For a small child ... with the goal of it lasting about 5 years (yes, with an accidental damage plan of some sort).
I've been pondering this for months, our family doesn't have a lot of money but there's a lot of value in our child having an iThing as a holiday gift this year.
Currently he uses our phones often and uses an ancient laptop sometimes. He loves to wander through YouTube (supervised of course but he hasn't ever chosen anything inappropriate so far), do puzzles, watch a movie, do FaceTime, and is getting interested in Garage Band and photos, and we're tired of lugging the DVD player in the car. Yes he's heavily supervised at all times, yes we use parental controls. He also already chooses, entirely on his own, to put down the electronics and build or paint or play outside. I come from a long line of child development experts and educators and feel it's best that he have his own something now, when it's not enough of a novelty to obsess over, and it's just part of everyone's normal life that is moderated.
(is that enough to avoid the "why get that for a child" tirade I see here so often? LOL)
So it's going to happen, I just need to decide on iPod or iPad. I'm almost completely certain a 4th gen iPod is not a good idea, given our desire for longevity. We *will* buy something this year and it does need to last software wise. We're watching the refurbs, price needs to stay under $300.
What are the pros and cons to consider?
I've been pondering this for months, our family doesn't have a lot of money but there's a lot of value in our child having an iThing as a holiday gift this year.
Currently he uses our phones often and uses an ancient laptop sometimes. He loves to wander through YouTube (supervised of course but he hasn't ever chosen anything inappropriate so far), do puzzles, watch a movie, do FaceTime, and is getting interested in Garage Band and photos, and we're tired of lugging the DVD player in the car. Yes he's heavily supervised at all times, yes we use parental controls. He also already chooses, entirely on his own, to put down the electronics and build or paint or play outside. I come from a long line of child development experts and educators and feel it's best that he have his own something now, when it's not enough of a novelty to obsess over, and it's just part of everyone's normal life that is moderated.
(is that enough to avoid the "why get that for a child" tirade I see here so often? LOL)
So it's going to happen, I just need to decide on iPod or iPad. I'm almost completely certain a 4th gen iPod is not a good idea, given our desire for longevity. We *will* buy something this year and it does need to last software wise. We're watching the refurbs, price needs to stay under $300.
What are the pros and cons to consider?
