iPad mini vs. Kindle Fire HD8

[poohs_hunny]

My DD is turning 2 next week and although I never thought I would, I want to get her a tablet for Christmas. She is currently using my OLD iPad mini (not sure about generation - maybe 2nd bought around 2013 I think?). The software is outdated and the memory is pretty much maxed out. I'd love to just get her a new iPad mini, but I just can't see spending almost $400 for a toddler's tablet that will be outdated in a few years. I am considering a Kindle Fire HD8 instead. She would mainly be using it for short periods daily for learning games (I just subscribed to ABC Mouse) and for videos/games/books while traveling. This would be solely for her use as I have a new iPad mini myself. Opinions? I am especially interested in hearing from anyone that has/had both an iPad and a Kindle. Is an iPad really worth hundreds more? Thanks in advance for any insight you can give!

 

[kaytieeldr]

If even go for the Fire 7 for a two year old. It'll be $30 on Black Friday.

I can't even get myself to buy an iPad, even at the $250 it'll be at Target. At $30-$50, the Fire is almost disposable when it seats out.

Sincerely,
Dedicated, if cheap, Amazon Fire Fan

 

[bcla]

I've got a Mini 4 which is is my primary tablet. Even though it was "old" at the time I got it, it was at a good sale price and the performance has been adequate since I got it. We also got a Fire HD8 back in December 2017. I'm not sure how that compares to the current model.

I think it cost maybe $50 back then, but it's the standard version that puts out ads. I also spent $10 on a 32 GB microSD card to expand the storage. That's the one thing about Amazon's devices is that they are expandable, although that doesn't come without issues such as the SD card randomly unmounting or possibly remounting where it might ask if you want to reformat it.

I'll just say my kid prefers the iPad. It is more powerful. But for simple video the Fire is fine. It is more plastic than metal, but for a kid that shouldn't be an issue.

 

[poohs_hunny]

A couple perhaps dumb questions:

1. What exactly is the difference between a Kindle Fire 7 and 8?
2. My DD loves looking at pictures and videos that I took on my iPhone. How easy would it be to load some on the Kindle?

 

[bcla]

A couple perhaps dumb questions:

1. What exactly is the difference between a Kindle Fire 7 and 8?
2. My DD loves looking at pictures and videos that I took on my iPhone. How easy would it be to load some on the Kindle?

7 or 8 refers to approximate diagonal screen size.

Photos can be loaded to a Kindle. I do it through Android File Transfer on my Mac, although there are other ways. It might also be possible to email photos then download them to the device through an email tool or webmail service.

 

[wenrob]

My kids started with Kindle Fires (actually they started with the V tech tablets) although back then they weren’t near as inexpensive as they are now. Kids Free Time is awesome. Put her on that and you have no worries of her visiting the World Wide Web. That said, being an Apple person I found it a huge pain in the butt to maintain and get things on and off of. Still for a fraction of the price and for a two year old that’s probably still the way I'd go.

 

[dez1978]

Kids kindle fire all the way. The Freetime and the warranty are totally worth it for that age. My 8 yr old still loves his.

 

[Monykalyn]

Agree with the Kindle for the kids. I still use my Kindle when we go to beach or pool to read. But prefer the ipad mini for everything else-that a kid that age wouldn't need. The kindle is actually nice for kids!

 

[HeatherC]

Wow I must be in the minority. But a tablet for a two year old? Why can’t she play with picture books. Keep a couple in their diaper bag and switch them out every few days. There have been so many studies in how screentime in children is affecting their brain and development.

They have the rest of their lives to be using tablets and phones etc... Please let them use their imaginations and not help them become addicted to electronics at the age of two.

 

[wenrob]

Wow I must be in the minority. But a tablet for a two year old? Why can’t she play with picture books. Keep a couple in their diaper bag and switch them out every few days. There have been so many studies in how screentime in children is affecting their brain and development.

They have the rest of their lives to be using tablets and phones etc... Please let them use their imaginations and not help them become addicted to electronics at the age of two.

Tablets can be used for educational purposes. It’s actually what made my DS a reader. Being able to interact with the digital books made what was a nightly fight into a calm learning experience and made a HUGE difference in his comprehension.

 

[poohs_hunny]

Wow I must be in the minority. But a tablet for a two year old? Why can’t she play with picture books. Keep a couple in their diaper bag and switch them out every few days. There have been so many studies in how screentime in children is affecting their brain and development.

They have the rest of their lives to be using tablets and phones etc... Please let them use their imaginations and not help them become addicted to electronics at the age of two.

Thanks, but I didn't ask for opinions on if she should have a tablet. If you read my original post, you would see that she would be using it for learning games on ABC Mouse (10 minutes per day) and for travel (plane). She LOVES books and uses her imagination while playing all day long. I am an elementary educator so I know very well how addicting screens can be to kids, but technology is also an amazing tool when used correctly. I do not want her using my new iPad in fear of it getting damaged.

