leapster or v-smile??? I have a 4 year old and an almost 3 year old and I am ready to invest in a system but can't decide which one. I want it for at home (tv) and on the go. Please Help me navigate through this confusing christmas conundrum! leapster or v-smile??? I have a 4 year old and an almost 3 year old and I am ready to invest in a system but can't decide which one. I want it for at home (tv) and on the go. Please Help me... » Read More leapster or v-smile??? I have a 4 year old and an almost 3 year old and I am ready to invest in a system but can't decide which one. I want it for at home (tv) and on the go. Please Help me navigate through this confusing christmas conundrum! « Show Less
1981304
Thanks! My grandson is 7months old. I was looking at leapster but daughter-in-law says she's heard vtech is better. Which is best & there seems to be different programs which is best for his age?
1981305
I totally agree. Mom is at home and does spend lots of time with him. There's LOTS of one on one: reading, playing with toys, floor time, swimming .. She's just researching different areas of learning, so if she's going to get one anyway, I just wanted to know which one. Like many people, their TV stays on most of the time and in that case I'd rather he see something educational than daily tv shows. Didn't mean to offend your sensibilities.
1981306
For any kid who is less than 4 yr old the attention span is just few minutes. If they find out they cannot play any game they lose interest in that right away. I would suggest get some cheap plug n plays for 3 yr olds and then get a more expensive one like VSMILE or LMAX or even GAMEBOY when they become 4 yr olds. Maybe by then you might find more variety to choose from
1981307
At 7 months old why are you encouraging time in front of a tv?!?! It won't be long before you are dragging him away kicking and screaming from his favorite shows. The "educational" value of any t.v, videos, or computer games is totally ficticious marketing and lost on a 7 month old. Sing to him and play with him, don't "plug" him in until he can ask for it, and then look for what is the best or most educational of the mind numbing screen time. There is no evidence that suggests that young children excell as a result of "educational" activities of any sort. They need face-to-face time with loving caring adults not veging out time infront of any screen. At 7 months old why are you encouraging time in front of a tv?!?! It won't be long before you are dragging him away kicking and screaming from his favorite shows. The "educational" value of any t.v, videos, or computer games is totally ficticious marketing and lost on a 7 month old. Sing to him and play with him, don't "plug" him in until he can ask for it, and then look for what is the best or most educational of the mind numbing screen time. There is no evidence that suggests that young children excell as a result of "educational" activities of any sort. They... » Read More At 7 months old why are you encouraging time in front of a tv?!?! It won't be long before you are dragging him away kicking and screaming from his favorite shows. The "educational" value of any t.v, videos, or computer games is totally ficticious marketing and lost on a 7 month old. Sing to him and play with him, don't "plug" him in until he can ask for it, and then look for what is the best or most educational of the mind numbing screen time. There is no evidence that suggests that young children excell as a result of "educational" activities of any sort. They need face-to-face time with loving caring adults not veging out time infront of any screen. « Show Less
1981308
THANKS BUCKEYE FAN. Very helpful, as my 1st grandson is just 1yr old. So much to learn. =}
1981309
V-Smile has taken a beating and kept on ticking at our house. We have had it for 3 years, it has even had the TV land on it (long story), bent the plastic on a game cartridge, it still plays just fine.
1111150
Actually, you are incorrect. ALL Leapster games play on ALL Leapster products. In response to the original poster, Leapster is handheld only, Leapster L-Max is both portable and tv-play, and Leapster TV is tv-only. So for the best of both worlds, get the L-Max. V-Smile has HORRIBLE reviews as a totally defective product that doesn't last, whereas Leapster is VERY durable and takes lots of abuse with no problems. I say stick with Leap Frog.
1981310
I am a huge fan of VTech and believe in their products (You can check my reviews). My concern with this product is that it's a direct rip-off of an already established product. VSmile and the VSMile Pocket (which can play alone or with the TV) shares the same software titles which Leapster and LMax don't. I would recommend V.Smile.
1981311
Thanks! That's very helpful. I have invested a small fortune in the tv-play, l-max and, of course, games. I hope it does last!
