My Son is 4 Years Old. Is it To Early to buy him a Game BOy Advanced?

Question

am I sending him a wrong message here?. Its a really expensive toy.one of his cousins wich is 5 just got one last month and my son keeps bugging me to buy him one. Should I cave in to his demands or should i just tell him that we don't have money for those types of luxurys.

Wow I never thought of that. Its a great Ideal. I can keep him busy on doctors appt. Restaurants and Important errands. Also I could use it as a tool incase he won't clean his room or pick up his toy. Some of your answers were fantastic. Thanks.

WE DO PLAY ALOT OUTSIDE MONDAY THROUGH THURSDAY WE SPENT 2 HOURS KICKING A SOCCER BALL, SWINGS, SWIMMING, HE IS A VERY OUTDOOR LITTLE GUY IS JUST THAT WHENEVER HIS COUSIN VISITS THEY ARE ALWAYS FIGHTIING TO PLAY THAT TOY.

Most of the answers here were great. Seriously I wasn't expecting such sincere answers. Thanks Everyone. Because of that I will put the anwers to vote.

Answer 1

I could see you buying it for the educational game that they have for it and have be more of a learning toy than a video game.
Of if you want it just for the video games make sure you put time limits on how long he can play and you could even make playing video games as a reward for doing other things like keeping his room clean or even helping setting the table for dinner.
But I would wait until Christmas (if you celebrate it) to buy it.
I think that expensive items like that should be bought for birthday or what major holiday you celebrate. And if you don't celebrat either then have him earn it by helping out with little things.

Answer 2

These toys are great!! They provide exelent oppertunities to not spend time with your children. If you would like to have no interaction with your kids and them be quiet then this is a great idea. Just dont be suprised when he shoots up his middle school or gets busted spray painting graffiti or making pipe bombs. Hes 4 there is abs no reason he needs any toy that costs more than 20 bucks. Four year olds do not have the mental capacity to take care of or appreciate what they are getting. This could lead to problems later on. No video games are good, not one, think about it, is there anything good for you child that can come out of playing video games? Excersize, new experiences , learning new things and getting involved are good. Get him somthing else that his cousins will envy like a cool new baseball glove or whatever. Think again about buying him a game system when he is 12 and even then limit the use and make him earn it and pay for half through allowence perhaps. I hope this helps, remember hard work now will pay off for him in the future. Good luck

Answer 3

So even though I have a child, I have problems giving parental advice because who wants to be THAT person. But come on? A Game Boy? At 4? Try a bike or a football to throw around with him. He'll have all of his adolescence and adulthood to play video games. Now, while you still can, help him learn how to play for real. If you make anything seem really cool and like it is so special because it's coming from dad, he'll like it more than his cousin's toy.

Answer 4

Get him one second-hand from Ebay. Limit his time with it. Teach him sunny days are for playing outside, and gameboy is for rainy days or for winding down at bedtime. My brother each have them, the youngest is 5 and has had one for a couple years.

PS- it is a GREAT tool to teach responsibility- unlike many toys, leaving it out in the rain even once, or throwing it even once, means he never has it again.

PPS- if you do have issue (as do many of your responders) with non-educational games, have you considered something along the lines of a LeapPad?

Answer 5

my brother in law is 5 years old his brother bought him a game boy which i was upset because at this stage they should be learning the little things like there abc's you know some fun educational toys anyways he had it and he did'nt last for a week because of some games that were on it like the gun games it was affecting him so he parked it he does'nt play with it anymore and plus that was a waste of money so re think on the affect it may have on him playing certaingames or being in contact with certain games you may never tell.

Answer 6

No, those kinds of things cause ADD and can even cause seizures. I think he is still a little too young to take care of such an expensive toy anyway. Wait until he is a bit older so he can appreciate it and take care of it.

Answer 7

If you're getting it to give him learning games to help him with school, I wouldn't see the problem. But if you're buying it just so he can play Zelda, you're setting him up for obsession with video games later on, and he's going to spend too much time on that and not enough time outside. I let my daughter play on the computer, but only the Jumpstart games and so on and so forth. Do they have those for GBA? Check into it.

Answer 8

just remember it can be worse than TV, you don't want him sitting around all day playing a game when he could be learning something new. I do think he is to young but you are the parent so it is ultimately up to you to make that decision. But I would wait til 8 years old and right now do learning activities that challenge his growing mind.

Answer 9

4 year old w/a game boy? No way!!! get him one of those electronic educational toys if anything but monitor the time

Answer 10

I think 4 is too young. There are other ways to keep him occupied or entertained. Like coloring books or other activity books. Too many kids are in front of electronics... and 4 seems way to early to start the "addiction" (so to speak) in my opinion. Good luck. :o)