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tablets for Xmas

post #1 of 9
11/27/12 at 5:34pm
Thread Starter 

My kids (6 and 4.5) are getting Nabi tablets for Xmas. Not from me, from their grandmother. She asked me first if it was OK and I really couldn't find any reason not to allow it. I looked into them and they actually look really cool and educational. However, my kids don't play video games and only have limited computer time to play on Starfall, Reading Eggs, etc. so it was something I had to really think about but in the end I couldn't think of a good reason to say no. Does anyone have these for their kids? or something similar? How do you monitor the time spent plugged in? I am afraid they are just going to want to play them all the time and throw a fit when I take them away!

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post #2 of 9
11/27/12 at 6:27pm

My kids have similar and it isn't a problem to limit time - also same age as yours. If it becomes a problem then I set a timer so they know when time is up. If it becomes a problem it can be put away for awhile. We have a wii and there was a no wii during the school week for awhile because my ds wouldn't turn it off when asked. I think Nabi is more like a typical tablet so I would look into setting up some parental controls for content. Great for car trips!

 

My guidelines might be - first week play all you want, get it all figured out, etc. When school starts back limit of X amount per week day, X amount per weekend day.

post #3 of 9
11/27/12 at 8:12pm

what i have discovered about my dd is that anytime she got new technology, i'd have to give her time initially to play on it long. so i'd go easy the first few days - maybe a week and then put restrictions on. 

 

there is no way i would be able to say no more than an hour on a new tablet. she'd probably spend the first hour just figuring it out. 

 

she got her DSi at 5 or 6 and it was not hard setting boundaries. 

 

however when seh had a playdate and was playing and comparing notes with friends i did not restrict her. 

 

to be v. honest, i have not really had to restrict dd on her screen usage. she's been pretty good about it. 

post #4 of 9
11/28/12 at 11:19pm

Here is a totally unsolicited advice (with apologies in advance).  All tablets are not created equal.  If I were you, I would not get the Nabi tablets and would suggest something more versatile than the Nabi for roughly around the same price.  Go into amazon and check reviews and check out other tablets that cost around the same amount.  The difference in functionality is fairly big.  I would hate for you to be stuck with something expensive but unusable for many years to come.  I know you didn't come here and ask which tablet grandma should get but I thought I should give you a heads up just in case you don't know much about them.  

post #5 of 9
11/29/12 at 4:53am
Thread Starter 

Thanks for the replies! I always appreciate any advice :) She already bought them but she asked me first if I thought these would be OK. I did a lot of research and these are the highest rated kids tablets around. I looked into Kindles but in the end went with kid friendly b/c I could just picture the dropping and cracked screens! These have a thick rubber bumper all around them! And they are apparently faster than a Kindle and more powerful than an iPad, they have a parent mode so I can even use it :) Seems like something that will grow with them and get a lot of use. Plus I am not paying for them, this is something their Gram really wanted to get for them this year instead of a million little toys they will never play with. And I couldn't pass up the offer, these are something I really could never afford to buy myself! Now I just have to think of a present I can get them that will look even remotely cool next to these!!!

post #6 of 9
12/3/12 at 4:19pm

To answer your original question, yes I have a tablet and both the kids and I love it.  In fact, I think it is the most used electronic device in our home.  It is a portal to a world of education -- from books to physics apps -- that has benefited my children in ways I never even imagined when we first got one. 

 

That said, we do limit time on it.  My son can spend hours playing/listening to stories on it so I have to set limits.  Also, we don't have any games without purpose on ours so that helps avoid fights I think.  

 

I am excited for your kiddos.  Hope they enjoy their new toys as much as mine do :)

post #7 of 9
12/4/12 at 8:09am

We have the Ipad (the older one) that I got super discount when I did a writing job for someone...

 

That said, the kids love it. I don't really use it for anything but my two and five year old could happily play on it for hours if I let them. There's a ton of educational applications we love for DD (astronomy, nature type things) and I love the puzzles for DS because he LOVES puzzles but I hate buying them and loosing the pieces (which is unavoidable) 

post #8 of 9
12/4/12 at 8:37am

We have the ipad 2, that is really DH's but DD has tons of apps on it. She plays for about 10 minutes twice a day.

 

She's getting a leapfrog tablet from my mom for christmas. I hear it's pretty cool, but I dont really know much about it. 

post #9 of 9
2/10/13 at 8:49pm

For those reading and following, we have a contest running right now (only two days left to enter!) that asks for a simple entry. The three prizes are Farfaria Gift Subscriptions for the iPad. Entry is here: http://www.mothering.com/community/t/1374000/ thumb.gif