1981312
my boys have both and they enjoyed the leapster more than the v smile, so i ended up giving the v smile away and they still have the leapsters and are moving on to gameboys
1422952
I'm according with you. There are many electronic gadgets to say wich is better. My sister and me was checking between DS, Playstation, Tablets and vtech Innotab and finally we decided by the Innotab because we think that have characteristc more appropiated for my 4 years old nephew. For example, we think that a DS is a smaller toy for a 4YearsOld hands and we was looking for an resistent educational toy, but I'm sure that we, as women, consider more important the educational aspect than for example a father, who maybe consider as a priority the graphic quality of the toy and the type of games. Good luck!!! I'm according with you. There are many electronic gadgets to say wich is better. My sister and me was checking between DS, Playstation, Tablets and vtech Innotab and finally we decided by the Innotab because we think that have characteristc more appropiated for my 4 years old nephew. For example, we think that a DS is a smaller toy for a 4YearsOld hands and we was looking for an resistent educational toy, but I'm sure that we, as women, consider more important the educational aspect than for example a father, who maybe consider as a priority the graphic quality of the toy and the type of... » Read More I'm according with you. There are many electronic gadgets to say wich is better. My sister and me was checking between DS, Playstation, Tablets and vtech Innotab and finally we decided by the Innotab because we think that have characteristc more appropiated for my 4 years old nephew. For example, we think that a DS is a smaller toy for a 4YearsOld hands and we was looking for an resistent educational toy, but I'm sure that we, as women, consider more important the educational aspect than for example a father, who maybe consider as a priority the graphic quality of the toy and the type of games. Good luck!!! « Show Less
453943
My oldest likes to play on my youngest's LeapPad (she's 11), but she finds the games a bit slow, and knows all the "educational" things in the games...for an 8y/o it would depend on if he's ever had any other gaming system, but probably would get bored with it sooner then you'd want.
1253033
You'd be amazed at what kids can do. Give them the tablet and they just take off like a rocket learning. With a few guided lessons and with just the right apps your child will certainly enjoy using and growing with the Leapfrog LeapPad Tablet. we've had ours since my son was 3 1/2 but my God daughter turned 3 this September and she sits down with it and taps away and watches videos, takes photos and tries playing games. great part is they don't grow out of it for a while when they are that long and its so durable that even if a child has the dropsy's its still safe to use. My son has thrown ours several times and it just amazes me that it still works I can't say the same for his other gaming counsel.
1155857
Could you expand on what difficulties your 6 year old has with the DS. Is it the size of the screen, buttons, etc? Or the games being too difficult? Or something else?I already own a DS (for myself) and am debating buying a couple of the children's learning games for my son (3yrs but he is advanced) to use on my system instead of buying him his own system like the Leapster.
664020
just different. Most of the games are somewhat eduational. You are limited to the games that you pay. Whereas an Ipad, you can buy many games or get them for free and have a bunch on there to switch between. We have an ipad too, but the leappad has been fun for my kids. It just depends on what you are desiring. Both are great, for different needs.
415197
I got this game system for my son when he was 4. He was not yet in school but getting ready for preschool. He loved it myself as well. I loved watching him learn new things and answer the questions he already knew. He had the leapster explorer and the leapster 2 way before he got the Nintendo ds and Wii. He wanted all the games so we got him as many as we could including Tangled . He played it and just like the other games he learned from it. We also found out the store Five and Below carries tons of Leapster Explorer games for $5 not the $20 you pay in a reg. Store. But I highly recommend this game especially for a 7 year old girl. Hope this helps.
270741
The leap frog is a piece of junk. My muse doesn't work well either. It is not sensitive enough. My kid hates the leap frog. It is so lame. Good luck with yours! Sorry I can't be more helpful.
1240197
***Copied and pasted my response to a similiar question*** Hi Janice, or in this case jloveforever4 The bookworm within me squeals with joy because I really love Vtech's V.Reader :) To answer your question...The e-reader on the Innotab does not compare to what the V.Reader offers. As you stated the V.Reader books (cartridges) come with games built in to help reinforce reading skills. This is not the case with the Innotab. The books available on the cartridge games are just the e-book. The stories are animated and include a dictionary but no games. The Innotab's e-reader does have educational value cause it will read the book to your child and define words, however I could do that myself. The skills my son learns through the games (at least for me) are what give the V.Reader value. Vtech has updated their V.Reader, so when looking to purchase one you will see that most retailers still have the old one available. You can tell the difference between the two because the new one has a raised keyboard (soft buttons) versus the old one which has a touch screen keyboard. The new one includes a photo viewer/video player, a mediocre art studio, and an app to practice writing so it may be something worth checking out (I have the old one). If reading is what your looking for the V.Reader is the better device, and with all those upgrades you will still have it all in one (minus the mp3). The titles available for this device are great and we use ours right before bedtime. It's a great way to spend extra time with my little guy! Hope that helped.
