Right age for consoles/electronics?

[Ceejay123]

Me and my OH disagree about something... He was talking about consoles/Televisions/Ipods etc as christmas gifts... yet I don't think kids should get these until theyre quite old? Maybe I'm old fashioned? Haha.

I know my four year old sister adores her DS.. And likes to play my Wii/Kinect/Xbox once in a while with me.. (only disneyland games etc).

He was talking about Ipads... I told him about a leap-pad thing...

I don't know! Haha, what do you guys think the right age is to get a child a:

TV for their room
Xbox
Kinect
Ipod.

Thanks. x

 

[Tinylo]

I discussed this the other night with dh too. Lo is 4 and has a wii he plays on but he goes through phases where he'll want play for weeks then he has weeks when he's not bothered. He has a ds (dh old one) which he plays on now and again and be uses the pc to play cbeebies and practice phonics. He used to have a portable DVD Player until it broke, great for travelling, which he could
watch a film on but he wouldnt be
allowed to watch it in his room and
he won't be allowed a tv in his
room for a few years. I don't like
the idea of him being shut away
from the rest of us. At least with
the other stuff we can join in or sit together.

 

[Ceejay123]

Yeah. I don't like the idea of kids having a TV in their room until they're 10-11ish... But I think that's because my Mum was like that with me! Haha. And I'm greatful... As soon as I got a pc in my room i was NEVER off of it. (IT geek now, haha).

I know he wants to buy something nice, but personally i think he should go for a 'kiddier' version? x

 

[mum22ttc#3]

DD1 has had a TV in her room since she was about 5-6 and DD2 now has her old one, shes 4. They only watch them at weekends though and even then its only usually 1 DVD a day/evening.

I'm not sure about the rest though, DD1 is 9 now and all she has in the way of technology is her TV/DVD and a DSi, she is however getting a Portable DVD player for Christmas. DD2 has her old TV and is getting a DS for Christmas.
I'm not sure I would want either of them having things such as an ipod, laptop, phones etc until they are near starting secondary school.

 

[RachA]

Me and my OH disagree about something... He was talking about consoles/Televisions/Ipods etc as christmas gifts... yet I don't think kids should get these until theyre quite old? Maybe I'm old fashioned? Haha.

I know my four year old sister adores her DS.. And likes to play my Wii/Kinect/Xbox once in a while with me.. (only disneyland games etc).

He was talking about Ipads... I told him about a leap-pad thing...

I don't know! Haha, what do you guys think the right age is to get a child a:

TV for their room
Xbox
Kinect
Ipod.

Thanks. x

OH and i are pretty much in agreement about things like this and probably quite harsh. Until they can prove that they will look after any item regardless of price we won't even consider it. Once they can prove that they know how to look after things then:

TV for their room/xbox etc - we will never buy them one. If they want to buy a console then that's fine. Until teenage years we won't allow a tv in their room - they can watch it in the lounge!
iPod - i would say around 10years.
Ipad - again we wouldn't buy it for them.


Things like gaming consoles and an iPad i see as a family thing and i have no problem in the children using them if they want to but i don't see the need for them to have their own one.

 

[Lucasmum]

Lucas is nearly 6 he has a tv and dvd player in his room and a playstation 2 that he rarely plays, he has a dvd every night for bed, he has always had trouble sleeping and this settles him down.

He has an old iphone that cant be used as a phone but usues it as an ipod

We have an xbox and PS3 in the front room and he is allowed to use them so long as his home work is done.

He also has a Ds somewhere!

please dont think all he does is sit and watch TV and play games though, he actually has a very busy active schedule, he plays roller hockey on a Monday night, MMA on Tuesdays and Saturdays, Ice hockey on Thursdays and Sundays and football on a Friday, one of the reasons we have all these things as part of OH's job is to review games and some games that are made for kids it helps to have a kids opinion

 

[sabby52]

Dec is 4 and he has a tv/dvd (got this when he was 2), a xbox, Kinect (got this when he was 3) a 3DS (got this when he was 4), an ipod (got this when he was almost 3) and an old phone of mine. He did have a wii until I sold it because he played the xbox more, he also has free use of my ipad and my phone. He doesnt spend all his time on these and he takes good care of them so I dont see the problem.

 

[chubbin]

When we went away in a campervan this summer, we bought DH's ipad along with cartoons for our TWO year old son to watch. MY DH had also downloaded children's games, which JJ found and now can play on his own. He plays on the ipad for about 0.5 hours a day, and it doesnt sit entirely right with me, but he loves it! Also, there is the fear that he will break it, it was about 800 quid!
Once they discover computer games, you'll always be rationing them. Its like sweets

 

[Ceejay123]

Haha oh wanted to get his son a tv for his room (aged 3) or a tablet. We'll see what he works out in the end x

 

[RachA]

Electronic devices in bedrooms does affect the quality of sleep a person gets. In theory you shouldn't have a mobile phone in a room you are sleeping in but we have to as it's my alarm. This info is based of sleep studies that a friend of mine had to go through for sleep problems.

