Best tablets for kids??

cannpope · Nov 7, 2012

I need opinions (if anyone has them) on a good tablet for a 4 year old. I plan on getting my son one for Christmas, but am stumped as to which one to get. There are SO many to choose from. Prefer that it has some parental controls on it.

THANKS

Rwsphotos · Nov 7, 2012

It will really depends on what you want your child to be able to do with it as to which is best. Personally for that age I like the Child Pad and I believe it comes with parent control options. Want to say it's mid priced not I pad expensive but not excessively cheap.

jhodges10 · Nov 7, 2012

I doubt this will be of any help but I have a 1st generation iPad that my 2 1/2 yr old loves to play with. I don't know about parental controls since he doesn't know nough to gt on the net. He does however know how to turn it on and pick the app he wants to play with. You could probably find a used one pretty cheap but I will warn you that iPads have advanced enough already that there are kids apps that won't work on mine.

sm4him · Nov 7, 2012

WOW. The world sure has changed since my kids were 2 1/2 or 4 years old!! I can't imagine having been willing to give my toddler an electronic device.
I feel old.

EDIT: I should mention, the list of options for electronic devices was pretty limited when my kids were that age. Not as limited as when *I* was that age, though, lol. My kids are constantly amazed by the things that I am OLDER than...

jhodges10 · Nov 7, 2012

sm4him said:
WOW. The world sure has changed since my kids were 2 1/2 or 4 years old!! I can't imagine having been willing to give my toddler an electronic device.
I feel old.

He knows way more than his grammie and she would admit as much. Just like most other things it has to be moderated. He only gets to play with the iPad a little at a time and only when he's being good.

ghache · Nov 7, 2012

any tablet will do, these young kids are way more capable of learning these technologies than we think.

my godson was playing on his father ipad way before he could even take a dump on a toilet...

Rwsphotos · Nov 7, 2012

ghache said:
any tablet will do, these young kids are way more capable of learning these technologies than we think.

my godson was playing on his father ipad way before he could even take a dump on a toilet...

Not really any will do. And yes kids are way more capable of learning them. Like mentioned some of the older tablets and some of the cheaper ones may not run certain apps. And not all have good parental controls. But there are plenty to choose that will fit the bill.

Rwsphotos · Nov 7, 2012

sm4him said:
WOW. The world sure has changed since my kids were 2 1/2 or 4 years old!! I can't imagine having been willing to give my toddler an electronic device.
I feel old.

EDIT: I should mention, the list of options for electronic devices was pretty limited when my kids were that age. Not as limited as when *I* was that age, though, lol. My kids are constantly amazed by the things that I am OLDER than...

Lol I know right! Some of the devices i remember could serve as museum prices lol. Hadn't planned on my almost 4 year old playing with my tablet but we found its good for his fine motor skills soo guess what? Looks like he may need one of his own lol.

jhodges10 · Nov 7, 2012

Toshiba makes a laptop for kids. It's basically built like one of their tough books so it's nearly indestructible. From what I've read it has good enough specs to be useful to adults as well. That may be a bit further down the road though.

cannpope · Nov 8, 2012

Thanks for all your help! My son plays on my mom's ipad quite often and has requested an ipad from Santa. He will get a tablet, but the ipad is a little over budget for a 4yr old. LOL...It's amazing to watch him manuever through the ipad. It's almost like he was born knowing what to do.

swoosh · Nov 8, 2012

cannpope said:
Thanks for all your help! My son plays on my mom's ipad quite often and has requested an ipad from Santa. He will get a tablet, but the ipad is a little over budget for a 4yr old. LOL...It's amazing to watch him manuever through the ipad. It's almost like he was born knowing what to do.

Get the iPad so you can steal it from him when it's his bedtime. :thumbup:

EDIT: Actually, I just recently entertained the idea of selling my new iPad if you're interested in buying a used one. It has barely been used. I bought it for college because I thought it was going to save me money on textbooks but there aren't many available. I don't used it anymore, I use my MacBook Pro instead. It's in mint condition (I'm a freak when it comes to treating my stuff with care) and has the warranty. Bought from Apple itself; first time owner. I even have a smart cover which I can add. I have the original box, charger, etc, etc.

PM me if you're interested.

I would put all money towards the Fuji X100.

swoosh · Nov 9, 2012

Let me know if you got my message, cannpope. I sent it from my phone so I'm not sure if it actually sent.

kathyt · Nov 9, 2012

My son loves the iPad. He is almost 4. I think it is extremely educational and worth every penny. It will also last for a long time.

CCericola · Nov 9, 2012

Leapster also makes a "Tablet" if you want to go that way. My 2 year old has my first gen ipad in airplane mode so no browsing but she can work her learning apps. Play music and I can upload videos for her for long trips.