Leapfrog Learning Pad vs Fisher Price Powertouch

[grenicali]

I'm trying to decide which of these to buy. Some of the cons I have read about the LLP are having to push "Go" on each page, flimsy pages, pen getting lost or being too short. Pros for LLP are that it seems to have more books. Cons for the FPP are not having as many books and pros are automatic page recognition, no pen (good or bad? I'm sure some kids like the pen) Am I missing anything? This is for a 3 year old, by the way! I bought the LLP yesterday on sale, but I want to make sure it's the right choice. Also, any particular books that are better than others? Thanks!

[egoldber]

I have the FP system for my 3 year old (well, 37 months). For awhile I thought it was a complete waste, but she is growing to like it more and more. IMO, I think 3 is the bare minimum age for a lot of kids to be able to really enjoy these systems without a lot of help. I bought the FP system because I thought it was a more intuitive system than the LP systems.

In hindsight, I think perhaps the pen is a good idea, but she enjoys it well enough. The slight problem we have with her using her finger is that she sometimes lays her whole hand on the page, thus touching a part of the page that she did not mean to touch. The pen would avoid that. The pages are a little delicate although she has not ripped any. Some are slightly bent, but the books still work fine. I have heard that the pages for For My First LP are sturdier, so that may be a bit better choice for younger kids.

There is not a huge selection of books, but the ones available are nice and she enjoys all the ones we have. I just bought her several more on deep sale at kbtoys.com. If she really enjoys it, when she is older I will think about the regular LeapPad or Leapster system.

[lukkykatt]

We have a LeapPad that was given to my older son at age 4.5. He has really not used it very much, but my 2.5 yo loves it. He calls it "My LeapPad" and uses it practically every day.

DS actually likes using the pen and enjoys pushing the "go" button, so we have had no problems there. A few of our books have small rips in some of the pages, but DS has been using this since the age of 2, so he has ripped pages in other "regular" books too (including a library book, but that is a whole 'nother story) - that is just part of the age. I think for a 3 yo, these books would be fine - the pages are no more flimsy than any other book, and actually less flimsy than a "regular" book, I am thinking.

As far as books, DS' absolute favorite is the Richard Scary "Best Little Word Book". He also likes the music book, which I got for my older son - it is for a higher age group, but my 2.5 yo loves playing the different instruments on it. You can get a 3 set of books at BJ's for about $20 btw.