I don't mind my lo's using things like my iPod but there is no way they will be having a tv or anything electronic in their rooms. There is also a much greater fire risk if children have electronic devices in their bedrooms.

 

[mrsholmes]

My 3 year old has tv for DVDs in his room he only uses it for us to get ready for work in the mornings and if I gotta clean/ shower/ put washing away upstairs. He also has a few ps3 games that oh plays with him. I believe in a mix of stuff for children for learning and play, I would say if they look after their stuff and can use it go for it. As for fire I unplug everything,

We were getting iPad but not now with second baby on the way!

 

[smelly07]

Myself and my husband both have the same relaxed attitude to this, My eldest is 7 and my youngest is 3 - my eldest has a nitendo 3ds and psp and my youngest has a nintendo - they both play on the wii (well they did its broken) and my husbands ps3 - They play eyepets which they love and my eldest loves games on the internet such as moshi monsters, mine craft and club penguin.

at the moment they dont have a tv in their room but i am going to buy them one once we have re-decorated and we are buying them a tablet for christmas.

They arent on them constantly and still have other toys to choose to play with and play outside i dont see the harm x

 

[xprincessx]

I agree about the fire risk. Callum can have a console if he wants one but it will stay in the lounge. We share a room at the moment and have a tv, dvd player and wii in there (obv callum is too young so they are mine ) but at least if something happened I am in there, when he is in on his own, no way.

 

[morri]

I don't think kids should have their own TV in their room.
Also consoles subsequently would go in the lounge, and handhelds about 8 years .

 

[Mea]

My 4 year old doesn't have a tv in his room and I don't think we will do that one for sometime.
But he does have a ds which he loves and there are some great fun learning games for it as well as just games. He is limited to half an hour a day though and it's been great for getting him to behave. If I tell him there is no ds if he doesn't behave he turns into the perfect angel. )
We also have an iPad which he is allowed to use every now and then as a treat as that's something we do with him. I don't think there's any harm in allowing them consoles as long as its regulated and they are not sat on them all day!

 

[JASMAK]

Tv in room...never. My son, who is 9 is allowed to play xbox and Wii and has a DSi and 3DS...but play is LIMITED. School, homework and sports are PRIORITY. Rainy day...sure, a little more happens. My kids are kept busy tho. My eldest daughter plays her DS and on game on MY iPad, occassionally. My toddler...SOMETIMES, will listen to kids songs or colour on my iPad. Everything stays in the livingroom. No internet allowed, and all games must be rated E 10 and under.

 

[Ceejay123]

In my house, we are big gamers so I feel I can't stop my OH from being around them. It'd be very hypocritical of me. We're also both computing students, so we're massive geeks haha. However,I will use consoles as a treat... Not as a given.

TV in his room - I can't decide though. I don't like the thought of it, OH does. I used to have one... But only from being 11. We'll see what kind of toddler he is haha x

 

[Amy_T]

Haha, my kids are going to sound incredibly spoilt or not looked after properly depending on your opinion...

Eldest is 7 and she has a tv in her room but it's used as a DVD player only for when she wakes in a morning (always unplugged etc when not in there), a DS which to be honest she rarely plays on, a Wii in the lounge which again she goes in stages with and it is limited to weekend mornings only and one of us will play on it with her (suitable games only!), she got an ipod touch for her birthday which although she loves she isn't on it every day by any means. And we are looking in to getting a family ipad for christmas but this will be for all of us.

Youngest is 2 and has a portable DVD player for travel as she HATES the car and it is a godsend but that's all she has (although she's a whizz on my iphone!).

My eldest wants an xbox for christmas which I am not happy about as I don't think she'll get any use out of it as she rarely has time for her other bits - she does swimming, dancing twice a week, yoga, gymnastics and we go to a park/on a bike ride/for a walk/ something similar each weekend so I don't see the harm with a bit of technology with limited use (they all have strict rules, treated as a privilege rather than a right and are taken away if need be).

We're all different and I think some children are more likely to get absorbed in these things and want to play on them all the time but I think with the right control over them there's no harm.

 

[kerrie24]

Our son got a games console when he was 4ish,as my brother had let him play on his.He has upgraded over the years and used it on our main tv as I didnt want a tv in his room.Now he is ten he has a tv and xbox 360 in his room and we have a wii downstairs which never gets used.
My daughter is 6 and got a ds last christmas which she plays on for 30 mins before bed,she is asleep literally 2 minutes after lights out so I dont see it affecting her sleep.