 

[3boymthr]

An alternate suggestion...
If there is nothing physically wrong with you iPad mini besides the lack of memory and it will run iOS updates you could try resetting to factory standards and setting it up from scratch without restoring from the backup. Just install the programs she likes. Do not connect to the cloud. It’s amazing how much memory this will free up (I freed up more than half my space doing this). You may free enough memory that you can stretch out her use of the iPad for another year or two then when it dies give her your current iPad and upgrade for yourself. This will cost you nothing but time and if it doesn’t do what you want you can restore again and sell to offset the cost of a kindle.

 

[poohs_hunny]

An alternate suggestion...
If there is nothing physically wrong with you iPad mini besides the lack of memory and it will run iOS updates you could try resetting to factory standards and setting it up from scratch without restoring from the backup. Just install the programs she likes. Do not connect to the cloud. It’s amazing how much memory this will free up (I freed up more than half my space doing this). You may free enough memory that you can stretch out her use of the iPad for another year or two then when it dies give her your current iPad and upgrade for yourself. This will cost you nothing but time and if it doesn’t do what you want you can restore again and sell to offset the cost of a kindle.

This is an interesting idea and I think I'll give it a try first. When we tried ABC Mouse for the first time yesterday, at best the app/activities were very slow to load and at worst, the app kept crashing. I'm not sure resetting would help this issue?

 

[3boymthr]

This is an interesting idea and I think I'll give it a try first. When we tried ABC Mouse for the first time yesterday, at best the app/activities were very slow to load and at worst, the app kept crashing. I'm not sure resetting would help this issue?

It might help but I checked the reviews for the ABC mouse app. There are a lot of complaints about the cost but there are an equal number of complaints about the app having problems with crashing or that it’s “clunky”. The recommendation is to make sure that you have the most recent version of iOS installed but I suspect the problem may be the app. Have you tried logging in using a web browser?

ETA - so I wanted to see if the complaints about the abc mouse app crashing crossed platforms. Just wanted ask were you aware this app is not available for kindle?

 

[poohs_hunny]

It might help but I checked the reviews for the ABC mouse app. There are a lot of complaints about the cost but there are an equal number of complaints about the app having problems with crashing or that it’s “clunky”. The recommendation is to make sure that you have the most recent version of iOS installed but I suspect the problem may be the app. Have you tried logging in using a web browser?

ETA - so I wanted to see if the complaints about the abc mouse app crashing crossed platforms. Just wanted ask were you aware this app is not available for kindle?

Their website says it is available for Kindle. I have not tried using a web browser but will try that tomorrow. Thanks!

 

[Meriweather]

DGD has had a Kindle at our house for 3 years. She is now 6 and still uses it all the time.....great for traveling!!
DGS took his first car trip with us last week and we downloaded things he likes on it and it helped a lot. He's 2 1/2.
We will be getting his own on Black Friday.
It helps calm her down at night and has so many things on it for her to do when she needs a break from the other things we do when she is visiting......and now she can have Disney + on it

I am a Kindle fan. I had generation 2 many years ago. Then a Fire 8 and now a Fire 10.

 

[Hikergirl]

She's 2 go for the less expensive option especially if she is just going to be using a few minutes a day.

 

[dez1978]

Wow I must be in the minority. But a tablet for a two year old? Why can’t she play with picture books. Keep a couple in their diaper bag and switch them out every few days. There have been so many studies in how screentime in children is affecting their brain and development.

They have the rest of their lives to be using tablets and phones etc... Please let them use their imaginations and not help them become addicted to electronics at the age of two.

Wow judge much??? You know there are lots of things they can learn on tablets too right? And for what it’s worth, my kids had school iPads starting at 4 in prek. Technology is the world we live in now. These kids will never carry a textbook home. Everything will be done on computers and tablets. Also, she’s not suggesting giving her kid unlimited access to YouTube and games. A few mins a day of educational games and occasional movies when on long trips isn’t going to hurt anyone.

 

[pweyl36]

Wow I must be in the minority. But a tablet for a two year old? Why can’t she play with picture books. Keep a couple in their diaper bag and switch them out every few days. There have been so many studies in how screentime in children is affecting their brain and development.

They have the rest of their lives to be using tablets and phones etc... Please let them use their imaginations and not help them become addicted to electronics at the age of two.

Iam with you, its actually not good for young children. There was a study done about young children using ipads.

 

[poohs_hunny]

Iam with you, its actually not good for young children. There was a study done about young children using ipads.

Once again, I did not ask for opinions IF I SHOULD get her a tablet. Please keep the thread on topic or keep scrolling. Thanks.