Finally got a Leappad

So, I finally got a leappad... after vacillating whether to get one or not, this post convinced me...
"Leappad: the completely rubbish tablet you have to get"

It convinced me that even though it is slow, and expensive, my son would love it. And yes, my son does love it :) And yes, the cost of the apps are the most annoying part... (and the slowness of the leappad -- but I'm an impatient techie...). Admittedly, I really only finally got one because I became obsessed with it and my husband told me to get it so it would shut me up... oh dear.

I got one for my son who just turned 3 in March, and who (of course I think) is a little advanced for his age. I would agree that the recommended age of 4-8 would be best for most kids, yet my son will become better at it as he gets older and will have it mastered by 4. The games I got were Tangled (he loves the movie -- and so do I!) which is too short of a game in my opinion... especially for $25. And a little too advanced for my son to play by himself.

I also got him Mr. Pencil saves Doodleburg which I love for him! It's great. the educational content within the story/game is perfect. I love how they teach him how to draw as well as the terms like "horizontal" and "vertical" lines, and shapes...

The downloadable extras called "micromods" are a bit lame, (- mostly 'stickers' you can stamp onto a page when you're free-coloring) and the fact that I have to pay an extra $7.50 for an extension to the game I spent $25 on is pretty shocking too.

But, one way of legitimizing the cost, and what I am keeping in mind, is that Leapfrog as a company has more educational support and knowledgable developers behind their products as opposed to someone who knows how to write an app and just wants to make a quick .99c x 1000 from the Apple app store... the "mile wide but an inch deep" argument...

The Leappad comes with a free 4th game that you can choose when you're setting up your leappad. I got the dinosaur book that my son couldn't care less about. I should have gotten the train game, perhaps. But there's no going back once you've done the initial set up.

Also, there's 2 free apps wondering around online on multiple blogs since November, 2011:
"The book of super awesome stuff" ebook code: 5813-1140-1518-1413
"Alphabet stew" game code: 5813-0790-4610-4973
I cant wait, and expect, there to be new free codes for other games, books, and videos!


I wonder about the many bloggers who got a free one with games already loaded onto it. How did they get that? Did they have to write rave reviews on their blog of other leappad toys? Anyway. Im jealous... That toy is s'pensive! I want some free stuff! :)