Leapster 2 or Nintendo DS for 4 Yr Old

I don't have any experience with the DS, by my daughter got her first Leapster when she was 3 or 4 and it remained her favorite game long after everything else was set aside. She kept all her cartridges in a special carry case and took it with her wherever she went. In fact, it finally wore out here not too long ago and grandma got her the Leapster 2 for her birthday to replace it. She's 6 and it's still her favorite thing to play with (whoever thought a toy would last 3 years!!!) so I'd highly recommend it.

I would suggest the Leapster. We have that and a Gameboy - the Leapster is "technically" my 7 year old daughters and the Gameboy is my 10 year old son's - BUT he really likes to use the Leapster still! You can't go wrong with it - and like you said, the price is a huge plus too!

I have a 6yo son and 4yo daughter. My son has both a Gameboy Advance and a Leapster; my daughter has her own Leapster, but she also loves to play with her brother's Gameboy. They both enjoy playing with both systems (we don't make long trips or trips to the doctor, etc. without them--especially the Leapsters!); the key difference for me is that the Leapster's games are much more educational than the Gameboy's.

We have both (the ds was given to us, we bought the Leapsters for Christmas last year). I have a 4 and 5 year old. They really like the Leapster better, but it may be because I don't have the games geared towards the younger ones for the DS. My neighbors only have DS's, and their 5 year old loves it. But, she is the youngest with older siblings. I think if your oldest is 4, you would be happier with the Leapster. When you have older siblings doing stuff, you get better at the things they are doing. But, the DS will probably last longer as far as games for it and stuff. It's a toss up, really. Why don't you take him to Toys R Us and show him both. You can play with both of them there.

Go with the Leapster. SO EASY to use and he will be so proud of what an awesome gamer he is :). Then pass it on to your younger one when your older child is ready to move on to a DS (or whatever they are making then). With a leapster, a 4 yr old can play pretty independently, while with the DS you would probably have to help him more.

Thatis what we did. My eight year old just got a DS for his birthday this summer and now his 5 yr old sister is using the leapster and loving it.

Leapster for sure! It's got to cost less than the DS and it is much more age apropriate. My 11 yr old and I both have DS's and I have a 4 yr old. He wants to play it so badly but it's just not made for a child that is that young. What if he bends the screen back too far? What if he drops it? What if he gets frustrated and tosses it, or leaves it someplace where it gets sat on or stepped on by mistake?

The graphics are better on the DS but save that for when he is a few years older when he can understand what is involved to use and take care of it properly.

My four year old has a leapster handheld and I would buy it over and over again before any 'regular' gaming system. Most of the games are educational he can practice writing, coloring, math, etc. (my 22 month old knows all her ABCs on site and phonics from playing with bebeaux's game Letter Factory) If you buy a 'home' system all of the games are used in any of the Leapster game products. Look for them at resales shops if you want to try it for cheaper, I bought one gently used with 4 games for $45.

Good luck!

I have the DS for myself (I know, I'm 33!) and my 5 year old has the Leapster. She occasionaly plays a game with me on my DS and doesn't have a problem using it but as an educator, I would recommend the Leapster. The games are much more for learning rather than playing. Leapster can teach phonics, math, and logic unlike the DS. The educational DS games are way beyond a four year old.

Hi. The two gaming systems are very different so it depends on what you are looking for. With the Leapster you are going to find many more educational games. With the DS it is mostly simply a gaming system. They do now have games for the smaller kids... I don't know that I have seen any that are really good for a 4 year old. I have a 6 year old and she is just now able to really play some of the games. The DS will definately keep your child entertained longer as I think they tend to grow out of the Leapster (my daughter has.. but then she has a 13 year old brother who has a DS). So it just depends on what you are wanting the system for. If you want educational games go with the Leapster... If you are just looking for a way to keep your child entertained the DS has a TON more games and will work well in to the teens.

We bought our 2 1/2 year old a DS. His older sister (6) got one for Christmas and he always tried to take it away/play with it. To our surprise he was able to play fairly well with it! He's 3 now and is such a pro at it. Ofcourse, he wanted what his siter had so that's why we chose the DS. Plus they can share games. We have a V-smile and one of those Cycle Smart games but he like the DS a whole bunch better. The Vsmile and the bike system games are boring to him. He'll play for a just a little bit and goes back to the DS. It's great when we are at all day softball tournaments-all the girls have a DS and inbetween games they play theirs and he will too. As with anything at this age--just limit play time on it.

Personally, I beleive the Leapster is designed for younger children the way it fits in their hands and is much more durable. Plus if they loose it or break it is much easier to simply replace. It was great for my daughter from 4 years old and now she'll be turning 6 in Dec. She has grown with it. Once I walk her through a game she can manage to play with it completely on her own.

