My son is turning 5 in May and would love a DS. i always said i wouldn't buy one for him as e gets a bit obsessed when he is allowed to borrow his cousins.
anyway over the last 3 or 4 months his behavour about computers and games etc has greatly improved so now im thinking about buying one for his birthday.

Good or bad idea???

My DD, also 5, wanted a DS for Christmas after she's played with a friend's son's. I couldnt justify the price for one which she could possibly drop and break or lose so we opted for a Leapster 2. She thought it was the ants pants and hasnt noticed that its not a DS.....mind you....she still hardly plays it but that's cos she has so many toys I think. Maybe you could try a Leapster and if he's really into it you could look at a DS for Christmas?

Ok in strict moderation I reckon. My DS1 is about to turn 6 and has 'discovered' DS's through kids at school and after school care.

I would limit it the same as I do our Xbox. Strictly no more than 30 mins at a time...and we tend to use the use of the XBOX as a weekend treat only. Never on a weekday and only if we have been out and about to a park or riding bikes. Same rules would apply here with a Nintendo DS.

DD1 got a DSi for Christmas. (She was 5y6m at the time)

DS will be getting a DSi for his 4th birthday later in the year.

Good Idea
My daughter has one and got it when she was four. She doesnt use it for hours or all the time but gets alot out of it. great for long travel in the car too or when they arent well
Lots of games too that they can learn from and lots to have fun with

My ds's have had them since they were 5. Having said that, they've now discovered the ipad, which has made their ds's redundant...
They are quite handy for times when children have to wait with you somewhere or on long trips in the car etc..

I got dd2 a second hand DS for Christmas, she loves it and uses it every day.

Yes I would all my children have one. They don't play them for hours on end, I make sure of that. As a PP has said great for long car trips and also my youngest uses it when I go to school to help out or when I need to take him with me to meetings, appointments etc... he happily sits quietly beside me playing it.

I bought my oldest son a DS for christmas when he was 5.5, he goes through stages where his is a little obsessed with it but then time where he doesnt play it at all. it is good for the car on long trips and also at vacation care and times like those.

It also gets used as something that gets taken away when his behaviour needs modifying.

overall I dont regret getting it for him.

My youngest (5) has a DSi and loves it!! It gets played maybe once a week through her own choice, so she's not addicted.

I got both my girls aged 4 and 6 DSi's for Christmas and they enjoy using them with time limits. I purchased more age appropriate games for the younger one ie Sesame Street ABC and another one which she loves but it is difficult to find games where younger ones don't have to read large amounts of instructions.

My 6 year old reads well and it's easier to find games which are more suited to her.

I try to get the girls to use it as a learning tool instead of trying to hoard my computer!

It really depends on the child and whether you think they're ready, whether you think that in this day and age there's enough technology around as well.

I bought my DD a ds for her 5th bday! I went to EB games and got a secnd hand one for $99 with a game of choice.

They are worth their weight in gold, I drive alot and it has saved me from the 'are we there yet' question a million times. It will alo help next month when we are on a 14hr flight.

Also if you do decide on one, I recommend going to a computer swap meet and purchasing an R4 card pre loaded with games. We have 300 games on one card and it keeps all of us occupied

We have just bought one for our DS for his birthday, he will be 4 in May. I would never have imagined that I would've given one to a 4yr old,but I think it makes a difference when they have older siblings that have them. DS1 who's 10 and DD,7, both have them. They both share with him, however there are fights at times which is why I've decided to get him his own. I'm suprised at how coordinated he is and how well he can play it.They all have DS lites only. I got this one for $120 so was pretty happy.

I purchased a ds for my sons on their 7th birthday as i found they were a little more mature in understanding the rules that came with having one. My oldest is 10 this year and my youngest is 8 this year and they are only allowed to play with it on the weekends.

I have seen kids as young as 3 with a ds and i think at their age they shouldnt be glued to a screen but instead should be playing outside etc.

Thats just my opinion though...

Personally, no. I'm just not sure why kids need electronic games when they are so young.

IF i did buy one what is the difference between a DSlite and and DSi.

My three older girls (aged 4, 6 and 7) have all got them, though we have only just recently given in to all the nagging.

In the case of our girls, the novelty has never worn off. They absolutely love them. I have to limit their time on them, as they definitely can get quite obsessed with them. We have the R4 cards and they are worth their weight in gold for all the games they have on them. Most of them are quite educational, and my 4yo is learning heaps from some of the games on hers.