261249
To be honest, my son is very young and cant fully use it. I figured when he does start using it more, he would be up to date. I would say for the price difference, the 2 prob. Would be smarter. Leap frog has such great products, I am sure the 2 is packed with great stuff and a lot less $.
1049772
I also have been debating between both devices. I build PC's as a hobby, so I thought it would be an easy decision to make. Wrong!! I've gone back and forth several times looking over the specifications of each and this is my personal conclusion. I am getting the Leapster Explorer because: The screen area is larger on the Explorer The Fisher Price ixl does not have charging stand available The ixl doesn't have a program like Learning Path for the Explorer. The device doesn't aid parents in tracking kids progress very well. Due to the construction of the ixl, the Explorer is built to last a lot longer. The flip top on the ixl looks much too easy to break off. Well, that's my opinion.... Good luck to all of you.
332459
The leapster explorer is a little hard for a 3 year old but it you sit and help them the first few times they should get the hang of it. The ixl and mobigo were very boring, don't waste your money. The leapster explorer is also better than the leapster 2 because you can keep in in pre-k mode so your child doesn't get upset like mine did when it got too hard.
1155853
I agree wholeheartedly that it depends on the child. Our daughter received her ds at 5 and had no problems using it right away. Our son just turned 3 and we're considering purchasing something similar for him because he already knows how to do some things on the computer and work portions of my iphone. If you think the stylus may be too difficult for him to handle at this age, go with the leapster or let them try an old gameboy perhaps.
261250
My son has had both the Ultra and LeapPad 2. The Ultra is a child version smartphone without the phone capability. It has LeapSearch (Internet), calculator, calendar, to name a few, unlike the LeapPad 2. My 6 year old likes both of them but he sat on his LeapPad 2 so he got the Ultra. Depending on your budget and age of child, I would tell you the LeapPad 2 is a great start because all the Apps work on either LeapFrog product.
634200
Hi There!I would say...after playing a little with both...that they are quite equal! I like the Leap Frog Learning Path. It is great to see how my son is doing and what he is learning. Vtech has a similar, but not as parent oriented program..its called vsmile world or something. The part I really like about the VSmile is that you can play the same games in their home game systems as well. I am getting my son the new Vsmile Motion for Xmas. It is like a Wii for younger kids. It will play all of the Vsmile games as well. Very cool. I would say they are both excellent choices...but I have always liked Vtech products. I might be a little biased...who knows!??!Good Luck! Hope this helps! Hi There!I would say...after playing a little with both...that they are quite equal! I like the Leap Frog Learning Path. It is great to see how my son is doing and what he is learning. Vtech has a similar, but not as parent oriented program..its called vsmile world or something. The part I really like about the VSmile is that you can play the same games in their home game systems as well. I am getting my son the new Vsmile Motion for Xmas. It is like a Wii for younger kids. It will play all of the Vsmile games as well. Very cool. I would say they are both excellent choices...but... » Read More Hi There!I would say...after playing a little with both...that they are quite equal! I like the Leap Frog Learning Path. It is great to see how my son is doing and what he is learning. Vtech has a similar, but not as parent oriented program..its called vsmile world or something. The part I really like about the VSmile is that you can play the same games in their home game systems as well. I am getting my son the new Vsmile Motion for Xmas. It is like a Wii for younger kids. It will play all of the Vsmile games as well. Very cool. I would say they are both excellent choices...but I have always liked Vtech products. I might be a little biased...who knows!??!Good Luck! Hope this helps! « Show Less
1139697
I read your question wrong. I would definetly upgrade from the Explorer to one of the Leappads. They are much better to play then the explorer and do have the cameras and a bigger screen. We updated from one device to the other for our boys.
1478218
The Nintendo DS and the Leapfrog Leapster are two different platforms with mainly two different uses. The Leapster is a learning system and all of the games are directed at developing a young childs mind through fun learning. I have a 5 y/o going on 6 that loves her Leapster. There are titles with characters that will keep your childs attention (i.e. Spongebob, Dora, Diego, Spiderman, etc) She has friends that have a DS but I feel she's getting much more out of the Leapster. The Nintendo DS is a game unit with far more entertaining games than learning. I think it would be better for you to look at the software rather than the platforms to make a wise decision on how your boys will use their systems and if it will satisfy your needs. You can look for video reviews on a number of sites prior to purchasing games to determine if it's a good buy.