Nintendo DS Lite... and the children?

[andyoxon]

Our 9 year old daughter is wagging our ears off, with how much she wants a NDSL, especially now that one of her best friends had one for Christmas. Actually their family also got a N. Wii – so that’s entered the equation as well. Even our 6 year old is using psychology on us, saying that with a N Wii the whole family can play and you get exercise too. Our eldest is also trying to impress on us just how much the Brain trainer will help her with her mental maths...

Even mrs ao seems to bowing to the pressure...

Anyway what I was wondering was, for those whose kids have a Nintendo DS Lite, or anyone with an opinion...

IYE, have they given up reading, playing with any other toy, and permanently have their nose in it?

Does the NDSL eventually lose some of it’s attraction, or is another game always around the ‘corner’...?

Do you limit their use of it at all, during week/school days etc?

What’s the deal?

Andy

 

[Dave5N]

Having seen how addictive even tame stuff like club penguin and online Monopoly* is to mine, I won't risk it!





* I know, I know!

 

[alecstilleyedye]

both of our kids (not incl baby) got one at xmas. both glued to them for a few days but now, although they do use them, they don't deter them from other forms of play. we have rules about homework done first etc, and a "no ds for a day" is a fairly effective sanction for bad behaviour.

if you have more than one ds in the house (or friends with one) then mario kart is the game to have. you can race up to 8 friends with one copy of the game, and if your router plays ball, race others over t'internet.

the wii is great for families, and can involve you all.

 

[andyoxon]

Having seen how addictive even tame stuff like club penguin and online Monopoly* is to mine, I won't risk it!





* I know, I know!

Yes our 9yro has discovered Club Penguin/miniclip as well, but since I (& mrs ao) hold the password to the laptop, she doesn't get to be on there quite as much as she'd like...

 

[Dave5N]

It's excellent Consumer training.

 

[Chuffy]

Ah, takes me back to the conversations I had with my parents about buying myself a 16k Spectrum. Poor innocent fools.
I didn't stop reading, but I'm pretty sure I blew my O and A levels at least in part because I was glued to Commando, Attic Attac and the like.

Get a family Wii, hide the controllers and ration the bugger!

 

[papercorn2000]

Could be worse, mine's wants a kitten.

 

[John the Monkey]

Both mine (9yo boy, 6 yo girl) have them. They go through periods of playing a lot, and periods of hardly playing at all.

I agree with the other posters that rules for using them, and for how long are important. Depending on the game, and the age of the child, they can help encourage reading (in Animal Crossing, for example, a lot of the interaction with other characters is through reading what they "say". When my eldest first started playing, we noticed an improvement in his other reading because he was doing a fair bit in the game (without realising that he was being educated )

 

[yorkshiregoth]

Got both the DS & the Wii, but we do limit or at least try to limit their usage to a couple of hours on Saturday & Sunday providing they have done their homework etc. Although when I get new games for them they get a bit of extra time also likeise when their friends come over and they all want to play.

 

[Fnaar]

We have a (donated by brother) Playstation#2 and the PC with various games, but I drew the line at DS, as I've only ever seen it in superbloodymarkets with parents saying "put that bloody thing away" as the kid walks headlong into a display of biscuits while looking at the screen(s).
It instantly kills your kid's brain. Don't get one. Get them a mobile phone and piano lessons instead.

 

[Dave5N]

Piano lessons? Don't make me laugh. My lad gave them up at the ripe old age of seven, much against my wishes, because it wasted value sports time.

He now does football instead. Beethoven can rest easy - there'll be no challenge from this corner.

 

[Fab Foodie]

Hi Andy
Got my 8 y/o lad one back in October for his B'day, concerns were similar. Initially he was very attached but the novelty wears off a bit after a few weeks. Then...we lost it! Thought it might of disappeared in a pile of newspapers for re-cycling...searched house high and low, but nowt. Went to MIL's at Christmas and there it was in her kitchen "Oooh, I wondered what that was...."
Now he's had a few weeks break from it he doesn't seem to use it that much, it's become just another toy. Right now everything is Star-Wars Lego!
When he's tired he'll use the Nintendo/PC/TV more, when he's full of beans we're making models, Lego, Scalextric competitions and active stuff. Useful for long car journeys and me and Mrs FF fancy the brain training game 'cos were going prematurely senile!

I think Andy you'll find the happy medium, define the boundaries and stick with them as with children in most circumstances.

 

[andyoxon]

Hi Andy
Got my 8 y/o lad one back in October for his B'day, concerns were similar. Initially he was very attached but the novelty wears off a bit after a few weeks. Then...we lost it! Thought it might of disappeared in a pile of newspapers for re-cycling...searched house high and low, but nowt. Went to MIL's at Christmas and there it was in her kitchen "Oooh, I wondered what that was...."
Now he's had a few weeks break from it he doesn't seem to use it that much, it's become just another toy. Right now everything is Star-Wars Lego!
When he's tired he'll use the Nintendo/PC/TV more, when he's full of beans we're making models, Lego, Scalextric competitions and active stuff. Useful for long car journeys and me and Mrs FF fancy the brain training game 'cos were going prematurely senile!

I think Andy you'll find the happy medium, define the boundaries and stick with them as with children in most circumstances.

Cheers FF. I can imagine the disappointment when he thought it had been lost for good... and then the feeling of being reunited with it. We've searched bins and recycling for things in the past.

It's B's birthday in April so we'll have to see. At the mo, she's getting her game dose with Club Penguin and cBBC games, but really only at w/e (seems to accept this well enough) or when she has a friend around during the week after she's done homework.

 

[Cyclista]

Now, I don't have kids, but I do own a NDS . Get a copy of SimCity DS and prepare to lose days and days of your life the Brain Training stuff is also quite good. And getting 3stars on 150cc on MarioCart is the bane of my life at the mo

 

[dan_bo]

Ah, takes me back to the conversations I had with my parents about buying myself a 16k Spectrum. Poor innocent fools.
I didn't stop reading, but I'm pretty sure I blew my O and A levels at least in part because I was glued to Commando, Attic Attac and the like.

Get a family Wii, hide the controllers and ration the bugger!

I once 'clocked' commando on the speccy using my big toe for the grenade button