They are absolutely fantastic on long car trips, and when you have dinner out, things like that.

they dont need one but hey sometimes it makes life a little easier.. for what its worth my kids still spend alot of time outside climbing trees riding bikes and playing in dirt. Its the kids that never get them that when they are 8 9 and 10 that do get one they become obsessed if allowed to. everything in moderation is OK

Mine normally play it in the car, and you can't really play outside while you're driving can you??

A DSi has a camera and maybe also wifi..but don't quote me on that one.

Ditto

We bought my DD a ds for her 8th birthday...at the time she was the only person we knew in her year who didnt have one :S. DS(4) would sit and watch over her shoulder when she played it and knew he was never allowed to touch it etc. We let him play on DDs older leapster, which was fine and he loved it until the touch screen stopped working! He would often comment on DDs games like 'you have to go up here' or 'there's a hidden vine there' and he was right. We ended up getting him a second hand one from EB Games for $99. He can play it really well, but doesnt play it that often.

Both my kids are very active and would choose playing outside over playing the DS any day. I used to be in the camp of 'no way would i buy my kid an expensive electronic toy at the age of 4', but I think its been quite useful (long car trips, waiting at the doctors etc). I guess it depends on the individual child and their circumstances...for us it was much easier to say 'yes' because his 8 year old sister had one and we could see that it didnt become an all-consuming thing.

My DS1 got one for Xmas when he was 5yr 4months. I told him that i keep it and he can play it when i let him. He is not obsessed with it at all and only askes to play it a few times a week and not for very long. Although he only has 3 games so may have in invest in the R4 card.

My DS2 (3.5) got an Explorer at the same time and he loves it. In fact DS1 often asks if he can use the Explorerer lol so in hindsight i should have gotten him one of those instead.

DSi is a little smaller and the screen is a little larger. If you can afford it, go for the DSi.

Nothing wrong with your ds having one, its up to you the parent as to how much time he has on it.

I'm sure he will be one happy little boy!

DS1 got one for his 5th birthday. He was a bit obsessed with it to start with, but given it was the lead up to school holidays it was ok.

He plays it maybe once a week now, but as PP have said, great for car trips, places where they have to sit quietly etc (hopefully on the plane when we go on holidays later in the year.)

Sounds like I need to get one of those R4 cards.

My 5 and 7 yr olds have one. I wouldn't have brought it personally, they have the computer and wii if they want to play games, but mum got them half price for their birthday.

This is sort of my plan as well. I plan to buy myself a DS and my son a game (or an R4 card). That way he gets to play what he wants, but has to ask me before he can play. My son can easily get obsessed with games so its my way of maintaining control (and getting a DS).

Yes.
Never thought I would. Our son nagged us from when he played with his cousins. For over 2 years.
So we gave him one at 4.75 and it's been fine. Strict usage applies. And it's been pretty hardy. Seems to hold up to his use. We got the DS XL.
Must add that the games aren't cheap and it took us a few to find the ones that fit him. Also another cosin got one at 4.5.

Personally I would get an itouch. My kids have both, but they prefer the iPod and most of the games are free. They also love having their own music. They rarely play DS anymore.

Maybe but I would limit time spent on it! My 3 year old was giving an ipod touch (secondhand) and became a little obsessed so I have taken it off him and he's only allowed it in the car or when we are shopping/downtown since it's brilliant at keeping him quiet lol.
Yet a friend has an 8 year old who is overly obsessed with his DS I admit we are all a little disgusted at how his mother handles it but because he hasn't had his nose out of a ds/ps2/ps3 some type of gaming thing since he was about 4 his speech is behind by about 4 years, his social skills are nil and all his other skills other then his cognitive skills are behind... then his cognitive skills are at the lower end of the spectrum.
I blame this solely on his mother though for not policing his use of the consoles so I am not against them at all they are great for kids and parents but not all the time!

My almost 5yo DD has one and after the first week lost intrerest but thats just her personailty.

I'm not a bog fan of screens at the best of times, so not getting one here any time soon for my 4.5yo.

However, my main reason would be she is not old enough to care for such an expensive and breakable item. Whilst she would not set out to break it, I could see her accidently dropping it, sitting on it or leaving it out somewhere where her 2yo brother could get a hold of it and damage it.

I have one for DS who is three. It doesn't leave the house (though may when we travel) and usage is limited to certain times. He also has an ipad.

DS has strong interests and abilities with words, numbers, shapes and colours though. He's quite advanced for his age and it helps keep him stimulated. Everything he plays is educational.

We were going to get them for our kids for Christmas but really couldn't afford 3. They play our phones instead and are really good at enjoying them.