Does your DC have a DSi? Is it worth it?

[Cascadian]

DD7 has her heart set on a DSi. She worked really hard to earn it over the summer up until now, so I going to get her one for her Xmas/bday present.

Are these things somewhat child resistant? My DDs had Leapsters for a long while and they have fallen, been sat on, fought over, etc. Of course, DDs are bigger, but how fragile are these things?

Is a DSi a satisfactory handheld? Are the little cameras in the DSi (vs none in the DS) worth the price difference? Any kids love it?

TIA!

[lonegirl]

My son has the DS lite - we each have one.  I can say he absolutely loves it.  It is great too that we can play games together.  I will say we have an R4 card for each of ours so that we can download multiple games onto a card, rather than individual cartridges.

They will take a bounce.  Although my ds gets a firm reminder to take care if he does drop one....they aren't like the Leapster2 that can take a beating and keep on ticking.

[HappyMommy2]

Our neighbors have one for their 5 year old.  They purchased the warranty and have gotten two free replacements.

I don't buy those extended warranties as a rule (ala Millionaire Next Door) ... but if I was giving a DS to my 5 year old, I might consider it.

[K1329]

My dd, 7, has the dsi. IMO, it's definitely worth the price difference. Dd has ALOT of fun with the camera and other features that the regular ds doesn't have. She uses the DSi camera and recording features more than the games sometimes! She's gotten alot of use out of it, and, has never, to my knowledge, dropped it.

My ds, way too young for a ds, has a "hand me down" ds. He doesn't play with it too often - probably not develpmentally ready for it - but, on the occasions he has been playing with it, he has definitely dropped it. Numerous times. They must be sturdier than they look because the thing still works!

[Cascadian]

Thank you! This really helps :) And I never buy the extended warranties normally but will in this case!

[TEAK's Mom]

A protective case is also very valuable. They don't cost much and they protect against little bumps and drops. 

[sapphire_chan]

Be more careful about other kids using it because kids who don't have DSes tend to put the cartridges in backward and try to force them in.

[mattemma04]

My kids have a DS and they rarely use them.I got warranties for both.My dd got a dud for xmas.I had to mail it to the company as the store said they only replace AFTER the 1st year.Ugh.Buy from a store that WILL replace it. I doubt nintendo did anything,because the screen still messed up.We waited a year and got a new one at the store(game crazy)

I came across cases for them at goodwill. I don't let their friends use them. I think the screens are not the toughest,but that could just be my experience with the new dud.

I think the games are cute. I still get a game for them once in a while. I actually bought them for use in the car,but the kids will only use them in the house.They are very careful with them,but friends are not hence not letting others use them!

[~cassie]

Both my 5 yr old and 3 yr old have a dsi and they love them!  My 3 yr old is really good with it and rarely drops it(throwing in a tantrum is another matter).  We have the warranties on them and have replaced one b/c my youngest put it in the sink and it sat in water for like an hour.  It has been well worth it for us and the kids.

[pianojazzgirl]

My friend's ds broke his dsi (cracked the screen), by dropping it in the airport.  Just to let you know - you can send them away to be fixed.  My friends were pleasantly surprised that it was easily reparable and cost a lot less than buying a new one (it seems these days electronics are so cheaply made it's more cost effective to throw them away when they break, yk?).  But, I would definitely get the extended warranty. 

[pianojazzgirl]

A little OT, but funny I thought...

We have recently gone no-screen-time here.  To satisfy the desire for gaming dd and ds have created their own "dsi"s by drawing a complicated super mario scene on a paper (bullets, tubes, turtles, etc, etc all over the place), and drawing the dsi controls under it.  Lol!  Ds even fell asleep "playing" his the other night.

[Drummer's Wife]

yes, I'd go with the DSi.  We have 3 of them (and one DS) and the DSi is far superior, IMO.  Not only does it have the camera and such, but it has the ability to download games on it.  They are cheaper this way, and can't be misplaced like those tiny cartridges can be.