A DS on the other hand is totally designed for an older child. Now that she is learning to read we may get her a DS for Christmas. The thing with the DS is that most of the games require reading and good hand eye coordination. Until you child can read, you mom will doing most the playing and navigating on the DS. Again, my daughter has played on her big brothers DS, but only with his and my help. Even the dog games require reading, such as naming your pet, and going to the store and purchasing supplies. Again, the DS it really designed for a child who needs to read. I like the DS because my son has to READ to know how to navigate through any game. It is great for him, he got his in 3rd grade and has grown with his. These little DS's are like little computers and will get broken after lots of use. Now Jake is in 5th grade and hundres of dollars worth of games, but we have to replace his DS, because the pixels are fading into stripes and the hinges to open and close it are broken. Again the DS is great toy designed for older kids. Have fun!

I prefer the Leapster for that age. My daughter got hers for Christmas last year and what I like is that she can play with it even without a game in it. She loves it and takes it everywhere. It has been dropped, left in the car, etc. and is still in great shape and works well!
The games for it are regular priced at 24.99 just about everywhere - but last year I got them for 14.99 at Target on sale before the Thanksgiving sales - so be watching the ads and stock up now! =)

My 3 year old has both & she prefers to play her DS. =)

We actually have both. My oldesd(8 yrs) and my youngest (5 yrs) actually play both. My youngest started with the leapster when he was 3 1/2 yrs old and my oldest got his when he was 5. I would suggest getting the leapster because there are more educational games geared towards the younger kids. They are fun and they learn at the same time. The leapster is also more sturdier than the DS (which the hinges break easy!)so you wouldn't have to replace it as often. The leapster has been dropped and thrown and is yet to break. I would save the DS for when he is a little older and better able to take care of it. My 5 yr old has broken the hinges on 2 ds's so far. At that age they just don't understand the concept of taking care of things, although he is getting better. I would go with the leapster, at least for now.

I don't know much about the Nintendo DS...we bought the Leapsters for my twins a couple of years back and they still love them. They are very sturdy and I think a better fit for younger kids. My boys and my daughter have dropped them many times and they still work.

I suggest looking on line or at a game store. Look at the options for games. If he has a few for the leapster and tons for the ds then go with the ds. Also look at the ratings on the games. The origional use for games was for soldiers to not fear attacking or killing another person- as heard on glen beck. But i played mario when i was little and never wanted to be a plumer or jump in the air and hit things with my head. Just saying they do have rates for a reason. Explore your options i bet with the ds he will be able to grow with it. Also every year there is a new greater gaming system use the old one for as long as you can!!! Good luck.

My grand daughter just turned 5 two weeks ago and she rec'd a Nintendo DS and she loves it (so do I).

The biggest difference that I have found is that the games for the Leapster are educational and the games for the DS are more for entertainment. It depends on what you hope to get out of the play time with the toy. If your son has never played with just video games, then he won't know that the Leapster Games are educational. He may think that all video games require you to think. My sister's little boy was happy with his Leapster until he was allowed to play on my Mother's DS. Then he didn't want to play on the Leapster because it required him to work. With the Leapster, then the time spent on video games is at least teaching him something.

I would def do the Leapster. It is is built for young kids to drop and still keeps going. I cant say that about the DS or the V Tech. My kids 2,5 and 8 all love the leapster. I would go with it. The games are educational and not just entertaining like the DS games are.

My son is 5 and will turn 6 in Feb. We were in the same situation because my son's leapster isn't working properly. He has had it for two years. We did get ours money worth. Leapster 2 looks nice. Since he already had one and looking at the new system the games are similar and there aren't many in his age bracket with the characters he really likes. We decided to get him the Nintendo DS for Xmas. There are so many games and alot of them are rated E for everyone. I'm not sure if I helped but I thought I would give my opinion. Good luck!

we have both and like both. definatly 2 different visions i think. leapster is more educational and ds is more game play your choice.

For a 4yo I would most likely buy the Leapster 2. My son, who is 6 now, had a V-smile (not handheld, we lost it in Ike though) that we got for him when he was 3 1/2. He had trouble at first understanding what he needed to do. However, in the last couple of years he had gotten to where he really enjoyed it. He had games up to 4-6 years. We had not gotten him any of the "older" games yet.

I liked the V-Smile because the games were educational. I have never been a fan of video games because I believe that they are one of the contributors to childhood obesity. My husband and I have decided that if we ever have a "big" video game system in our house it will be the Wii because you actually move around to play it.

Anyway, as for the DS. My son had never really been exposed to one until this summer. Before that he had played his cousin's, who is a year younger than he is. This summer I worked at and he attended a summer camp where the kids were allowed to bring theirs to play during free time. He played with them occasionally, but would watch the owners play with them too. He had asked for one, we told him maybe for Christmas.

Well, when we evacuated to my parents for Ike, everytime he asked his cousin to play it, she would decide she wanted it, and a fight would ensue. My dad felt bad for him, so he typed up a letter from "Santa" saying that he needed to do a test run for Christmas since there were so many boys and girls not living in their usual place because of Ike. The next day he had a DS waiting when he got home from school.

He mainly only plays it when we are on road trips. He's gotten in to playing video games online here lately. Disney Channel, Cartoon Network, etc. have video games on their web-sites. He does have some trouble with the DS occasionally because you have to read some stuff and he is not to that point yet. As for the smaller buttons, that doesn't bother him at all.

