Point and Shoot for a Budding 3 yr Old Photographer

[law guy]

My 3 year old daughter loves to take pictures and has a lot of fun now looking through the viewfinder on my 30D and pushing the shutter button with her little tiny fingers.

So, I'd like to get her a point and shoot to call her own. Has anyone come across a reasonably cheap and sturdy (certain be dropped from a height of a little less than 3 feet from time to time) P&S that struck you as something that might suit? There's the Canon A410 - around $120 (may not be that sturdy) and a Busnell 3 MP on B&H that says its water resistant for around $160 (http://www.bushnell.com/products/sport_image/specs/11-0013G.cfm) - looks sturdy but I have no idea if its just a mess to use, etc, and its a little more pricey. Any other ideas?

Update: Well - I looked a few comments on Amazon on the Busnell that panned it. Even though she's three, I'd like a camera that doesn't have terrible image quality.

[jsw]

Do you have any old camera phones around? My daughter plays with an old Nokia 3650 and likes it.

Polaroid used to make some really cheap digital cameras - well under $100 at Walmart - but I'm not sure they make them anymore.

[law guy]

Do you have any old camera phones around? My daughter plays with an old Nokia 3650 and likes it.

Polaroid used to make some really cheap digital cameras - well under $100 at Walmart - but I'm not sure they make them anymore.

No, I haven't made it to having a cell phone that does anything more than make calls. A good idea though.

[katie ta achoo]

What about that one? (http://www.walgreens.com/store/product.jsp?CATID=100380&navAction=jump&navCount=0&skuid=sku1426941&id=prod1426951)
When I had a kodak, I dropped it (I'm klutzy..) and it worked fine. It broke in Europe, though.. the sensor going hot-cold-hot-cold made it turn funky colors. white = pink now.

but, before it got abused by temperature, it worked really well.

or this one (http://www.walgreens.com/store/product.jsp?CATID=100380&navAction=jump&navCount=3&skuid=sku1362901&id=prod1362911). I'd get a cheap, easily replaceable one.. I know that my nephew (who is also 3) can be BRUTAL on stuff.

Good luck. :)

[jsw]

What about that one? (http://www.walgreens.com/store/product.jsp?CATID=100380&navAction=jump&navCount=0&skuid=sku1426941&id=prod1426951)
...
or this one (http://www.walgreens.com/store/product.jsp?CATID=100380&navAction=jump&navCount=3&skuid=sku1362901&id=prod1362911).
I'd pick the second one - cheaper, and it'll be just as fun to her.

Edit: here (http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=4245653) is an HP for a few dollars more, but probably better quality than the Walgreens one.

[Abstract]

Pick one with a viewfinder, turn off the screen, and let her use the viewfinder instead. ;)

Oh, and if she drops it and farks up the LCD (which she probably will eventually), she still knows how to use the camera perfectly well. :)

[law guy]

Thanks for the suggestions all - good finds on the sub-$100 models. She is going to be very excited to get her very own camera and it will be great to see the world from that perspective a little more. As a side note, she takes pictures of things I never would and it's interesting to see. A viewfinder is a good idea Abstract - she seems to like holding the camera up to her face and looking through it. That Kodak Katie found has a nice little view finder above the LCD. I do like the HP JSW found as well - I'll go over to the HP site to see if they add a little viewfinder in that range.