LeapFrog My First LeapPad Orange

Our three girls wore out out first one and I was so sad that Leap Frog no longer produces this item. Found this one second hand for the boy and we are happy again. Great product.

This did arrive as the picture shows. First it was not in the box. Secondly, I only received the orange holder. So this item was sent back for a refund.

I bought this for my son's 3rd birthday, as it's rated for 3-5 years. It's a great idea, but there were quirks from the beginning that bothered me and made it difficult for a 3-year-old to use it. Like when you press the "on" button, there's about a two or three-second delay before it powers on and makes its first sound. So kids (including my 4-year-old daughter) think it didn't come on the first time. So they press it again, which shuts it off. My son did enjoy using it once he got the hang of turning it on. His favorite way to play was with the alphabet games minus any book. But within about a year, it started to think you had a book in at all times. My two younger children are now old enough to play with it, but it constantly prompts them to point to items that are on pages other than the one they're on, even when pressing the green "go" cirle. I purchased this brand new three years ago, but it had a different look. Hopefully the newer version has worked these bugs out.

Cons first:The books easily fall off the two pegs that hold them on thereThe volume can't be controlledOne of my kids has this "thing" for buttons and it is likely that the button to turn it off and on will be busted down within a few weeksPros:Teaches kids true respect for "real books" because they are most like a real bookSelf-motivating. One of my kids is totally addicted to messing around with this.Helps with fine and gross motor skills which is why I got it.I really like this which is why I bought it and a few of the books. I have the Tag system which is great. I have the Leapster system on the Wish List.I'd rather read to them but at the same token, when I am cooking, or doing dishes if they want to "read" (they are 20 mos old) this is what they run to right now along with "real books". With "real books" they look at the pics but can't read yet. This device actually helps them w/the gross and fine motor skills when using so I am ok w/that.

This is a really fun and educational toy, my two children really seem to enjoy it. We bought one for each of them. I believe the targeted age group begins at three, however, my younger of the two, is 2yrs and she seems to do quite well with following the directions and navigating through the pages.One issue I have with this toy is that the on and off switch is located (for right-handers) right under where the kids lean their wrists to use their pen on the pages and it ends up turning it off a lot. Then, when they turn it back on there is a pause that is about 2 seconds too long causing them to think it didn't turn on so they push it again and it turns off. It then becomes a vicious cycle of on and off until I have to hold an impatient finger back for it to come on properly.The other issue is the clip that holds the book in wasn't very well thought out. With busy little hands and bodies, the spiral binding on the book pops out of the notches that are supposedly meant to hold it onto the pad itself constantly. The pages of the book won't fold under, you just flip them up as you move to another page, so with the pages hanging over like that it easily "catches" on pants, hands, knees, etc. when they use it, particularly when sitting the leap pad on their laps.So, a few tweaks and it would be perfect!! I wouldn't make it a deterrent in purchasing this item...just know going in you'll need some patience in helping your little ones with a couple things pretty regularly.

This item arrived promptly and is exactly as advertised. It's a Christmas gift and I'm sure the recipient will be delighted.

Purchased LeapPad for my 2 1/2 year old Granddaughter. My granddaughter uses it for every car ride and she loves it. Books exchange easily.

My girls ages 3 & 5 are very gentle children. Even though my children are very good with their toys, the leappad system, still wasn't durable enough. The cartridges from the very beginning would occassionally not work unless I wiggled it around. I thought maybe the first one we bought was faulty, so I bought a second one about 6 months later. It worked the exact same way. Misreading the cartridges or shutting off mid-way through play.It's so disheartening to hear your 3 or 5 yr old become frustrated time and again because her favorite toy is tempermental and constantly stops working mid-play.We used our leappads for naptime and quiet time in the car. It was great for getting my daughters to play quietly until they fell asleep. After months of the system no longer working, my girls gave up. Now we are looking for a better quality learning laptop or system for them.It's ridiculous with today's technology, that this simple learning system failed in durability after only a few months when toys from my childhood like Texas Instruments Speak & Spell still works to this day!