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we love video games in our house and the wii made it possible to bring our video-gaming ways back out for the entire family to embrace together. love, love, love. we (the adults) each have our own DS and for as much as we love them and all the fun that it offers we have stayed away from getting our daughter her own portable system. she is six.

she is totally allowed to play video games, but we try our best to make it "family time." i've seen too many kids with their heads in their gameboys (world off) on a perfectly beautiful day at the park.

also, too... the leapster is really not worth it. we find most of the gameplay tedious, game UI cumbersome and cringe at the poor selection of games available. we took one back after two days. when you are ready to make the jump the DS is totally worth it. if you have two of them you can play peer-to-peer games (our favorite), hordes of puzzle games and pictochat is lots of fun.

The DS is a great item for all ages, but you need to guard against letting it turn your child into a zombie.
In my family, practically every kid has a DS and is completely addicted. They are consumed by the DS and are not required to listen to anything or participate as long as their quiet and not complaining... it's really sad. My cousins have has a DS since they were 5/7 and they are now 10 and 13 and never leave home without their DS. I have another 12 year old cousin who DOESNT speak to anyone because he is constantly on the DS.

Make sure you get a skin for the DS and some extra styluses - maybe larger ones because the small ones that come with the DS can cause hand cramps. Games are between 10 and 30 bucks and there are a lot of games for different age groups available and there are awesome puzzle games you can get as imports that are both entertaining for you and your child.

I'd get a DS instead of a Leapster because they're more compact and will grow with your kid and can be used by parents... just make sure that it's only a travel toy instead of a pacifier.

I'm probably going to get yelled at for this - but I worry about starting a little one out on video games so young. I don't have kids yet (I'm currently pregnant with our first), but I will say that I have watched my cousins (who have every video game under the sun) and the problems that these games have caused. Every time we go out to eat, they have their video games at the table. Every time we want to talk to the kids - they're on their video games. To say they're addicted would be an understatement but perhaps that's just the way kids are these days? I just know that for our little one, I'm going to think twice about getting him started on video games if I can help it. :)

i think video games can be the "source of all evil" for a family but as parents we can teach them how to keep that and other things in life balanced and in check.

p.s. we (the 34-yr-old game lovers with a 6yo daughter) think we do an okay job with the balance. we waited till she was reading (at least early reading) before we really delved into nintendo-landia with her. felt like a love of books and reading and learning was way more important. with that said, the leapPAD and TAG were great go-tos for our lengthier car rides. books on tape (ahem... CD) also worked well for us.

We had some concerns about our child's visual development and made an appointment. While some of our concerns were not founded, we were directed to limit exposure to TV and DS because of the possible remaining issues. I had just bought a Leapster for a long car trip. We decided to keep the Leapster, but doubledowned that it is only allowed for long car trips. And we've stuck to it and it hasn't been a problem.

I heartedly concur in ensuring child has a good grounding in reading literature before delving too deeply into video games. Look, some kids are able to strike a balance, but others are not, so early exposure to a range of activities may help curb video addiction.

At our local library we can borrow audiobooks. They give you the book with its corresponding CD. It is a hit on long car trips with both my kids.

As far as videogames go, my son (7) is allowed to play three times a week for an hour. Once we explained that basic rule to him, he was fine with it and he's good at turning it off when time's up. He only plays one game that he's obsessed with: Lego Star Wars. He also loves to read.

Sorry, I just realized that both my comments above were totally off-topic... As far as portable videogames go, my kids have the Leapster L-Max, which they share. We like it because most of the games are educational. Plus, it's pretty sturdy (my kids have chucked it across the room on more than one occasion and it still works!). Hope this helps.

I have a 4 year old that enjoys games and such as well. I have downloaded games and kids' apps on my iPhone and she LOVES to play them when we're waiting for appointments or we're at the grocery store. I compared a DS to an iTouch and realized that the iTouch is far more cost effective and better for a young child. First, there are no styluses to lose with an iTouch, it's all done by hand/finger. Second, all of the games/apps are loaded onto the iTouch instead of having to haul along numerous games that can get damaged/lost. Third, the games/apps on the iTouch are relatively inexpensive. Lots are free, many are no more than $5. DS games are expensive, you're out money if one (or more) gets lost, broken or the child doesn't like it. For my money, the iTouch is a better deal for a young child.

We bought our 5yr old a DS for his b-day. He's been reading since he was 3 so can do the games by himself and I know he follows a lot of the story because he reads to me as he plays.
We don't allow it to be used at restaurants, just as we don't allow him to sit and read a book at restaurants. We play eye spy and the like with our boys (5, 2.5 and 4mos).
If a kid is allowed to sit with their nose in a game that is the parents fault. Not many kids are going to choose the less fun route.
What about an etch-a-sketch or a aquadoodle for those long trips?

Getting a DS for my son (8) is without a doubt the biggest mistake in my parenting career. Nothing, but nothing, has caused more problems. If I could I would trash the thing. Don't do it.

Just like anything else that isn't good in excess for our kids, we need to limit how and when our kids use video games. I would also love to get a DS for my son (5) for long trips in the car. We visit family 3 hours away every other weekend, and for now he uses my ipod to watch videos. Now my 2 year old also tries to watch, but it's hard for them to share it. (And I'm left with nothing to listen to!) I set limits for them as it is for video watching in the car to about 1 1/2 hours. And be sure to check GameStop for a used DS system, they are much cheaper that way!!

My son loved his leapster. The games are all educational, and now there are quite a few to choose from. On the other hand, my daughter rarely uses it. I think it's a boy vs. girl thing. We use it for long rides or plane trips, and give a time limit. We also have a few games on the Ipod Touch for unusually long waits at the doctors office, etc. There are some hidden pictures type games, coloring pages, etc that are not so video gamish. It's all about not letting your child go overboard with video games, or perhaps playing it with him. My son taught himself double digit math on the Leapster.

NO preschooler should be given this. There are far better ways to engage your child.
This is pure laziness on the parents side.