LeapPad Ultra

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We got this second-hand. It’s pretty expensive and we wouldn’t have bought it new. The kids love it, to the point where we have to confiscate it when screen time gets out of hand, and we can use it as a bargaining tool.

It’s basically a computer tablet, like a big smart phone. The default apps are pretty good, but to get more you have to pay $5 or more for each one. And if you get it used, like we did, you have to set up a new account to download new apps, and doing that wipes all the previously-downloaded apps.

The video apps have only 3 or so video clips in each bundle, and we got the ones with that annoying git, Caillou, which our three-year-old watches repeatedly. But the other apps seem genuinely educational while also entertaining.

I can see that one of the big parenting issues in front of us is managing the usage of electronic devices.