes to play Mario Kart. I think this will last much longer than the leapster. I have found that he tends to leave the DS laying around without the case. If I find it laying around, I find the case, put the ds in it, and put the whole thing on the fridge until he finally comes looking for it (usually means he doesn't end up playing with it for days). He is getting a bit better about taking care of it. He is also not allowed to change the DS games because he doesn't always put them away in the case when he takes them out. They are so tiny, it's incredibly easy to lose them. Good luck!

Stephanie

[mlrw70]

Great thread, I have been debating this same question. DS will be 4.5 at Christmas and I thought the Leapster Explorer was the way to go. But the last 2 times we were at the store, I took him to the demo models and he barely even glanced at them. So I think I am leaning more towards the DS too.

[DawnMarch]

I think there are more games for littler kids now on DS. It helps if they can read a little because a lot of the games involve reading.

[AmberK]

My 5 yo got a DS for his birthday and LOVED it until the 3 yo hid it somewhere and we havent seen it for like 3 months. But the 5 yo LOVED Mario cart and Super Mario Bros. He also had a Cars game and Peggle which he played on our iPhones and loved to play on his DS.