Long story short, for a 4yo I would get the Leapster or VSmile. Yes, the DS has games for little ones, but the Leapster and VSmile are geared for little ones. And by the time yours gets older there will probably be a newer version of the DS he would want anyway. Plus, the Leapster and VSmile are built with shock resistance if a little one drops it. The DS is more fragile.

my son is six and he just got a DS in April for his birthday.
It is very hard to find games that are easy enough for him. He keeps going back to his Leapster LMax. I would go with the Leapster. It is a lot more educational. The DS is not so much educational it is more entertainment. Please do your 4 YO the favor by sticking with the Leapster. You will reap the benefits! Especially when its time for Kinder!

I bought my two a leapster around 6-7 years of age. They loved it!!! I bought them games that were fun, but educational too. They have great characters that kids around age 4 adore. I too think that the DS is for older kids, but I think in the end it is a persnal choice. PLus, by the time your son gets into those older kid games, there will be another hand held game that will be out. To this day my kids still remember the songs from Declaration of Independence song from Conjunction Junction. The funny part of this was now that my daughter is in the 4th grade, it actually helped in one of her classes.

Hi I have never answered anyone before, but I really felt I should. I have a 4 yr old that has the V-smile and a nephew (who is 5)has the DS. My sister-in-law said she kind of regrets getting the DS, because he will not put it down. She realized that the v-smile which he had also was educational vs the DS which is just games. I'm with her. I rather the child has something educational at this time for they learn so much. Games will always be there. I know the Leapster is educational also. Hope this helps.

I bought my 5yr old daughter the ds last Chrstmas and she loves it. She plays with it all the time and has never dropped it. There are so many games for the smaller kids. She loves Cooking Mama which she gets to cook by adding the ingredients and stirring , etc.

I have two children, a girl 7 and a boy 3(will be 4 early nov) We gave our daughter a leapster for christmas when she was 4 and my son has just recived his, tried to wait to his bday, but he found it. Our daughter recived her ds last year for christmas, i think the leapster teaches them the responsibility to later get the ds,
i think the ds is to expencive for a 4 year old.

My son has the DS and he loves it. We got it for him when he turned 5 and there are some great games for him to play. I even play it for time to time. You should make your decision on why you want to purchase it...If you are looking for an educational type toy then go with the Leapster...I just felt that we have so many other educational things for my son to play with and then school, he deserved something that was fun...Plus so many of his friends had a DS so they were able to play together.

My 10 year old got a Nintendo DS last year for his birthday and my 4 year old would always fight over it with him. I would go for the DS because there are so many games that even at 4 they can play. You will be surprised how fast they pick it up. I finally broke down and got my 4 year old one and he loves it. (And no more fights)...And I will tell you that my boys do not play it all of the time. And they may sometimes go a week without playing it. My 4 year old also had a VSmile which he liked for about a month. Now the DS is all he wants to play.

IN the long run, he will use the DS more.
WE got ou son a gameboy so when he was 4)the ds hadn't come out yet). Now both he and his sister have DS and they love them.
check out some toy store web sites and see the games geared for young ones.

Due to the fact that the Leapster is substantially cheaper you can teach responsilibilty and see if he really likes it. I do know children that only play with them because someone else has one!

get the leapster. it's age appropriate & by the time he wants a DS, your little on can have the leapster. DS is not for a four yr.old.

My son is 5 and we went for Leapster when he was 4. We chose learning videos over Nintendo videos. I personally prefer to value the young years with learning. My son still plays with his leapster and loves it.

I would go with the Leapster. My daughter, now 8, has had it since she was 4 and still loves it. Like the pp said, she has dropped it I don't know how many times and it's still working fine. When your son gets older, maybe get him a DS or PSP (or whatever else they come out with by then! lol) but the Leapster will give him years of entertainment!

BTW, the Leapster my daughter has is backwards compatible with the earlier model's games, so make sure you check if that's true with the L2. It will give you much more flexibility in choosing games!

Good luck!

I think a lot of the other moms have had good responses so far. My son (who will be 4 next month) has been playing with my hubby's DS for almost 2 years. No, he doesn't know exactly what he's doing with a lot of the games yet, but he is definitely getting there- especially the past year. I have not had any experience with the leapster, but we are considering it also for his bday (mostly so he & hubby will quit arguing over the DS! LOL).

The DS does have different writing games, etc that he played with and it would fill the numbers/letters as he tried to write them. Sudoku was actually great for that!

The one big issue we have had, though is in losing the stylus (the little pen thing). He would set it down while he went to potty or get a drink and it would get misplaced. Depending on how good your son's fine motor skills are, this could be a problem too because it is rather small. Phoenix has always had very advanced fine motor, so that wasn't an issue for us.

A Nintendo DS is double screened and has a pen type thing you use. I have a 7 year old who has a hard time on her cousins still. We got her a Gameboy (they don't just sell them anymore you have to get them at a resale shop or buy them on ebay) She can play it just fine. But the DS is just to hard for her to understand. Now a leapster I know nothing about. Good luck!

Definately the Leapster 2, it is GREAT! Our daughter really enjoys doing the activities and she can pick the level she wants to do. Great for learning and you can buy other cartidges as they get older.