Moms and Mom-ish people: Kindle Fire Kids

Heffalump · October 2016

Obviously, anyone is welcome to comment; I just figured that people without kids wouldn't have much experience with Kindle Fire Kids. But hey, you do you.

LSS, our iPad is 4 (!) years old, DS is turning 3, Wooz does her Raz-Kids on the iPad, and we have two very long flights to and from London next summer. So we're considering the Kindle Fire Kids for DS.

He doesn't do a ton of apps, but he can run them on there, plus watch Netflix and Amazon Video (home of his current fave, Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood). The rubberized case is appealing, and getting DS a KF would keep the kids from fighting over the iPad. Plus, at 4 years, our iPad is surely going to die soon, and I'm not about to buy >1 iPad. (The KF is a very kid-friendly price point of $99.) And then of course DS could have it on the plane, and in the event that it's lost or damaged (there or elsewhere), it's much less of a loss than an iPad.

So Kindle Fire/Kindle Fire Kids people: thoughts? Reviews? Likes/dislikes? I'm all ears.

mrsconn23 · October 2016

Oh! I am curious. DefConn broke my iPad mini (dropped it on the deck) and I had to get it replaced entirely. I got the invisible shield glass and a better case, but I'm leery about letting him use it. So, I'm thinking a kid's kindle fire may be a good Christmas present for him.

So what I'm trying to say is, thanks for posting this because I have the same questions/curiosity.

DrillSergeantCat · October 2016

If I weren't such an Apple fan, I'd totally get a Kindle Fire. I think for the price and the availability of apps, it's a great deal.

*Barbie* · October 2016

Wolverine has the kindle fire for kids and loves it. She's had it 2-3 years now, so I think age-wise it would work for your son. (She was either 3 or 4 when she got it.) She uses it for games, apps, reading, puzzles, takes pictures with the camera, educational games, streaming shows/movies - so yes, highly recommend. They have a bunch of content that is free to use (also, no in-app purchases) and you set it up so that's all they can access without unlocking it. (You would set up a password and have admin control - which you would need to use to access the internet, and probably Netflix. It will default to the kid account, so he won't need a password to unlock his stuff unless you set one up, or enact the screen time limitations feature - we haven't done that, so i can't comment on it.)

I think the warranty is pretty good for the kids version, and Wolverine hasn't broken or lost hers.

Some of the available content would probably be "too young" for Wooz - she's probably at the higher end of the target age range. Also keep in mind that a regular kindle fire is also considerably cheaper than an ipad - so if the ipad craps out that might be a better alternative for her.

your only limitation on the trip will be the availability of wi-fi.

Heffalump · October 2016

*Barbie* said:

Wolverine has the kindle fire for kids and loves it. She's had it 2-3 years now, so I think age-wise it would work for your son. (She was either 3 or 4 when she got it.) She uses it for games, apps, reading, puzzles, takes pictures with the camera, educational games, streaming shows/movies - so yes, highly recommend. They have a bunch of content that is free to use (also, no in-app purchases) and you set it up so that's all they can access without unlocking it. (You would set up a password and have admin control - which you would need to use to access the internet, and probably Netflix. It will default to the kid account, so he won't need a password to unlock his stuff unless you set one up, or enact the screen time limitations feature - we haven't done that, so i can't comment on it.)

I think the warranty is pretty good for the kids version, and Wolverine hasn't broken or lost hers.

Some of the available content would probably be "too young" for Wooz - she's probably at the higher end of the target age range. Also keep in mind that a regular kindle fire is also considerably cheaper than an ipad - so if the ipad craps out that might be a better alternative for her.

your only limitation on the trip will be the availability of wi-fi.

This is super helpful, thanks!

TrixieJess · October 2016

I'm very jealous, I don't think this is available in Canada. Bloody Americans!

MesmrEwe · October 2016

Honestly - with kids - just buy the $75 tablet on Black Friday at Walmart that comes with the keypad and case. That way you don't have a huge investment yet it's something decent and if it gets lost/broke you're more likely to shrug and NBD. I wouldn't go for a Kindle because at the end of the day you're more limited than you are with a tablet and you can download the apps and still be good to go...

tawillers · October 2016

We've had kindles for several years and just got the girls their own for xmas last year. We got the $50 kindles for $35 on black Friday. I also bought 32GB memory cards because the memory on them is so teeny.

The girls have never been allowed to purchase apps and they've never complained about there being nothing to download. They have tons of games and watch amazon prime movies/shows.

Also, we've gone almost a year without cases on them (just slipped our minds) and had no issues. These things are amazing.

ETA: I would buy these again and again. The girls love them and we have never run into any limitations in content. As Barbie mentioned, the availability of wi-fi would be your biggest concern, but some of the apps we have will still run without it.

cupcait927 · October 2016

tawillers said:

We've had kindles for several years and just got the girls their own for xmas last year. We got the $50 kindles for $35 on black Friday. I also bought 32GB memory cards because the memory on them is so teeny.
The girls have never been allowed to purchase apps and they've never complained about there being nothing to download. They have tons of games and watch amazon prime movies/shows.
Also, we've gone almost a year without cases on them (just slipped our minds) and had no issues. These things are amazing.

ETA: I would buy these again and again. The girls love them and we have never run into any limitations in content. As Barbie mentioned, the availability of wi-fi would be your biggest concern, but some of the apps we have will still run without it.

I was going to suggest the $50 Kindle as well. H had gotten me a Kindle Fire HDX (7 in. version) two years ago and it's amazing. I bought him the $50 Kindle last year on Black Friday as well (can't beat $35!) and his is almost as nice as mine for a fraction of the cost. My newphew got a Kindle Fire (not the kid's version) when he was around 4 I believe and never had any issues with it and hasn't broken it (he's 7 now). I don't know that you need to necessarily go with the kid specific version.