V-smile vs Leapster

S.,

I know this is a little late but, I have had both of the systems. My kids are 6 and 4. I bought the V-smile 2 years ago. I wish I would have gotten the Leapster. I got one for them last Christmas and it has been a hit ever since. I also sugest you get the hand held. They can take it anywhere. And the games are very educational unlike the V-smile which didnt seem like it was as fun for the kid the games didnt keep their interest. My son learned all his letters and the sounds they make in less than a month with the leapster. They also have a game console that can hook up to the TV now. That is what my kids are getting this Christmas. Good Luck and have a Merry Christmas

I have never tried either of these brands for babies but the regular leapster and the v-tech I have tried. I dont care for the V-Tech to much even though the games were cheaper it had to be returned to the store 2 times in one month, and after that my kids are just not interested in it. I feel like it isnt made for rough and tumble kids. The Leapster I am a huge fan of. My kids love the games and they are incredibly educational. It has been dropped a million times and it doesnt miss a beat. I bought my son one when he was 3 and my daughter loved it so much too that I had to get her one when she was 3 as well. Now there is no more fighting over it. So as if you couldnt tell I highly recommend to Leapster or anything from Leap Frog. I would just really try to get something that grows with them and not just for a few short months.

well i bought the v-smile but haven't seen either yet but i bet their both good !! i got mine for my 19 mth old granddaughter riley good luck and enjoy

I personally have never bought these for my children. However, I did want to but I had friends tell me that her kids just lost interest in them so fast. After I thought about it, I am sure mine would too. That may not be the case for your kiddos though. Sorry I couldn't help any more than that.

My kids (almost 4 and 19 mos.) loved baby einstine and leap frog. They also liked little einstine and learning leapfrog.

Good luck with everything!

K.

my now 4 year old got a v-tech last christmas and loves it. she still plays with it several times a week. and this christmas i am purchasing some "add ons" to it. i found in wal mart, there is a color pad you plug in the place of the controller to the system and the child can color, draw, ect on the pad and it shows up on the tv. also there is a floor pad which plugs in the place of the controller they can dance/move on which teaches coordination and so forth. i know she will love those 2 additions. she has learned so much from it already. good luck.

S. R,
There is a store on the corner of Youree Drive and Southfield in a small shoping center called "The White Rabbit." They have the most amazing hands on, learning toys in the area. The quality of these toys are outstanding. Although the v-smile is great in itself I feel that babys and young children learn better from hands on activities, games and toys, books, coloring and finger painting, ect. Just my thoughts.

V. D

Hey,
My daughter has the VTech V-Smile. Though my daughter is older than yours, she loves it. It has also taught her some coordination. It took a while to learn that each button does different things & that the joystick makes the person move. It has it it's downfalls I think though. My daughter got hers a few months after she turned 2. well some of the games are geared more for the higher age limit. Such as a game for ages 2-4 it is geared more for the interest & abilities of a 4 y/o. I mean if you work with them they will get the hang of it. & if they dont my daughter still likes trying. I mean she thinks she is doing something & winning. Well she is kinda like I said before it helps to develop her hand/eye coordination. It also does not come with an adaptor. It takes 4C batteries & that doesnt last very long. Well at least not in my house. But the games are pretty cheap. Only like 15$ each
I havent gotten the leapfrog for the t.v. but it seems like it would eb a little easier. & if I am not mistaken, if that is the one that "grows" with the child so that when she is a toddler. I think that one might be a better choice. I am thinking of getting that one for my daugher also just until she gets a little better with the other one.
Well hope I have been of some kind of help.
Jill

We had a V-Smile, but the cable that connects the controller to the unit kept coming out og the controller, and after about 4 minths we were jamming the games in to get it to work. As for Leap Frog, I've never tried it. Being the geek that I am, I picked up a really old computer from a swap meet for $425 bucks & loaded it up with all the JumpStart games (they even have JumpStart Baby and JumpStart Toddler). They don't require a lot of CPU power, RAM, or disk space, so an old 255 MHz processor with 64 to 128 MB RAM and a 10 GB hard drive with Windows 98SE on it is sufficient for all sorts of kids games from the late 90s (Reader Rabbit, Pajama Sam, all sorts of fun stuff). Another good thing is you can use it for other stuff when the baby's not using it, and if the baby breaks it you're still out the same amount of money.

Both are pretty good systems but I think if you are looking for something to grow with your child the Leap Frog for TV would be better. The Vsmile Baby is only for kids up to like 3, Then they move to the Vsmile console. For which I love. Vsmile baby is great but doesn't have as many games as the leap frog. If you go to the store they have the sample you can try that will help you to decide what is best for your child

My daughter is 17 months and we have the little leaps by leap frog. She's a huge fan of baby einstein and doesn't like that the video pauses until she does something. I think it confuses her looking at the TV and it expects a reaction via the controller to continue. It's a good concept but she's done after 10 minutes. Plus the videos are SO boring. I'm not terribly disappointed that she doesn't like it. I wouldn't recommend this product.