LL got one for Christmas. She likes to play with it sometimes. It's not her favorite toy but we haven't bought any of the software, so maybe that is why. It is kinda heavy also. I think maybe she would enjoy the Leapster Explorer more.
Jax got one for Christmas, so just before he was 2.5. He loves it. He calls it his Omputer. He plays it so much. We have several games. The only time he stops playing is if it's not challenging him anymore and then he takes a break for a while. But he's got the thing figured out and it's awesome.
i really wanted to get one for Doodle at Christmas. She was 4.5 at the time. The iXL was sold out EVERYWHERE, so I ended up getting a Leapster Explorer. She loves playing with it, but I'm pretty sure she would've love playing with any of them. My friend has a Leapster 2 and her son loves his. The games are not compatible between Leapster 2 and Leapster Explorer which is kinda disappointing. The leapster "regular" and the leapster 2 have some games that are compatible. She plays with it on the plane, we took it to disney and she played with it in line. She has the camera "attachment" and can take pics and videos. I think the Leapster Explorer and iXL are pretty similar in that they have a touch screen/stylus...whereas the Leapster 2 doesn't have a touch screen - that's the major difference I could think of.
To be honest, I'm not sure she would've liked it so much if she were younger. My best advice...look at the GAMES that are available. If you think your child is more into a specific character, see if the machine you are looking to buy has that character's game.
Re: Fisher Price iXL
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i really wanted to get one for Doodle at Christmas. She was 4.5 at the time. The iXL was sold out EVERYWHERE, so I ended up getting a Leapster Explorer. She loves playing with it, but I'm pretty sure she would've love playing with any of them. My friend has a Leapster 2 and her son loves his. The games are not compatible between Leapster 2 and Leapster Explorer which is kinda disappointing. The leapster "regular" and the leapster 2 have some games that are compatible. She plays with it on the plane, we took it to disney and she played with it in line. She has the camera "attachment" and can take pics and videos. I think the Leapster Explorer and iXL are pretty similar in that they have a touch screen/stylus...whereas the Leapster 2 doesn't have a touch screen - that's the major difference I could think of.
To be honest, I'm not sure she would've liked it so much if she were younger. My best advice...look at the GAMES that are available. If you think your child is more into a specific character, see if the machine you are looking to buy has that character's game.