Parenting Forums

Posted: 17 November 2007 at 3:32pm | IP Logged

Looking for advice off other mums who have lo's around Bekah's age.

Bekah is 5 (nearly 5 and a half) she has been asking for a nintendo ds since her best friend at school got one in Sept. She has never had computer games etc. so me and dh have been saying no everytime she asks for it. We told her when she turns 7 she can get one, she had accepted this. Until today, when dh had her in woollies looking at nintendo ds's.

If she did get one I would monitor the time she was allowed to use it etc. Same way as we do with tv. Also we do travel up and down the country alot visiting family so this would keep her entertained when in the car.

Another worry of mine is that we buy one and a couple of games for it, costing approx £140, and she gets fed up and never uses it. I expect to buy her toys at xmas that she will do this with but they never cost anywhere near that amount.

My 8yr old neice uses hers alot but would like some more opinions before I rob a bank to get her the ds and all the other toys she has asked for.

If your kids have one do they use them? Do you end up having fights over the amount of time they are using them? Do you think they are worth the money or not.

Posted: 17 November 2007 at 3:41pm | IP Logged

Hi hun my son (who is 6) has been asking for one and a laptop too, but he got a v-tech console, as he had the big/tv version for a while as it was a good way to have us time when my spd was bad during pg...... but he doesn't really use it that much.....

He did use it in the car once but he spent so much time studying the screen that he got car sick for the first time ever and we don't let him use it in the car now, he uses it at home as it's an educational thing and when he needs to calm down it's a good tool to have......

I might get him a ds for his 7th birthday but might get him a trampoline and save it for his 8th birthday.... as it can then be handed down to his bro!

Posted: 17 November 2007 at 3:51pm | IP Logged

Thanks ladies.

I know my nephews are all computer game daft so they all use them but not sure about Bekah, mainly because she is a girl. She has never been into anything like this before. She see's her cousins using them but never bothered until her best friend got one.

I know most girls are not into computer games the way boys are so not sure if it will just be wasted money, which I don't have to waste!!

Don't know how I am going to tell her though, that Santa won't bring her one now. Stupid dh. She had quite accepted she wasn't getting a ds for xmas.

Posted: 17 November 2007 at 4:14pm | IP Logged

Tasja has one, we got it for her for crimbo last year..she was 7.  Mind you she'd been nagging for ages to get one lol.

Shes got the brain training game and will sit with that for hours..which i dont have a problem with as its technically homework.  She does have other games as well, but she prefers the brain training.

She has her ds thingybob usually when isla has gone to bed...when she goes down to her dads on the train and whenever else.

The general rule we have is that she has to ask if she can use it.  Its not kept in her bedroom, and when we say right put it away now..there is no in a minute or awwwwwws as then it just gets taken off her for a while.

Posted: 17 November 2007 at 4:43pm | IP Logged

Thanks ladies. Will go to game and have a look.  If she is in to it then I will monitor her time on it.  If she uses it

Posted: 18 November 2007 at 9:31am | IP Logged

My ds who is 5 has been after one of these since my niece and nephew got one each last christmas.  We were the same as you thinking he was too young for one, but he has never given up about it. 

Anyway, we bought him a nintendo gameboy advanced SP which was the one before the DS, second hand off ebay in July and we told him if could look after it from then until christmas he could get a ds. 

I thought he'd never bother with it or be able to look after it but i was wrong.  He has been so good and responsible with it. 

We got him a DS in Oct from john lewis as there was some good deals on.  We have also got a few pre owned games too.

The good thing is, ds lites also take gamboy advanced games as well as the ds lite games, and these can be picked up fairly cheaply pre owned. 

DS lite consoles pre owned are still rather expensive though.  I think she'd be fine with one as my niece loves hers especially hamsters and dogz games. 

Posted: 18 November 2007 at 1:59pm | IP Logged

Thats the agreement we had with tasja as well...mind you my nieces gave tasja their gameboy colour thing..and shes looked after that really well..and when she got her ds thingy she gave the colour thing to isla..who is a dab hand at it lol...me...well...still cant turn the bloomin thing on lol.

Tasjas ds kind of started a trend..my mum and dad had a go on hers..and funny old thing theyve now got one each, and when she went down to her dads..her nanny brought her back on the train and had a go..and now shes got one as well.

Posted: 18 November 2007 at 5:07pm | IP Logged

hello - my 8yo dd iona has a nintendo ds & uses it to interact with her friends ds things

its her 2nd ds as roan (my 2.5yo ds) dropped the 1st down the loo - so please watch if you buy a ds don't get it wet as they break completely!

i like the brain train game on it & thought it quite helpful for iona's mental arithmetic & reasoning

there are prob lots on ebay

good luck!