Handheld for Toddler

We finally decided our soon to be 6 year old was old enough for a DS for X-Mas and she would receive while on a trip in Florida. I brought our leapster for our 3 year old to save and potential fights. Wouldn't ya know it, little Miss Three year old wanted NOTHING to do with the Leapster and was actually pretty good at the DS. Day after X-Mas we were out buying yet another present for the princess. Soooo worth it!! There are games that involve no reading, but have matching, coloring, musicical instruments....

Smart Girls: Playhouse & Smart Girls Party Time (I think this is the other one) are a huge hit with my kids.

Never thought I would say this, but I think a DS for a 3.5 year old is a good investment....especially if you are traveling. Great for going out to dinner too :)

My son is 4 and we have both the Leapster and the iXL. He definitely enjoys the iXL for longer periods and with more concentration. If you get this, make sure to get an extra game CD for it, like the Disney Princess game. I comes with one game loaded, but you'll defnintely want more than one.

My daughter has a leapster explorer and she loves it. she got it for her 4th birthday. She has 4 games for it and they all do a good job of teaching her something (reading, math, etc) while still being fun.

We bought my 4 year old the leapster explore for christmas this year. She loves it. She is actually playing it right now as I am typing this. She really loves the Tangled game and Madagascar Penguins. She also enjoys the games preloaded on it where she can give pets a bath and practice tracing her letters. It does take a beating especially when her 1 year old sister tries to play with it.

She has played with her cousins DS and seems to do okay with that also. I like the Leapster Explorer thought b/c she is learning quite a bit from it and it keeps her occupied for stretches of time.

My daughter, 3, loves playing with the Leapster that belonged to her older brother and sister. I recently bought her a new game and she loves it. She has also learned quite a bit playing with it. She does not quite play the actual game liuke an older child would but has learned a lot anyway. The best thing is, she will grow with it since the games they have go up to 10 yrs old though most seem to be in the 4-7 range now.

My niece started playing on a DS when she was about 3, almost 4. She also liked it. If you do go this route, make sure you get armor for it. Nerf sells covers that help protect the consul in case it is dropped.