Leap pad

[blue heron]

We have gone through 3 leap frog leap pads - one brand new and two used. Has anyone else had this problem, they start not responding to the cartridge and or the pen? My son loves it, even after it has been put away for months he asks about it. We have some gift cards from toys r us and don't really want anything special. But I don't want to get another if it's just going to break. And honestly the music makes me feel ill, I think he played it constantly while I was pregnant with number 2.
thanks, M

[yogamama]

I hate Leap-pad. It never quite works right and then they break. We had one and I never quite understood it. We had a ton of cartridges (gifts from grandparents after we got the Leap-pad), so we bought a new Leap-pad for our three and half year old for Christmas. Mostly, we wanted to get some use from all those cartridges.

Well, we also got our 7 year old a Leapster and it was great! The day after Christmas we took the Leap-pad back and bought a Leapster for the 3 year old. It seems so much more sturdy and the games make more sense to me.

I looked at on-line reviews and the Leap-pad breaking seems to be very common. Can you return it? We like the Leapster...

Good luck!
Kathleen

[molarmama]

We also have a broken leap pad and it soooooooooo frusterating to my son.

[familytoe]

: ahhh the leap pad......

They do have great customer svs. though. We have been through a few. Since the begining, we have had Leap Pad malfunctions. You have to clean the cartriges regularly...the little metal piece inside the cartrige...with a q-tip and rubbing alchohol. If that doesn't work, Leap Pad will send you either replacement cartriges, or a whole new system., (in record time I might add!) They don't even ask you to return the one/ones that are broken. Very nice people to deal with. Too bad their product is a little less than perfect! *note sarcasam*

On a side note...the Leapster is awesome!!!!

[jdedmom]

We've had issues with the "My First Leap Pad". My son adored it but when it wouldn't work right he would get soo frustrated. We bought a new one several times and replaced the new one with a broken one and returned them to the store (telling them it was defective, of course).

[oneotamama]

Too funny. My mom had been keeping our First Leap Pad at her house and she brought it out last week. Dd and I went to use it this morning and it didn't respond. I thought maybe it was the batteries, but it wasn't. What a bummer. So it's the actual machine that gives the problems versus the different books/cartridges?

[bnhmama]

We have trouble with our Leap Pad, too.

It was a gift to ds from SIL a couple years ago and he only started really enjoying it in the last year or so. We only have three books/cartridges, 1 of which he got for Christmas. The Leap Pad itself has been fussy for awhile. Of course it pooped out at Christmas time. Luckily my dad had bought him a new leap pad not realizing he already had one so it was replaced. I think we probably wouldn't have bothered if he didn't get it as a gift.

[bryannastreasure]

Carlin loves his leap pad. I've gotten several of them as handmedowns. sometimes the wire to the pen gets crimped, never thought to call leapfrog about repairs. hmm.

was looking toward the leapster and have decided to get the older 'triangle' style with the larger screen, but of course now I can't find one.

love and light,
bryanna

ps, if anyone has any books or cartridges, email me....

[ParisAnne]

My dd went through two leap pads! We ended up with a leapster. I have to say I am in general against electronic toys. Are house is relatively free of them. I don't think any of her other toys make noise, anything she was given when she was younger was eventually gotten rid of. I do have to say we love the leapster though. My dd is 5 and has been reading for the past year and I attribute alot of that to the educational games on leapster.

[K's Mom!]

We have had the Leap Pad for about a year now with out problems. Ours does seem to go through lots of batteries though. Whenever the pen doesn't work or the more obvious symptom is the voice gets all demonicy I just pop in more batts and presto.

[cebmom97]

My kids got a leapster last year for christmas and it stopped responding to the pen a couple of months ago. My kids really enjoy it so I`m going to take it back to the store and exchange it for a new one, hopefully with no complications.

[LauraLoo]

Originally Posted by cebmom97

My kids got a leapster last year for christmas and it stopped responding to the pen a couple of months ago. My kids really enjoy it so I`m going to take it back to the store and exchange it for a new one, hopefully with no complications.

We got a leapster in June, and by Oct. it stopped responding to the pen. I've been dragging my feet getting it fixed, but need to get on that soon.

[wombat]

I bought a used leap pad and it's worked pretty well so far. Sometimes it doesn't recognize a book so I turn it off and on again and it works.

Can I ask a question here rather than starting another Leap pad thread?

What's the different between Leap Pad and Leapster? I thought Leapster was just games? My dd is likes her Leap Pad for learning her alphabet, she doing a lot of the preK stuff. Does Leapster have that too?

[blue heron]

Thanks for all the info.
I called their customer service today and on a leap pad if it's less than 1 year old it is under warranty and they will replace it for free. If it's more than a year old they will send you a new one for half price plus shipping ($22.50). They were very nice.

[BusyMommy]

Ours got dusty really quickly. BUT, they love Leapster! Much easier to use and more fun for them. In fact,that's the only reason I'm here now as I have a kid sitting on either side of my desk playing their Leapsters. AIGHHHHHH the radio waves are frying our brains....

Leapster is super small, has a bunch of cartridges (or has a built in one) and has educ. games. My 5 y.o. is spelling words and my 4 y.o. is making and counting ghosts.

[ParisAnne]

Originally Posted by wombat

I bought a used leap pad and it's worked pretty well so far. Sometimes it doesn't recognize a book so I turn it off and on again and it works.

Can I ask a question here rather than starting another Leap pad thread?

What's the different between Leap Pad and Leapster? I thought Leapster was just games? My dd is likes her Leap Pad for learning her alphabet, she doing a lot of the preK stuff. Does Leapster have that too?

A Leapster is all learning games. My dd learned to read with one of their games, I think it was called Letterpillar? Anways, it got to basic once she started reading so we sold off one or two of the games and bought a new, more advanced one. It is a small handhelp, which maybe you already know, that teaches w/out books, just popping in a cartridge. I was really iffy about getting it at first. I didn't want to get into the whole handheld game thing, but we borrowed a friends for the weekend and fell in love with it. It's all educational games working on reading, writing, math, etc..

[mama2cntrykids]

Yes! LP is very frustrating for both my ds' AND myself. We also have a my first LP and it's the same way. I've been thinking about ditching both of them for awhile now, but can't bring myself. Maybe at tax time I'll buy a leapster of them?